This Week in Solar

Today on This Week In Solar, Aaron Nichols welcomes Emmitt Muckles. He’s a solar trainer, consultant, DJ, and self-described “social nerd.” We focused this conversation on why solar is the greatest career path out there, how to teach technical topics people actually remember , and why love and empathy make better trainers and teams. Emmitt is an absolute joy to interview and listen to. Expect to L...

What’s New: Back in August, the EPA pulled funding for Solar for All, which we spoke about in a previous video. The grants would have helped more than 900,000 households save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year by installing rooftop solar on low-income homes and investing in community projects. Last week, several groups, including Solar United Neighbors and cities all across the country,...

In this episode of This Week in Solar , Aaron Nichols sits down with Pennsylvania solar pioneer Ron Celantano, a consultant, engineer, and long-time policy advocate who helped shape the state’s net metering and Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS). Ron has been working in renewable energy since the Carter administration, and brings four decades of solar experience to this episode (hard fo...

What’s new In the first half of 2025, wind and solar made more electricity than coal worldwide for the first time ever. Clean power grew faster than the world’s rising need for electricity, meaning that demand for coal was ever so slightly driven down. Solar led the way. It jumped by about one-third from last year and met 83% of the new electricity demand worldwide. The International Energy Agency...

This week, I sat down with Cesar Barbosa, founder & CEO of Nulife Power Services . I’ve been curious (and admittedly undereducated) about solar recommissioning and repowering, and today’s interview caught me up. This was eye-opening for me. Exact Solar builds solar energy systems that actually last 25-30 years, but this is not the case across the entire solar industry. Cesar explains why so ma...

What’s new: 90% of new U.S. power plant capacity added from January–July 2025 came from solar + wind. In July, solar provided 96% of new capacity. Why it matters: The vast majority of new power being added to the grid in 2025 is from renewable sources, not fossil fuels. Through July, 9 out of 10 new U.S. power-plant megawatts came from solar + wind. July kept the streak alive, with solar supplying...

This week, Aaron Nichols sits down with Joe Tassone, co-founder of Oncore Origination. Joe shares how Oncore carved out a niche by sourcing land for solar, storage, and EV projects across the U.S., what he’s learned from decades in development, and why he’s still bullish on renewables despite the uncertainty created by the repeal of the IRA. Here’s his LinkedIn Expect to Learn: * How Oncore Origin...

What’s New Governors from 11 states across the mid-Atlantic and Midwest are fed up with PJM, the non-profit entity that manages the region’s electricity grid. PJM’s capacity auctions (the system that pays power plants to promise future supply) have hit record highs two years in a row. At a multi-state summit in Philadelphia to address concerns over PJM, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro warned th...

This week, Aaron Nichols sits down with Zoë Gaston, Principal Analyst for Distributed Solar at Wood Mackenzie, to dig into her data. Zoë shares what her team is seeing in 2025 installation trends, how the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act RA is shaping the market, and why third-party ownership (TPO) is likely to surge. Here’s her LinkedIn What You’ll Learn in This Episode: * How Q1 and Q2 2025...

Hello readers and listeners of This Week In Solar! I’m out on vacation, so I thought now would be the perfect time for a check-in. We just published our 28th episode of This Week In Solar. I’d love to know how we’re doing, so I wrote a few survey questions. I don’t expect anyone to answer all of them, but any feedback, no matter how brutal, is welcome. See you next week! One: Two: Three: Four: Fiv...

This week, Aaron Nichols sits down with Nicole Burford, VP of Market Development and Sustainability at Clean Energy Credit Union. Here’s her LinkedIn Expect to Learn: * How the loss of the federal tax credit is pushing solar financiers toward simpler, more transparent loans for homeowners. * How state incentives in places like New Jersey and Colorado are driving adoption, even without federal supp...

Enphase’s New EV Charger Turns Your Car Into a Home Battery What’s new: Enphase announced that its EV charger, which can fill your electric car and let your EV’s battery send power back to your home in an outage, will be available in the second half of 2026. Why it matters: This technology, known as “bidirectional charging,” is already available for Tesla owners and homeowners with Tesla solar pan...

