This Week in Solar

Aaron talks with Vaughan Woodruff, the founder of Equinox DG. Vaughan’s an interconnection expert, industry veteran, and “muck shoveler” who tackles bureaucratic and technical hurdles that no one else wants to take on. If you’ve ever wondered why we haven’t connected way more solar to the grid, this one’s for you. Listen to this episode here, or on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify Connect wit...

Since we started This Week In Solar last year, three news stories have gotten far more attention than any others: * Plug-In Solar * Large solar companies failing (Sunnova, Titan, Posigen, and Fredom Forever, specifically) * The One Big, Beautiful Bill. So in today’s episode, we sat with solar legend Sean White to get his opinion on all three. Sean is a self-described "chronic optimist” and solar p...

Aaron Nichols sits down with Deep Patel, Founder and CEO of Gigawatt, to explore how we can return to the original promise of the solar pioneers (power to the people). They discuss how the industry shifted from selling energy independence to pushing complicated financial products, the growing DIY solar installation movement, and how off-grid systems, coupled with technologies like Starlink, are cr...

Note: Apologies if you saw this go out on Monday and tried to watch the video. I accidentally sent it early. If you were waiting for the video, please enjoy! What’s New: Plug-in solar panels are cheap, easy to install, and massively popular in Europe. But as more states legalize them in the U.S., utilities and electrical experts are raising red flags about uniquely American safety hazards. Why it...

Aaron Nichols talks with Lisa Shulock, Director of Commercial Programs at the Philadelphia Energy Authority. Lisa is a policy expert dedicated to proving that solar is a powerful tool for economic stability and poverty reduction (and not just for hippie tree-huggers). Listen to this episode on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn here. Expect to learn: * Why commerci...

We decided to try something new for this episode! I invited Anders Alexander to give commentary on this developing story, but kept it under 5 minutes. If you like this format, let us know in the comments, and we’ll do more of them! You can listen to this episode here, or on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify What’s New: Four GOP House members have introduced the American Energy Dominance Act, a...

Aaron Nichols sits down with Laura Gutierrez, seasoned solar professional and co-founder of SolarSync. Laura shares her journey from journalist and yoga teacher to the front lines of international solar business development. They dive into what solar companies do wrong when communicating with homeowners and what the U.S. market can learn from the necessity-driven clean energy innovation happening...

What’s New: On Tuesday, Chief Judge Denise Casper of the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction halting five Trump administration policies designed to stall solar and wind development. Why it Matters: The ruling protects over $905 million in already-invested capital and ensures developers will be able to access between $8-$25 billion in federal tax credits that were...

Aaron talks with Tim Montague, host and creator of the Clean Power Hour podcast and a WSI Certified AI Business Consultant. Tim is a 30-year industry veteran. Today, he helps solar EPCs and developers use AI as an accelerant to automate repetitive workflows and scale twice as fast. If you’re ready to cut through the hype and find practical uses for AI, this episode’s for you. Listen here, or on: *...

What’s New: Freedom Forever, the second-largest residential solar installer in the U.S. as of 2025, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday. The company reported a massive capital gap, with estimated liabilities between $500 million and $1 billion against assets of $100-$500 million. Why it matters: This bankruptcy filing follows a string of national solar contractors that have filed for bank...

In this episode of This Week in Solar, host Aaron Nichols sits down with Jesse Callahan to explore how she built a high-growth solar division within an established roofing company. They discuss her secret to creating “boring” systems that scale businesses by holding the weight so the people don’t have to. You can connect with Jesse on LinkedIn here. Listen to this episode here, or on: * YouTube *...

What’s new The latest St. Jude Dream Home in Coachella Valley is now equipped with a fully donated, state-of-the-art solar energy system. Why it matters The St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway is one of the hospital’s largest national fundraisers. Companies donate time and materials to build houses that St. Jude raffles off. By using donated equipment and labor, St. Jude can use a “net-zero cost” constru...

In this episode, Aaron talks with Sonny Sacks, a Database Reactivation Specialist who works with home service companies. Sonny explains how solar companies can stop burning cash on new leads by unlocking the hidden value sitting in their (often neglected) CRMs. You can connect with Sonny on LinkedIn here . Listen to this episode here, or on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify Expect to learn: *...

