This Week in Solar

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...

What’s New: Inspired by Europe’s balcony solar boom, more than two dozen U.S. states are considering legalizing plug-in solar systems. These kits allow anyone (yes, even renters) to generate their own power by simply mounting their panels somewhere that receives direct sunlight and plugging their panels into a standard 120V wall outlet. The panels then “backfeed” the grid and lower the residents’...

In this episode of This Week in Solar , host Aaron Nichols talks with Belle Sherwood, Clean Energy Advocate at PennEnvironment, about why we don’t see more solar on warehouse rooftops. Warehouses represent billions of square feet of flat, unshaded roof space, perfect for solar. Yet less than five percent of warehouses have solar. What gives? Listen to this episode here, or on: * YouTube * Apple Po...

What’s new: Solar Power World just launched a new series,  Projects of Impact, in   which they interview the owners and installers of the highest-impact solar projects across the country. Exact Solar is proud to announce that the first project highlighted was our Habitat for Humanity project in Strawberry Mansion, Philadelphia. * The Build: The project added solar to five newly constructed rowhome...

In this episode of This Week in Solar , host Aaron Nichols sits down with Phil Horwich, co-founder of AMH Enterprises, to talk about where the solar industry overcomplicates its messaging. You can connect with Phil on LinkedIn here . He’s created a simplifying solar guide for This Week In Solar listeners that he’ll send you if you DM him the word “podcast.” Listen to this episode here, or on: * Yo...

What’s new: A new poll commissioned by US manufacturer First Solar reveals that a majority of Trump voters support solar power, with higher approval ratings if the panels are made in America. * The Numbers: The survey of 800 “GOP+” voters (Republicans, leaning independents, and Trump voters) found 51% in favor of solar power. * An “America First” Bump: When asked if they’d support solar panels mad...

In this episode of This Week in Solar , host Aaron Nichols sits down with Jessica Fishman, a longtime renewable energy communicator and the voice behind some of the most clear, compelling energy explainer content on LinkedIn. Jessica has spent more than 15 years working across nearly every segment of the solar and clean energy value chain, from modules and inverters to batteries, software, recycli...

What’s new: On January 27th, Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced the “Lower Bills and Local Power Act” (LBLPA), a legislative package designed to provide immediate cash relief to families while aggressively modernizing the state’s power grid. Here’s what it would do at the state level: * Solar financing: A new $70 million “Gap Financing Program” will fund local solar and storage projects, explic...

In this episode of This Week in Solar , host Aaron Nichols sits down with Brett Simon, Director of Commercial Strategy at e-Zinc, a long-duration battery storage manufacturer. Brett explains what makes e-Zinc’s zinc-based hybrid flow battery different from the lithium systems most people know (and why that’s huge under the current administration). You can connect with Brett on LinkedIn here . List...

What’s new: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill wasted no time Wednesday, signing six executive orders before she finished her inaugural address. Two of them were related to energy. Sherrill declared a formal State of Emergency regarding utility costs, allowing the state to bypass red tape, expedite power projects, and get new generation on the grid as fast as possible. * (EO #1) Freezing Rates: The or...

Aaron sits down with Dan Crawford, Senior Vice President at Echo Communications Advisors, a policy-first communications firm that works exclusively with climate and clean energy clients. Dan spends his days helping clean energy companies and nonprofits shape public narratives, place op-eds, and talk to policymakers in ways that actually move votes. He and Aaron dig into how energy prices became on...