This Week in Solar

What’s new More than 60 top scientists from around the world just released a report on Nature.com (linked in today’s sources) saying that solar power is taking over as the top power source faster than anyone expected. Experts from labs in the United States, Germany, Japan, and other countries found that the world now has more than 2 terawatts of solar power, double what we had just four years ago,...

In this episode, Aaron talks with Abby Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Reflecting on her nine-year tenure, Abby discusses how she transformed SEIA by creating a culture of vulnerability and embracing thought leadership. (She also spills the beans on what she’s doing next). Listen to this episode on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify Connect with Abby...

There’s something I haven’t stopped thinking about for nine months. At the American Solar Energy Society’s conference last summer, one of the speakers mentioned that 70% of the carbon reduction we’ve seen since the turn of the century from deploying clean energy has come as a direct result of state and local policy. That means that federal policy isn’t nearly as important as we think it is, and th...

Aaron talks with Annalisa Farrell, a solar data and monitoring specialist. Annalisa has spent years troubleshooting the gap between how solar energy systems are modeled to perform and how they actually behave in the field. Expect to learn: * Where the industry’s biggest education gaps are, from electricity bills and performance expectations to who is actually responsible when something breaks. * W...

1. The “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” The biggest news of the year for the solar industry happened with the Trump Administration signing the so-called “ One Big, Beautiful Bill.” The new bill phased out tax credits that made solar cheaper for companies and families. It pulled hope away from thousands of Americans like Jennifer McCoy, a single mother in Georgia working three jobs. She’d been approved f...

In this episode, Aaron talks with Ayelet Hines, the Community Acceptance Strategist at Tigercomm. With 30 years of experience running issue campaigns and the last several focused on clean energy, Ayelet brings a political organizer’s mindset to one of solar’s biggest bottlenecks: local opposition and permitting. She argues that what many solar developers treat as a technical or PR problem is actua...

Eight months ago, we decided to host our little solar news channel on Substack. Now that we’re almost at 500 subscribers, we thought it was time for a breakdown! I first started using Substack to host my own blogs in 2020, and it’s since grown into a powerful hub for news, thought leadership, and culture. I love Substack. It’s pretty amazing what you can do with it as a creator. I’m fully sold on...

In today’s episode, Aaron sits down with Meghan Stimmler of Solar Hut. Meghan shares her journey from: * Sweeping floors at her dad’s solar company * Being dragged “kicking and screaming” into sales * Becoming a veteran solar consultant and board member at the California Solar & Storage Association (CalSA), and actively shaping solar policy in California. Listen to this episode on: * YouTube *...

What’s new A Climate Power report using U.S. Energy Information Administration data finds Americans’ electric bills are up 13% nationwide in 2025. That’s the national average, but in more costly states like New Jersey, bills are up more than 20%. The group links higher costs to Trump’s July spending bill, saying it is “driving up utility costs and destroying jobs by removing cheaper, cleaner energ...

In this episode of This Week in Solar , host Aaron Nichols talks with Sean Swentek, Vice President of Marketing at Omnidian, about one of the solar industry’s biggest blind spots. They discuss why many solar companies fail to plan for long-term operations and maintenance (O&M), how that’s created a wave of stranded customers, and what needs to change across the industry to restore trust. You c...

According to a report released by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative earlier this year, 59% of Americans surveyed agreed that “it sometimes seems like parts of their electric bills are written in another language.” After 20 years of sitting with potential customers and discussing how going solar can save them money, we can confidently say that most home and business owners don’t realize how e...

Aaron Nichols talks with Hervé Billiet, co-founder of SunVoy and former CEO of Ipsun Solar, about how frustration with off-the-shelf tools led him to build a white-labeled software platform just for solar installers. Hervé explains how SunVoy helps established solar installers centralize data, keep customers informed, and tap into their “gold mine” of legacy customers to lower acquisition costs an...

What’s new: Earlier this week, the Department of Energy rebranded the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL, as the National Laboratory of the Rockies, effective immediately, and to be “reflected in all public communications and official correspondence.” NREL is responsible for many of the advances in solar and battery technology that we’ve seen in the past few decades. Why it matters: The...

