This Week in Solar

What’s newThe U.S. switched on more than 11 gigawatts of residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar between April and June. 43% of all new electrical capacity added was utility-scale solar, and total operating US solar now totals 288 gigawatts. That’s not just some big number. There are millions of individual stories tied into that total. 288 GW of total solar means that millions of people made the individual choice to either put solar on their homes, add solar to their commercial buildings, or advocate for solar in their communities.Then, hundreds of thousands of people had to sell those systems, design them, and install them. Batteries had an even bigger moment this summer. Storage installations hit a record 20.2 gigawatt-hours in the same three months, which is enough stored electricity to run somewhere around 700,000 average American homes for a full day in an outage. Today’s News Roundup is Brought to You By Exact SolarThis Week In Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your locally owned, twenty-year-old solar installer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey.We’ve spent more than two decades doing work we’re proud of. We’ve put solar on schools, churches, nonprofits, Habitat for Humanity homes, and private businesses. The combined output of the solar energy systems we’ve installed for those organizations has kept millions of dollars in their pockets. That money can now be put to better use, instead of constantly paying ever-rising utility bills. If you own, run, or sit on the board of a commercial building in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, we’d love to show you how much your organization could save by going solar.Talk to Us About a Commercial Solar Project

As energy costs have risen in the US, so has the popularity of plug-in solar. We’ve been tracking American plug-in solar legislation for more than six months now, and excitement is building across the country. People are very excited by the idea that they could just buy solar and plug it in without approval, to lower their utility bills without permission from their utility companies. Critics of plug-in solar legislation often say that there’s no way it can be done safely. Proponents of legislation point to the fact that this has been done safely for more than a decade in Europe with almost no downside. Now, there’s no question that Americans overromanticize European ideas. But in this specific case, they’re right to do so. In today’s episode, Aaron talks with Craig Morris, executive director of the Bundesverband Steckersolar (the German Plug-In Solar Association). Craig has spent 25 years explaining Germany’s energy transition, and now runs the trade group behind the world’s first safety standard for plug-in solar kits.Listen to this episode here, or on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with Craig on LinkedIn here.Learn more about the German Plug-In Solar Association at bundesverband-steckersolar.de (you can translate the site into English with the menu in the upper right-hand corner). Expect to learn:Why Plug-In Solar took off like a rocket in Germany How Craig and his association have helped guide German policy so that balcony solar stays accessible and fair for consumers (and what we can learn from that as we’re pushing for our own policies)What a kilowatt-hour from one of these systems actually costs. Quote from the episode:“If your balcony cannot support two drunk people leaning against it in the evening, you probably need to fix that balcony. And if it can support your party, however many people leaning up against it for forty-five minutes, it’ll be fine with the solar.”— Craig Morris

Exact Solar is excited to announce that on June 10th, the IRS redrew its map of “energy communities,” and most of Exact Solar’s service area in Southeast Pennsylvania and New Jersey landed inside the lines. Commercial buildings in those areas can now claim an extra 10% federal tax credit on a solar project, on top of the 30% they already qualified for.This IRS designation will offer commercial building owners who go solar within certain counties the opportunity to claim up to 40% back on their commercial solar projects. If their projects qualify for Domestic Content, they can claim up to 50% back on commercial solar projects. Exact Solar worked with the Amicus Solar Cooperative to pre-safe harbor several project slots. Even though the commercial solar tax credit is on an accelerated phase-out, certain companies who work directly with Exact Solar can still claim the tax credit under the old Inflation Reduction Act Rules. If you own or manage a commercial building, a school, a township campus, or a house of worship in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, we’d love to work with you to check if your building could qualify and show you how much your organization could save. Book a time to talk with our team by clicking the link below: Show Me What My Building Qualifies For

Imagine if you opened your electric bill, and it said:“We’ve decided we’re going to pay you this month instead.”Curt Sawyer, an Exact Solar customer in Bucks County, lives in that reality.Curt and his wife Candy went house hunting nine years ago with a very unusual requirement: they wanted a roof that was already worn out, so they could tear it off and build a new roof specifically designed to add solar energy.If you want to know what it feels like to live in a home where energy is free, this is the episode for you.Listen to this episode here, or on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyWatch Kurt’s full solar tour on our website here.Expect to learn:What happens to your brain once your home’s electricity is free.How going solar can essentially turn your utility company into a savings account that pays you.What net metering and SRECs actually pay to an average homeowner who’s gone solar over time.Quote from the episode:“Once you start actually operating and you realize electricity’s basically free now, you start thinking about your house in a different way.”— Curtis SawyerThis Week In Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your locally owned, twenty-year-old solar installer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And we have a special bonus for This Week In Solar Listeners.For a limited time (July 1st–August 31st, 2026), we’ll pay you $1000 if you refer a friend to us and they go solar.(We only install in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, so please do not refer anyone outside those states).All you have to do is:Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below.Select whether you are an existing customer or a new customer.Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar).Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative.Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information.Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us!Refer a Friend and Earn $1000

