This Week in Solar

Exact Solar
  • 4.5 (14)
  • News
  • Updated Weekly

A weekly look at what's new in solar, brought to you by Exact Solar. Clean energy news, policy updates, and stories that matter. exactsolar.substack.com

  1. 1d ago

    Energy Doesn't Have to Be So Boring: Watts The Tea

    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 episode here, or on: YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyFollow Watts the Tea on Instagram 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 do not refer anyone outside those states). All you have to do is: Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below.Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar).Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative.Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information.Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us!Refer a Friend and Earn $1000 Expect to learn:Why so many clean energy CEOs are showing up to Washington with a “first-time ask to save their industry” and why that doesn’t workWhy you will never hear the phrase “electrons to the grid” on Watts the TeaWhat Zainab and Hannah have against sweater vestsQuotes from the episode:“Clean energy is so cool. It’s interesting. It’s like more people care about it now than ever… but it lives in this media silo of long form, really wonky, technical, expert level analysis when more people want to be in the conversation.” — Hannah Malus “You can learn what a virtual power plant is in three minutes without needing a textbook on it. And so we’re convinced we can do it.” — Zainab Mirza

    Energy Doesn't Have to Be So Boring: Watts The Tea

  2. 6d ago

    Your New State-By-State Balcony Solar Update (Plug-In Solar)

    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. You mount a few panels wherever the sun hits your property, plug your inverter into a standard 120-volt outlet, and power flows into your home and lowers your bill. No permits required. Refer a Friend, earn $1000This 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 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 do not refer anyone outside those states). All you have to do is: Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below. Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar). Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative. Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information. Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us! https://exactsolar.com/referral/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=this_week_in_solar

    Your New State-By-State Balcony Solar Update (Plug-In Solar)

  3. Jul 22

    Every Solar Company Needs a Thought Leader: Kellie Macpherson

    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 do not refer anyone outside those states). All you have to do is: Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below.Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar).Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative.Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information.Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us!Refer a Friend and Earn $1000 Aaron talks with Kellie Macpherson, Chief Operating Officer of Compliance and Security at Radian Generation, who leads compliance and security work for hundreds of renewable power plants across the country. If you want to know what storytelling, reliability, cybersecurity, and human leadership have in common when it comes to the future of clean energy, this is the episode for you. Listen to this episode here, or on: YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with Kellie on LinkedIn here. Expect to learn:Why Kellie started posting on LinkedIn every day after someone told her she should not be speaking publiclySome of the amazing things that have happened to Kellie from building her personal brandWhy smart companies are putting public faces on their brands in 2026Quote from the episode:“Reliability, doing compliance well, cybersecurity well, takes away all of those negative arguments about renewables… and now we actually have the ability to go forward and change the grid and solve some really serious problems that we have.” — Kellie Macpherson

    Every Solar Company Needs a Thought Leader: Kellie Macpherson

  4. Jul 17

    Upper Dublin Township Goes Solar

    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 Solar would love to show you the numbers. Talk to our team

    Upper Dublin Township Goes Solar

  5. Jul 15

    40-Year Cleantech Investor Shares What He Looks for in Entrepreneurs: Dave Kirkpatrick

    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: YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with Dave on LinkedIn here. Expect to learn: How Dave evaluates whether he wants to invest in a clean energy startupWhy the solar industry currently earns a “D-minus” in public relations Which entrepreneurs are worth investing in (according to Dave’s 40 years of experience) Quote from the episode: “I'm more focused on companies that have really engaged with the customers and are clearly solving a customer problem and are not spending too much time in the skunkworks before they actually encounter the market.” — Dave Kirkpatrick 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, so please do not refer anyone outside those states). All you have to do is: Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $500” button below. Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar). Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative. Add your friend’s name and address. Get a $500 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us! Refer a Friend and Earn $1000

    40-Year Cleantech Investor Shares What He Looks for in Entrepreneurs: Dave Kirkpatrick

  6. Jul 10

    Several Companies Want to Deploy In-Home Data Centers

    What’s newSeveral 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, making them perfect candidates to host small computing devices. This is a concept called “distributed computing.” So, just like our episode two weeks ago (where we talked about how several solar and other technology companies are considering pulling from solar and battery systems when data centers need power), these companies are considering pulling compute from home-hosted computing devices when people need queries answered by A.I. A quick message before the rest of the story: 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 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 do not refer anyone outside those states). All you have to do is: Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below. Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar). Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative. Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information. Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us! Refer a Friend and Earn $1000 Here are a few examples of distributed computing plans:Sunrun is testing AI computer systems in homes that already have Sunrun solar panels and batteries. Homeowners would be paid to host them, and Sunrun says they plan to start rolling them out while they test how well they work. NVIDIA and Span are testing GPU cabinets that attach to the outside of homes. These connect to smart electric panels and backup batteries. Span’s XFRA system would place liquid-cooled NVIDIA computer systems next to homes. Span is starting with pilot projects before trying to grow. Akash’s Homenode is a different version of this concept that helps people who already own powerful gaming or work computers sell extra computing power. Why it mattersAI has two big problems right now: not enough computing power, and not enough electricity to run it. A home with solar panels and a battery can help provide both the space and the energy for a small amount of AI computing. This could be much faster than building new data centers, which can take years to plan, approve, connect to the grid, and build (a process made much slower by the fact that Americans tend not to want them anywhere near their towns). There is also a strong financial reason for people to opt into these programs: Computing power is currently worth much more than electricity, sometimes 10-20 times more. The technology isn’t available for the mass market yet, but in the next few years, we could start seeing this become more common for homeowners.

    Several Companies Want to Deploy In-Home Data Centers

  7. Jul 8

    How Off-Grid Hippies Kick-Started The Solar Industry: Jeff Spies and Jason Vetterli

    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 episode here, or on: YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyExpect to learn:How the modern solar industry was built by back-to-the-land, herb-growin’ hippies in Northern California.Why these barefoot farmers could afford solar at $50/Watt (it’s hilarious). When and where the Solar Roots watch party will be (and if you’re invited). Quotes from the episode:“The hippies started the PV industry. I really was curious to understand, was that true? And that was the basic premise of the film... at the end of the film, we take this story and I think we answered the question.” — Jeff Spies “The vast majority of energy on this planet 200 years from now will be generated from the sun. It’s just it’s just that simple... Sand is an incredibly, incredibly abundant resource. We’re not running out of that.” — Jason Vetterli 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 do not refer anyone outside those states). All you have to do is: Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below. Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar). Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative. Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information. Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us! Refer a Friend and Earn $1000

  8. Jul 3

    New Jersey Unanimously Legalizes Plug-In (Balcony) Solar

    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 approval first. The bill also protects access for renters, condo owners, and people in apartments by blocking landlords, HOAs, and condo boards from banning plug-in or balcony solar outright, though they can still set reasonable rules for size and placement. Once she signs it, the new rules will go into effect in January of 2027. 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 do not refer anyone outside those states). All you have to do is: Click the “Refer a Friend and Earn $1000” button below. Fill in your information (we need your address to mail you a check if your friend goes solar). Select Aaron Nichols as the sales representative. Add your friend’s name, address, and contact information. Get a $1000 check mailed to you if your friend goes solar with us! Refer a Friend and Earn $1000

See All (117)

4.5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

A weekly look at what's new in solar, brought to you by Exact Solar. Clean energy news, policy updates, and stories that matter. exactsolar.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Exact Solar
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    117
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Exact Solar
  • Show Website
    This Week in Solar