RaptorCon 26: Exec Panel - Building Resilient, Data Driven Solar Companies

This panel brings together three senior leaders in solar O&M and asset management to discuss what it actually takes to build resilient, data-driven solar companies in 2026. Deborah Builder, Chief Operating Officer at Adapture Renewables, Brian Case, Executive Vice President at Cypress Creek Renewables, and Kyle Cooper, Chief Executive Officer at ACT Power, share three distinct vantage points spanning the asset owner, hybrid owner-operator, and pure-play O&M perspective.

The conversation covers where each leader feels the most strain right now as solar capacity scales faster than operational models can support, where they are placing their bets on automation, and what they believe remains uniquely human in the operating model. They share concrete examples of where automation is already paying off, where it has not worked, and how they are thinking about technician training and retention as the labor pinch point of the industry.

The panel closes with candid reflections on the past year, the lessons from recent industry headwinds, and what each leader is most worried about heading into the next phase of growth.

Speakers: Deborah Builder, Chief Operating Officer, Adapture Renewables Brian Case, Executive Vice President, Cypress Creek Renewables Kyle Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, ACT Power