What’s newEarlier this week, Solar Power World published an article called “Sodium Ion Batteries are Ready for World Domination.” (linked at the bottom of today’s episode). At Exact Solar, we love learning about what’s coming, because we always want to have great offerings that serve our customers. So we went looking to learn more about this technology and what needs to happen before it’s widely deployed! TL;DR; Sodium-ion batteries are hitting the market, but have a long way to go before they start being widely deployed. This Week in Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your highly reviewed, locally-owned solar installer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey.If you haven’t looked into solar for your home yet, book a time to talk to Exact Solar’s team by clicking the link below, and we will walk you through how much you could save by putting solar energy on your property.Show Me The Numbers for My Home

Aaron talks with Devi Ramkissoon, the first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Devi’s a great storyteller and was a joy to interview. She came to her current role after running economic growth programs at USAID and a stint as the executive director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia.If you want to know what sustainability work actually looks like day-to-day in local government (and how to talk about sustainability with people who do not care about “being green”), this is the episode for you.Listen to this episode here, or on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyYou can connect with Devi on LinkedIn here.Find our episode about our latest installation in Montgomery County here: Upper Dublin Township Goes SolarMeet Devi in person at We Conserve Pa in October: We Conserve PAThis Week In Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your locally owned, twenty-year-old solar installer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We have a special bonus for This Week In Solar Listeners.For a limited time (July 1st–August 31st, 2026), we’ll pay you $1000 if you refer a friend to us and they go solar.All you have to do is:Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below.Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar).Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative.Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information.Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us!Refer a Friend and Earn $1000Expect to learn:How Devi makes the case for sustainable projects to people who don’t care about sustainability.The way Devi thinks about making lasting change in the world. Quote from the episode:“Procurement is not a sexy thing. It’s not going to make the front pages of the Inquirer. But it’s something that I think has a powerful and lasting impact.”— Devi Ramkissoon

It’s a great week for New Jersey farmers and anyone who buys their power from PECO (the utility that covers Southeast PA and the city of Philadelphia). After listening to this episode, anyone intrigued about putting solar or batteries on their property in New Jersey or Pennsylvania should contact Exact Solar. Book my free estimate with Exact Solar’s teamLast week, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities signed off on 52.06 megawatts across farms in eight counties in the opening round of the Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program.(“Dual-use” means putting solar panels above or between crops instead of replacing the crops, not “covering farmland in solar panels so it can never be used for anything else,” as opponents to this type of legislation have suggested). These 16 farms will grow soybeans, hay, grains, vegetables and fruit under and around the panels. Some will graze livestock between the panels. They’re spread across Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Salem and Warren counties.At the same time, PECO officially launched Flex & Save, a program that pays homeowners for letting them borrow power from their home battery during times of high need. PECO says the average participant will earn roughly $480 a year, up to $640 per year. This Week in Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your highly reviewed, locally-owned solar installer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey. If you’re interested in participating in either of these programs, book a time to talk to Exact Solar’s team by clicking the link below, and we will walk you through how much you could save by putting solar energy on your property. Show Me The Numbers for My Home

Realtors often think of solar as a four-letter word. So how do we change that? Today’s episode was recorded live in front of an audience and features two guests:John Nichols is a realtor with Lokation Real Estate who has had some frustrating experiences with solar energy systems during home transactions.Kate Collardson has two decades in the solar industry under her belt, and now runs a solar inspection and service business that helps give home-buyers peace of mind.If you own solar, want to own solar, or might someday buy or sell a house that has solar on the roof, this is for you.Listen to this episode here, or on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with John on LinkedIn here.Connect with Kate on LinkedIn here.Watch Kate’s first appearance on the show here: We Can Fix Solar’s Recycling Problem.Expect to learn:Why a paid-off solar system can add $10,000 to $30,000 to a home’s appraised value.The single most important thing to demand before you buy a house with solar panels.How you can find service and production records for solar panels on homes (even if the company that installed them is out of business).More like this from the archives:How We Fix The Solar Service Crisis: Sean SwentekHow Any Homeowner Can Choose the Right Solar Company: Laura GutierrezMy Experience Going Solar With a Great Local Installer: Thomas Crookham

