This Week in Solar

Exact Solar
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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. There's Room for Every Solar Company to Win: Adam Larner

    2H AGO

    There's Room for Every Solar Company to Win: Adam Larner

    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 developers. You can connect with Adam on LinkedIn here. Listen to this episode here, or on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify Expect to learn: * Why solar professionals need to move away from a scarcity mindset and focus on promoting each other across the industry rather than tearing competitors down. * The danger of the “lettuce effect” (when bad press about one company poisons public trust in the entire industry). * The importance of respecting other energy sectors and focusing on shared humanity, even when our beliefs about climate or technology differ. Quotes from the episode: “The demand for energy is massive. We haven’t seen this kind of growth since the 1980s. If the industry does better, we all do better.” - Adam Larner “No one wakes up thinking about solar other than solar people, right? It’s like air conditioning; they just don’t want it to harm them. So if we create negative energy around what we’re doing, that’s all people will remember.”- Adam Larner Transcript: Aaron Nichols:Adam, when I asked you what your clean energy rant is, which I ask anyone who comes on this show, you said we need to stop fighting and realize the pie is massive. Aaron Nichols:I would love to hear you elaborate on that. Adam Larner:Yeah, first of all, I appreciate what you are doing to just have good conversations in the industry. I think there is more collaboration and knowledge that can be shared. And there is more opportunity for builders to help companies be successful and grow in a constructive way, instead of just sniping at each other online. Adam Larner:Obviously in a newer industry, especially a younger one, it is easy to take criticism personally and feel like everything is high stakes. There is a tendency to call people out publicly, which can sometimes be useful, but can also be pretty toxic. I really think that as people build careers in this space, there is an opportunity to step back a bit, be critical where it is needed, but not move away entirely from pointing out each other’s shortcomings. Adam Larner:We see a ton of great new products coming out and different folks trying to carve out and create new categories, whether you are selling to installers or trying to connect consumers with different offerings. That challenge of “how do I stand out” can drive people into a mindset where they turn their competitors into villains instead of focusing on the huge amount of market that is available in this space. Adam Larner:I think to the point of not just promoting oneself and using social and other platforms to say “we are the greatest and the best,” that is part of marketing and part of differentiation. But I really think this all has to be framed in the context of helping more projects go forward and helping more people get the benefit of clean energy. Adam Larner:When I say “the pie,” I think that piece is really important. There is this temptation to look at it as a fixed number of projects or a fixed amount of demand and assume that if someone else wins, you lose. The reality is that the pie is growing. I would much rather see thirty, forty, fifty firms thriving than two or three mega firms drawing all the attention. Adam Larner:One thing that is for sure, to your point, is that this industry is not going anywhere. Energy demand is increasing. Electrification is increasing. There is going to be a long, sustained need for better solutions and better experiences for customers, whether they are homeowners or big utilities. Adam Larner:It has been a solid thirty year run at this point where every new technology or policy has made things a little better, and yet we still act like it is a zero sum game. The more we see things from a longer term view and worry less about who “won” a deal last week, the more we can focus on building the next wave of solutions together. Adam Larner:So if we see things with that broader and long term perspective versus how to outmaneuver someone on LinkedIn this month, we can shift the conversation from “who is right” to “how do we build more, faster, and better.” The reality is, both sides in most of these arguments are blazing their own trail in some way. Adam Larner:And obviously I am a hypocrite in a sense, because I am an entrepreneur, I care about my company, and I care about the solutions we are building. I care about growing our business. But I think if that is the only lens, we miss a much larger opportunity to collaborate and to improve how we deliver a solution in a way that is a lot more constructive. Aaron Nichols:Of course. It takes conscious effort sometimes to get over the mentality of just trying to one up, which our whole system kind of trains us into from a young age. Less middle school energy, more university energy, am I right? Adam Larner:Yeah, and I think we come, the industry comes, from a scarcity mindset because of how things were even ten years ago, and everyone had to fight for the same thing. I do not think our brains have caught up with the fact that there are just so many deals flowing in and so much more opportunity. Adam Larner:I am starting to see a lot more solar companies collaborating with each other and working together where it makes sense. Part of the shift is not thinking of every interaction as “I have to get this one,” but seeing that there is a world where multiple companies can serve a customer over the life of their projects. Adam Larner:That can mean one company handling a particular segment, another company helping with a different service, someone else being the trusted advisor. There are many ways for people to work together instead of trying to own every single thing in one place at the top of the funnel and refusing to collaborate as prospects move down. Aaron Nichols:Well, for anyone who is listening, welcome back to This Week in Solar. As always, I am your host, Aaron Nichols, the research and policy specialist here at Exact Solar in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Aaron Nichols:My guest today is Adam Larner, the CEO and a co-founder at Frame. Adam, would you introduce yourself and explain what Frame does and what your day to day looks like? Adam Larner:Yeah, thanks, Aaron. So I have been in energy in some way for most of my life. I grew up in a household where my dad worked for the utility side of the world, and a lot of dinner table conversation was about generation, substations, reliability, safety, things like that. Adam Larner:We focus entirely on large scale utility projects and grid facing infrastructure. In addition to my work at Frame, I spent years in the field as an electrician, working on the kinds of systems that actually get power from where it is generated to where it is used. So I have seen both the practical, boots on the ground side and the more strategic, software and systems side. Aaron Nichols:Oh, cool. Adam Larner:Yeah, yeah. Now I think we share some of the trades in that sense. I started with just a truck, installing solar on houses, running service calls, doing upgrades. Then I moved into more complex work at the utility level after being trained as an electrician. Adam Larner:So now I am really focused on the technology and the innovation in the industry and how we actually integrate some of the best of software and AI into what the industry is already doing. Aaron Nichols:Amazing. I want to pull a thread that came up for me, and we will go into where you see people growing the pie in a bit. Aaron Nichols:I am interested in how you think we walk the line between doing good work and promoting that, and also being honest when there are people who are not holding themselves to a high standard. Aaron Nichols:As someone who comes from the residential solar space, I know there are a lot of companies that have either done really poor work or have gone out of business and left homeowners high and dry. Aaron Nichols:How do you think we hold ourselves to a high standard and elevate the industry, but keep most of the critique behind closed doors so it is constructive, instead of turning everything into a public hit piece? Aaron Nichols:Or what do you see there? Adam Larner:It is a good question. I think one thing that might be a bit of a folly in how we talk about this stuff is that I do not necessarily view it as one approach over another. Adam Larner:If you are thinking about solar, there is mostly going to be a positive story because it is very close to the shopper. The whole point of this industry is to provide a better product for someone than what they had from the traditional fossil fuel energy system. Adam Larner:There are different ways we can be forced into making trade offs as a society. If you forced me to choose certain battles, I would say I care a lot more about the consumers of energy, the human beings who are receiving the product, than about the internal scoreboard of which company “won” in a given quarter. Adam Larner:Because what tends to happen is that if we keep the consumer and the end user at the center, we give ourselves a lot more room for error and grace in the types of projects we are doing and in how we iterate. We can try different things and still keep the north star of “are we making people’s lives better.” Adam Larner:Especially in solar, that is the mindset I am working from, and that our founding team is working from. The question we keep coming back to is: how do we get more projects going and how do we unlock more clean energy for more people. Adam Larner:Even to that point about industry competition and battling, what we