What’s new In just one year, the number of factories that assemble solar panels here on American soil grew by 35%, but it’s still not enough to meet demand. The U.S. is building solar modules faster than ever before and cleaning the supply chain so that more pieces of our solar modules can be made at home. But as new rules from the OBBB kick in, the industry is racing against the clock to make sur...

Aaron Nichols speaks with Adam Larner, Chief Operating Officer at Primergy Power, about why the clean energy industry needs to stop fighting over slices of the pie and focus on growing the pie together. Adam brings three decades of experience in electricity. He started as an electrician installing solar panels on rooftops, and now helps lead one of the country’s top utility-scale solar and storage...

What’s New: Amid already all-time-high energy prices, the war in Iran has driven energy prices even higher. Why it Matters: Thankfully, there’s a major difference between this new war in Iran and all the other Middle Eastern conflicts that have spiked oil prices in our lifetimes: we now have viable, affordable choices over where we get our energy. Right now, the escalating conflict in Iran is thre...

Aaron talks with Derek The Solarboi, one of the few influencers in the solar industry. Derek is a master electrician, lead technician, and content creator dedicated to showing the world the reality of life on the roof. Listen to this episode on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify Connect with Derek on LinkedIn here . Expect to learn: * The critical disconnect between the CEOs setting metrics and...

What’s New: We’ve been tracking the national plug-in/balcony solar movement for weeks, so if you’d like to catch up on how balcony solar works and what’s holding it back, we’ve included links to the past four episodes in the “Sources" section of today’s Substack email. The “permissionless” solar movement is moving fast. On March 11, 2026, Virginia’s House unanimously (96 yes’s, 0 no’s) passed a bi...

When the public’s trust is at an all-time low, how can reliable solar companies connect with customers? In this episode, Aaron sits down with Kristina Zagame, Senior Content Producer at EnergySage and host of Plugged In . Kristina opens up about the power of personal storytelling, why solar is fundamentally an American value, and how the industry can recover from the “solar is dead” panic of last...

What’s New: After listening to last week’s episode, This Week In Solar listener Ryan Yosua spent the weekend creating a website that tracks the status of every plug-in solar bill in America and gives Americans a one-click resource to send supportive emails to their representatives. You can find it here: https://pluginsolarguide.com/ Why it Matters: Until now, it’s been difficult to track down all...

In this episode of This Week in Solar, host Aaron Nichols sits down with Azuraye Wycoff, co-founder of Yellow Barn Farm, to explore the tension between solar energy and regenerative agriculture. They discuss why utility-scale solar often faces resistance in rural communities and how long-term trust is really built. You can connect with Azuraye on Instagram at @yellowbarn.farm or visit her website...

Note: We published this piece back in March, but it’s still getting a ton of attention. If you landed here and you’re looking for updated info, read our most recent piece: To find our most recent plug-in solar update (June 2026), read this piece: Your State-By-State Plug-In Solar Update What’s new: As of March 2026, 1 state has passed legislation to legalize plug-in solar kits, and 29 states are c...

In this episode of This Week in Solar, host Aaron Nichols sits down with Scott Wharton, CEO of Tandem PV, to explore the new frontier of renewable energy: perovskite solar technology. They discuss why traditional silicon panels are reaching their physical limits, how “tandem” structures are shattering efficiency records, and why this new material is a game-changer for everything from utility-scale...

Last Friday, we did an episode about the 24 states considering legalizing plug-in solar. It’s already our most listened-to episode by far since starting This Week In Solar, so we thought we’d take a deeper dive this week. What Is Plug-In Solar? For decades, going solar has been a big project, requiring: * Home ownership * Thousands of dollars in permits * Permanent roof modifications (in most case...

In this episode, Aaron talks with Jacob Yang, the Founder and CEO of Amp Your Story. After realizing there was no central hub for clean energy marketers, Jacob launched Amp Your Story to unite the global community. He is on a mission to bridge the gap between technical expertise and world-class storytelling, and already has members on four continents. Connect with Jacob on LinkedIn here . Listen t...