What’s newI’m going to be testing a plug-in solar system on my house, and as I’ve researched the best way to set it up, I’ve realized that some limitations will have to be solved before this is widely adopted in the U.S.Yesterday I went to pick up a few panels at my local Green Tech Renewables to test with my new plug-in solar inverter, and we spent most of the time I was there talking about a problem we’re both seeing.Listen to this episode here, or on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyWe interchangeably call plug-in solar “balcony solar,” but at the moment, there are only a few solutions for actually mounting these panels to balconies, and no widely available standard.That’s a big problem. Solar panels can weigh between 30 and 50 lbs., and they have sharp corners. If people are going to be mounting them on apartment balconies, we need to know beyond any reasonable doubt that they are securely mounted. We don’t want someone four stories below getting taken out by a falling solar panel.I personally live in a home that has a lot of shade in all areas except the roof, but I’m not ready to commit to mounting the panels on my roof.There are a few areas I could lean them against things, but then they’re just sitting out in the open, vulnerable to the elements and theft.This Week In Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your locally owned, twenty-year-old solar installer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey.Energy costs are skyrocketing in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and no one has a good plan to fix it.You can’t control what the power company charges next year, but you can opt out of the cycle by going solar.Our customers have told us over and over again that they don’t get mad anymore when the power company raises rates, because it just doesn’t even apply to them.If you live in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, we’d love to show you the numbers.Book Your Free Solar Estimate

Aaron talks with Rob Avis, an engineer and permaculture designer who walked away from a career in the fossil fuel industry to found 5thWorld. Rob and his team design food, water, and energy-autonomous homes, acreages, and farms.If you’ve ever wondered if you could sustain yourself on even a small plot of land, today’s episode is for you.Listen to this episode here, or on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with Rob on LinkedIn here.This Week In Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your locally owned, twenty-year-old solar installer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And starting today, we have a special bonus for This Week In Solar Listeners.For a limited time (July 1st–August 31st, 2026), we’ll pay you $1000 if you refer a friend to us and they go solar.(We only install in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, so please do not refer anyone outside those states).All you have to do is:Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below.Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar).Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative.Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information.Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us!Refer a Friend and Earn $1000Expect to learn:Why Rob pulled a 180 and left his fossil fuel career for good.How anyone can build food, water, and energy resilience on as little as a third of an acre (and the $2 book that’ll teach you everything you need to know).What we can do with “waste” heat from data centers. Quote from the episode:“We’ve over-educated in the white-collar system and under-educated in the blue-collar system. We’re all really good at working with the bits, but there aren’t enough of us anymore who know how to work with the atoms.”— Rob Avis

What’s newThe Trump administration is planning to impose tariffs of at least 15% on imported polysilicon and set minimum prices on many parts of the solar supply chain.Polysilicon is the ultra-purified silicon (basically refined sand, made from quartz) that gets sliced into wafers, built into cells, and assembled into the solar panels on your roof.It’s also a key ingredient in the computer chips inside your phone and laptop. Right now, China makes the vast majority of the world’s Polysilicon.Here’s the Trump Administration’s plan to make sure more solar is made here in the U.S., based on reporting from Reuters and Bloomberg:Impose 15% or more tariffs on imported polysilicon.Add legal minimums on how cheaply imported polysilicon, wafers, cells, and modules can be sold in the U.S.A built-in delay before the rules kick in, so U.S. manufacturers who currently rely on imported parts have time to adjust.Offsets for companies that invest big in American manufacturing.The move follows a year-long national security investigation by the Commerce Department into where our polysilicon comes from.Tariffs and price floors push equipment costs up. So as families across the country are getting hit by electricity bills, the one choice they have is about to get more expensive.But a tariff like this only matters if your solar installer hasn’t planned ahead. Exact Solar has.We’ve already pre-secured a large supply of solar modules and solar components that qualify for domestic content (which won’t be subject to the same regulations).And because everyone’s finances look different, Exact Solar doesn’t box you into one way of paying for solar. We’ve partnered with organizations like Clean Energy Credit Union and the Amicus Solar Co-operative to make sure we can offer ethical financing that we can stand behind as a locally-owned company.No matter how you want to go solar, we have a way to finance that will get panels on your roof and lower your energy bills.Tariffs come and go, but the value of making your own clean power at a fixed cost while everyone else’s bill keeps climbing doesn’t.If you live in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, now’s the time to contact Exact Solar and see what the numbers look like for your home.Book Your Free Solar EstimateSources:Trump Readies Tariffs and Price Floor to Help US Polysilicon — BloombergUS weighs polysilicon price floor, tariffs to counter China in solar, chips — ReutersTrump administration to impose 15% tariff in polysilicon probe meant to counter China — Yahoo Finance

