This Week in Solar

What’s new I’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 p...

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: YouTube Apple Podcasts...

What’s new The 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 chip...

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: YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Connect with Sean on LinkedIn here. Learn more about Vo...

What’s new You 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 securi...

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 episo...

What’s New: As of July 2026, eight states have signed plug-in solar into law. Two more states have had legislation pass both chambers, and the bills are now sitting on the governor’s desk waiting to be signed. In today’s episode, we’ll go over where every state stands today. Quick refresher before we get into the state-by-state list: plug-in solar kits are small systems that don’t require approval...

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 d...

Exact Solar just finished one of the most high-impact projects we've ever been a part of. Upper Dublin's new Police Station and Municipal building is now 100% solar-powered! If you're wondering if your home, business, township, non-profit, municipal building, warehouse, or commercial entity can go solar and save money, the answer is probably yes. If you're in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, Exact Sola...

Aaron talks with Dave Kirkpatrick, a co-founder and Managing Director of SJF Ventures. Dave is a 40-year veteran of clean energy investment whose firm backs cleantech companies that make an impact. If you want to know what the people who fund the energy transition look for in great companies and entrepreneurs, this is the episode for you. Listen to this episode here, or on: YouTube Apple Podcasts...

What’s new Several companies want to install tiny AI data centers in people’s homes. It’s not as crazy an idea as you might think… AI needs more computing power, but Americans are beginning to loathe data centers and oppose them almost anywhere anyone suggests putting them. Homes already have power, internet, and space. Some homes already have solar panels, batteries, and smart electric panels, ma...

Aaron talks with Jeff Spies and Jason Vetterli, seasoned solar industry veterans and filmmakers who are about to release the documentary Solar Roots. They’ve spent nearly 10 years filming and editing this documentary to capture the wild, off-grid stories of the pioneers who built the foundation of the modern clean energy boom. You can check out the documentary and watch party here. Listen to this...

What’s New: Earlier this week, New Jersey lawmakers unanimously passed the Garden State Plug-In Solar Act, a bill that would legalize plug-in (balcony) solar across the state. If signed by Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the law will let residents use systems up to 1,200 watts (roughly 3 modern solar panels) that plug into a standard outlet and lower electric bills, without needing a local permit or utility...

This Week In Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your locally owned, twenty-year-old solar installer for Southeast PA and New Jersey. We’d love to 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 “Earn $1000” button below. Fill in your inform...

What’s new Across the country, data centers are gobbling up power, and Americans are paying the bill for rising costs. Everyone involved in building these things needs energy now , but energy infrastructure takes years to build. Tesla, Sunrun, and Renew Home say they can help meet the ever-growing power needs of A.I. data centers by linking together devices that are already sitting in people’s hom...

Energy costs are skyrocketing, and no one seems to have a good plan to fix it. Between natural disasters, capacity auctions, utility rate hikes, and data centers gobbling up power, energy just keeps costing more. You have no control over how much someone charges for power for your home or business, but you can choose to opt out of the cycle by going solar. If you live in New Jersey or Pennsylvania...

Plug-in solar is one of the best defenses average Americans have against skyrocketing electricity bills. Sadly, not every state legislature agrees. Some state representatives are stuck battling utility monopolies in committee, just so that their constituents can legally use the sunlight that hits their homes. If you’re excited about potentially lowering your electric bill without a permit and live...

This Week In Solar is always brought to you by Exact Solar, your locally owned, twenty-year-old solar installer for Southeast PA and New Jersey. We’d love to pay you $500 if you refer a friend to us and they go solar (We only install in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; please do not refer anyone outside those states) . All you have to do is: * Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $500” button below. * F...

Plug-in solar is sweeping the nation. What started as a fringe, under-the-radar DIY movement (look up “guerrilla solar”) will soon be a legally protected appliance class across the United States. Curious where your state stands on legalizing anyone’s right to harvest sunlight? Read on. Listen to this episode on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify If you’ve gotten some value out of this week in s...

Aaron talks with Dr. Janette Freeman, VP of Business Development at Fabtech and a leading expert in the circular economy for solar. Janette is a former minister and mindfulness coach who transitioned into renewable energy to help solve the issue of solar waste. Listen to this episode on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify Connect with Janette on LinkedIn here. If you feel you’ve gotten some valu...

What’s New: Two of the solar industry’s leading independent testing labs, Kiwa PVEL and RETC, just dropped their 2026 solar panel reliability reports. The high-level takeaway is: solar panels are becoming more efficient and delivering higher energy yields than ever before, but their failure rates during extended laboratory stress testing have skyrocketed to historic highs. We don’t say this to sca...

Aaron talks with Dr. Ryan Wartena, CEO and Founder of Southern Beams Builds and creator of Dragonwings. If you don’t already know what Dragonwings are, you should. They’re insanely cool. Imagine off-grid power in a box, Blade Runner style. You can look at ‘em here. Ryan has a PhD in electrochemical engineering and a long resume of awesome achievements. He’s now building robotic solar generators th...

What’s New: Earlier this year, Elon Musk set an aggressive goal for Tesla and SpaceX: to build 100 gigawatts (GW) of annual solar manufacturing capacity in the United States within the next three years. The plan’s moving forward, but there’s a lot to overcome. You can listen to this episode here, or on: * Substack * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify If you’ve learned something from This Week In S...

In This Week In Solar’s one hundredth episode , Aaron Nichols sits down with Mr. Money Mustache . They dive into the unnecessary red tape surrounding traditional solar installations and explore some highly unconventional, DIY ways to capture the sun’s energy without asking for permission. Pete became an internet legend under the pseudonym Mr. Money Mustache. By optimizing his spending, earning, an...

What’s new: The U.S. energy storage sector just posted its strongest first quarter in history, installing 9.7 Gigawatt-hours (GWh) of new capacity. Why it matters: I don’t like to throw large numbers at you without context. Here’s what you need to know to understand what 9.7 GWh means: * Battery capacity is measured in energy. Energy is power (measured in Watts) times time (expressed in hours). Wh...