    24 min
  2. The Iran War's Making Energy Expensive. Solar Can Help.

    5D AGO

    The Iran War's Making Energy Expensive. Solar Can Help.

    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 threatening the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most critical shipping lanes on the planet. Nearly 20% of the global oil supply and 30% of the seaborne oil trade pass through this strait every day. When nearly 20% of the world’s oil and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) can’t move, the ripple effects do a lot more than just raise prices at the pump. They hit your entire cost of living. Your gas and electric bills, as well as the price of your food, are all affected by oil prices. Fossil fuels power the machines that grow our food and the trucks that deliver our goods. Utilities use fossil fuels to generate the energy that they bill you for. When fuel costs more, so does everything else. It’s unfortunate that we’re involved in this conflict with Iran. We’ve seen this movie before, and it never ends well. But this time, for the first time in history, households have the tools to opt out. The fossil fuel supply chain is a complicated Rube Goldberg machine of drilling, refining, and shipping through conflicting corridors. It’s a mess that the average person has no control over. While we can’t transition the entire national grid to renewables overnight, there are three steps you can take today to protect your home and family. Step 1: Put a Power Plant on Your Roof Solar energy systems are private power plants that power your home and give a bit of extra energy back to the grid during the summer months when the sun’s out for longer. Once installed, the fuel is free. When natural gas prices double due to global disruptions and utilities have to raise their energy prices, your fuel costs stay at zero. If your home is fully electrified, even better. Many homeowners are now pairing solar with heat pumps and induction stoves, moving their entire household off the volatile gas grid. Solar energy systems last 25-30 years. When you invest in solar, you lock in the same power price for decades, while everyone else has to pay ever-rising prices. Step 2: Add Home Battery Storage The sun doesn’t shine 24/7. If you want to really be resilient, invest in home batteries. Think of a home battery as your personal strategic energy reserve. When prices spike during peak grid hours or the power goes out, your home automatically taps into its stored reserves. Depending on how you size the system, a home battery can run your whole home or just keep your fridge running, your internet on, and your family comfortable, without the noise and fumes of a gas generator (which eventually runs out of fuel). Step 3: Turn Your Transportation Into a Home Battery The average American family spends more than $4,000 a year on gasoline. Transitioning to an Electric Vehicle (EV) can dramatically lower the cost of driving, especially if you’re filling the battery with free fuel from the sun. And later this year, bidirectional charging, or Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) technology will hit the market. The average EV holds 5–10x more energy than a standard home battery. It takes a ton of energy to power a car. With V2H, your car can actually power your entire house during an emergency. Take Back Control Imagine if, two years from now, energy prices have gone up another 20-40%. If you make the right choices now, it just won’t affect you or your family. You’ll use free energy to power your home and your vehicle. Your home will be protected in emergencies. For decades, energy security was a government issue that was subject to whatever conflict we happened to be in. Today, it’s a household choice. If you live in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, Exact Solar would love to work with you to help you opt out of rising fuel prices and opt into personal energy security. Just go to exactsolar.com, fill out our free estimate form, and we’ll be in touch to set up an appointment. Sources: US energy prices were set to rise long before the Iran war How will soaring oil prices caused by Iran war impact food costs? How War in Iran Is Straining the U.S. Economy Gasoline prices are still rising as the Iran war stretches into its third week Why We’re Excited About Enphase Bidirectional EV Charging Bidirectional Charging (V2G) in 2026: Which Cars Finally Support It? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit exactsolar.substack.com