This week, Aaron Nichols sits down with homeowner and clean energy enthusiast Thomas Crookham, who shares his journey of going solar with Exact Solar in 2024. Expect to learn: * Why Thomas finally chose to go solar in 2024 after decades of wanting panels. * How Exact Solar’s customer service and communication stood out compared to competitors. * How Thomas cut his electricity bills by 65–80% . Quo...

Trade Court Okays Retroactive Tariffs on 2022–24 Solar Imports What’s new: The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that President Biden’s 2022 two-year pause on AD/CVD collections for solar cells/modules from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam was unlawful. The court cleared U.S. Customs and Border Protection to assess retroactive duties on entries between Apr. 1, 2022, and June 6, 2024...

Quick Note: Due to technical difficulties during the interview, today’s episode will be available as audio only. You can still listen to this episode as a podcast right here on Substack, on Apple Podcasts , or on Spotify . Thanks for tuning in and enjoy the interview! Show Notes: Liz Robinson is the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Solar Energy Association and a 40-year veteran of Pennsylvan...

Listen to today’s episode here, or on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify PosiGen Halts Most Operations What’s new: Residential solar installer PosiGen has ceased most U.S. operations, laying off nearly all of its roughly 500 employees nationwide (though the exact number hasn’t been confirmed). They attributed the move to “significant financial difficulties,” including a missed interest payment...

Show Notes: Spenser Meeks is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Apex Presentations , where he’s helped more than 1000 clean energy leaders get everything they can out of their speaking engagements. Going to be at RE+ on September 8th? He’s moderating a panel on storytelling. Pack the seats. If you like today’s episode, DM him on LinkedIn. Expect to learn: * Why storytelling (not statistics) m...

Quick note: I’ve designed today’s episode to be an overview that you can send to friends and family to show them the policies of this administration that affect solar energy, all in one place. Enjoy! When we’re plugged into the news cycle, it can be easy to get angry about something and then forget it. Especially since so much is coming at us daily, and so much news isn’t related to clean energy....

Show Notes: Dara Bortman is a Returned Peace Corps Response Volunteer and former co-owner and Senior VP of Marketing & Sales at Exact Solar. Over 15 years, she helped grow Exact Solar into one of the most respected solar installers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, building a company culture rooted in honesty and advocacy. Here’s her LinkedIn . Expect to learn: * How Exact Solar grew from a sing...

EnergySage Reports Busiest Month Ever What’s new The solar lead generation platform EnergySage says July was their busiest month since their founding in 2009. Homeowners working with installers on their site jumped 205% from last year, and questions from shoppers through the platform hit an all-time high. Why it matters The rush started after Congress passed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” declarin...

Show Notes: Nico Johnson is the founder and host of  SunCast , where he’s interviewed more than 800 clean energy leaders about the future of solar, storage, and electrification. A two-decade solar veteran, Nico has worked in markets from South Carolina to Chile and has become one of the most trusted voices in renewable energy. Here’s his LinkedIn . Expect to learn: * Why clean energy will still th...

EPA Trying to Cancel Solar for All Funding What’s new The Environmental Protection Agency is drafting letters that would void $7 billion in Solar for All grants the agency awarded last year to 60 states, tribes, and nonprofits. Why it matters That money was earmarked by the Inflation Reduction Act and intended to bring rooftop and community solar projects to more than 900,000 low-income households...

PJM Capacity Auction 22% Higher Than Last Year’s What’s new: PJM Interconnection’s latest capacity auction cleared at its $329.17 per MW-day price cap. This is a 22 percent jump over last year’s auction, already a record-setting price increase across the 13-state grid. Why it matters: Because of this auction, electricity bills in PJM’s 13-state region (which includes PA and NJ) will rise by a furt...

UN Declares “Energy Transition is Unstoppable” What’s new: Two companion reports issued by UN agencies and the International Renewable Energy Agency conclude that global clean‑energy deployment has crossed “a positive tipping point” in cost and scale. Why it matters: Renewables are now more affordable than fossil fuels. In 2024, renewables provided 74 percent of the increase in electricity generat...

U.S. Opens National‑Security Probe Into Solar‑Grade Polysilicon What’s new The Trump administration, in collaboration with the Bureau of Industry and Security, the Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security, and the Commerce Department, launched a Section 232 investigation into whether imported polysilicon and its downstream products threaten national security.  The inquiry (which was qu...