Aaron talks with Sean Garren DeKrey, Chief Program Officer at Vote Solar, who leads the state-level solar policy and advocacy work in more than two dozen states.If you feel powerless when you think about clean energy and how much needs to be done, this is the episode for you.Listen to this episode here, or on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with Sean on LinkedIn here.Learn more about Vote Solar at votesolar.org.Expect to learn:Why roughly 70% of this century’s carbon reduction came from state and local policy (not the federal policies we’re so busy arguing about)How ordinary people can actually sway state legislators and energy regulators (and why it’s a smaller pond than you think)Why the solar transition is already past the tipping point, and how we’re going to have a “two-way relationship” with electricity in the future. This Week In Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your locally owned, twenty-year-old solar installer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And we have a special bonus for This Week In Solar listeners.For a limited time, we’ll pay you $1,000 if you refer a friend and they go solar. (We only install in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, so please don’t refer anyone outside those states.)Here’s how to claim the bonus: Click the “Refer a Friend and earn $1000” button below.Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar).Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative.Add your friend’s name, address, and contact info.Get a check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us!Refer a Friend and Earn $1,000Quote from the episode:“The clean energy economy isn’t a tiny seed we’re still watering. We’re one of the big trees in the forest now, and we’ve got to start playing like that.”— Sean Garren DeKrey

What’s newYou might have seen headlines this week about the Trump Administration banning the importation of humanoid robots. Maybe you even laughed, which is understandable! But buried in that ban is something far more impactful. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has added foreign-made power inverters to its “Covered List” (the government’s roster of gear they consider a national security risk). Let us explain what those are. Most people, when they see a solar energy system, only see solar panels and have no idea what an inverter is. An inverter is the box that converts the direct current (DC) produced by solar panels into the alternating current (AC) your home and the grid actually use. Nothing on a solar or battery system runs without one.On Tuesday, the Trump Administration banned any brand-new inverter model built outside the United States from getting approved for sale here.If you’re shopping for a residential solar energy system or a smaller commercial solar energy system, you can take a breath, because this likely won’t affect you. This ban will disproportionately affect utility-scale solar systems (think systems that cover several acres). The FCC’s stated reason for this ban is cybersecurity. They argue that internet-connected inverters could, in theory, be shut off or remotely monitored from abroad. It’s worth noting that a Department of Energy review earlier this year inspected 30 Chinese-made inverters and found no evidence of hidden malicious hardware. Regardless of why the FCC chose to do this, it comes at a strange time. Millions of Americans currently struggle to pay their electric bills as power prices skyrocket, and solar is the fastest and cheapest energy we can deploy to help bring down prices. Data centers are demanding huge amounts of power that has to come from somewhere, so intentionally delaying large-scale solar projects is an odd choice. Sources:Trump admin bans ‘new’ foreign-made inverters. What does that mean? (Canary Media)FCC bans foreign-produced solar inverters (pv magazine USA)US government bans foreign-produced inverters (PV Tech)FCC bans new foreign inverter imports (Solar Power World)Trump administration bans new Chinese humanoid robots, to protect US AI buildout

Aaron talks with Zainab Mirza and Hannah Malus, the co-hosts of Watts the Tea, a show that translates clean energy news and policy into the language of Gen Z gossip.If you want to know why clean energy has a messaging problem, and how you might fix it with a little help from Twilight, Real Housewives, and a healthy disrespect for the sweater vest, this is the episode for you.Listen to this episode here, or on:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyFollow Watts the Tea on InstagramThis Week In Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your locally owned, twenty-year-old solar installer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And starting today, we have a special bonus for This Week In Solar Listeners.For a limited time (July 1st-August 31st, 2026), we’ll pay you $1000 if you refer a friend to us and they go solar.(We only install in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, so please do not refer anyone outside those states).All you have to do is:Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below.Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar).Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative.Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information.Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us!Refer a Friend and Earn $1000Expect to learn:Why so many clean energy CEOs are showing up to Washington with a “first-time ask to save their industry” and why that doesn’t workWhy you will never hear the phrase “electrons to the grid” on Watts the TeaWhat Zainab and Hannah have against sweater vestsQuotes from the episode:“Clean energy is so cool. It’s interesting. It’s like more people care about it now than ever… but it lives in this media silo of long form, really wonky, technical, expert level analysis when more people want to be in the conversation.”— Hannah Malus“You can learn what a virtual power plant is in three minutes without needing a textbook on it. And so we’re convinced we can do it.”— Zainab Mirza