Aaron Nichols talks with Matthew Britt, a Canadian entrepreneur at the intersection of renewable energy and regenerative food systems. Matthew explains how his companies, Food Forest Abundance and The Commonstead, are helping families, schools, churches, and communities set up sustainable free food systems that pair naturally with solar and battery backup. You can connect with Matthew on LinkedIn...

Energy bills in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware are going up again in 2026. Here is our detailed article explaining why. In June 2025, ratepayers in our service area (PA, NJ, and DE) saw their electric bills rise by up to 20%. Electricity prices have increased dramatically for two straight years. There’s a lot of blame and finger-pointing happening in the media right now about who’s fault t...

In today’s episode, Aaron talks with solar recycling advocate and industry veteran Kate Collardson. Kate shares how asking the simple question, “What are we going to do with all this stuff at the end of its life?” and repeatedly hearing the answer “Huh. Someone should probably figure that out” led her to try to… figure it out. She walks us through co-founding SolarRecycle.org with Amanda Bybee, an...

What’s new: According to a new report released by Grid Strategies on Tuesday, U.S. utilities now project that we’ll need 166 GW of extra peak demand by 2030, with roughly 90 GW (more than 54% ) tied to data centers. That’s a sixfold jump from energy forecasts made in 2022, meaning that we now need six times the energy we thought we would before generative AI hit the scene. Why it matters: Utilitie...

Aaron Nichols talks with Exact Solar’s own Dave Hammes, a 20-year clean-energy veteran who specializes in helping non-profit organizations go solar. Dave shares how learning about the true cause of 9/11 sparked his pivot into renewables. He outlines his path from Solar Energy International training through launching a premium solar panel brand in the Americas, developing solar water-pumping projec...

What’s new Qcells is temporarily furloughing approximately 1,000 workers and reducing hours and pay at its Dalton and Cartersville, Georgia, factories due to repeated detentions of imported solar cells and other components by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Why it matters Qcells has committed $2.5 billion to build a U.S. solar supply chain and is ramping American cell manufacturing, including...

Aaron Nichols talks with Jim Gregory and Justin Mason of the Conservative Energy Network (CEN). Jim is a former Pennsylvania state representative and now serves as the Executive Director of the Conservative Energy Network. Justin is a grassroots organizer who started installing solar on rooftops and is now the Director of Programs and Operations of the Conservative Energy Network in Pennsylvania....

What’s new New Jersey just elected Mikie Sherrill as governor. During her campaign, she promised to use clean energy to lower bills and strengthen the grid. Her plan promises to use executive orders to freeze utility rates while New Jersey builds more solar and battery storage, with faster grid upgrades to handle growing demand. Why it matters A pro-solar governor in Trenton means more rooftop and...

Aaron Nichols sits down with off-grid specialist Kenny Grigar, who started living in an off-grid home powered by solar in the early ’90s. This was long before incentives or slick door-to-door sales tactics. Kenny tells his stories from the DIY roots of modern solar and explains how even without tax credits, rising power rates make solar energy systems a great investment for homeowners. Expect to L...

Note: We experienced technical difficulties that resulted in audio issues during this episode. We apologize for the inconvenience! Happy Halloween from Exact Solar! I’m interested to hear how you’ll be celebrating in the comments. I’ll personally be officiating my friend’s wedding in Oaxaca, Mexico. What’s new YEAH Philly, a youth empowerment nonprofit in Philadelphia, just switched on a 12-kW roo...

Aaron Nichols talks with Dhanur Grandhi, CEO of Wattbot and a 15-year veteran of working with national residential solar companies. They cover why Dhanur believes the future of solar is local and how he’s building a product (Wattbot) that will make it easier for homeowners to choose the best local solar companies. Expect to Learn: * Why 70–75% of U.S. rooftop solar is installed by local contractor...

The big idea: If cities and states cut solar permitting costs, families nationwide could save up to $1.2 trillion over 25 years. Why it matters Solar permits are a maze that change state to state and town to town. In a Heatmap article that came out yesterday, non-profit Permit Power released a new analysis showing that permitting reform could save Americans more than $1.2 Trillion over the next 25...