    6 min
  3. Solar's Gotten Too Complex: Derek The Solarboi

    MAR 25

    Solar's Gotten Too Complex: Derek The Solarboi

    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 the technicians on the ground installing systems. * The unintended consequences of the 2017 rapid shutdown codes (they introduced unnecessary complexity, cost, and points of failure to residential solar). * Why Derek chose to rock a bright purple beard. Quotes from the episode: “There is a big gap between what the commentary class in solar is and what actually happens on the ground... the stuff that I find very important as a technician, as an electrician, is the stuff that affects the customers.” - Derek The Solarboi “I think my expectation is that [in 80 years] there will be rich people who will intentionally not install solar... not having solar will be seen as the rich person thing to do because solar will be so cheap and so common.” - Derek The Solarboi Transcript: Aaron Nichols: Derek, public figure is not a typical career path for solar installers or electricians. Why did you decide to become an educator and entertainer? Derek The Solarboi: Um, there is a big gap between what the commentary class in solar, uh, is and what actually happens on the ground. Um, so like, you know, there’s, there’s plenty of media out there in terms of, you know, consumer looking at the industry or the CEO talking about the industry or, you know, finance people talking about, you know, the greater economic things that are happening in the solar industry, but like the stuff that obviously I find very important as a technician, as an electrician is the stuff that’s on the ground, the things that affect the customers, the things that affect, you know, these installations and that bleed out into public perception sometimes, you know, when people can’t get service for their systems or their systems are failing that kind of thing, that I have a lot of experience with that I want to share with as many people as possible. So the goal is to reduce the gap between the people on the ground who are dealing with the technical stuff and actually installing these systems and, you know, closing that gap with the people who make the decisions, the CEOs, the managers, all those people. Because, you know, I don’t know if you’ve gone from the level of the doing the work towards a more managerial position and realizing like, very quickly you start to lose context if you’re not super careful about it with what’s actually happening on the ground. And you’re just trying to hit metrics and you’re trying to hit whatever KPIs. And everything becomes, you know, an acronym and there gets to, you know, you want to stay in touch with the actual, what’s happening on the ground, right, so that you could be effective in what you’re actually selling and what you’re actually installing. Aaron Nichols: Yeah. I mean, that’s a huge need and, you know, I really want to make what we do interesting to the public and I’m always experimenting to see what’s more interesting to the public and I consider myself a nerd whisperer. I’m always trying to take what’s technical and translated into interesting stories that people can consume, but I certainly lack the technical foundation that you have and so I’ve found your content very, very helpful. Derek The Solarboi: I appreciate that. I appreciate that. The challenge is of course like I’m still working, you know, 40-hour week job and, you know, as a technician, as an electrician. And there’s so many so much time in the week, right? So, you know, I do want to branch out into more longer-form stuff. But, you know, when you are still driving, you know, two hours to a job site every day or whatever, you know, you have less time. So my home has felt, it’s felt very We at home on places like Instagram, TikTok, those, the vertical, short-form media stuff. But I get a video, I get a YouTube video out, ever so often, when I can, so. Aaron Nichols: Yeah. Well, I look forward to the drive to the job site podcast, when that releases. Derek The Solarboi: For my safety guy, I would not like that. Aaron Nichols: For everyone who’s listening, welcome back to this week’s Solar. I’m your host, Aaron Nichols, the research and policy specialist here, exact solar in Newtown, Pennsylvania. And today, we have one of the more recognizable faces in the solar industry on the show, Derrick the Solar Boy. Now, Derrick, if you wouldn’t mind introducing yourself and just talking about who you are and what your day-to-day job is like. Derek The Solarboi: Also, my name is Derrick the Solar Boy. That is my moniker on the internet. B-O-I. If you’re looking up. A B-O-I, yes, with a nine out of why, for sure. I, so I’m a solar technician and electrician and I’m a master electrician in five, six states, something like that. You know, the states that are useful around in the area. But I am the lead technician for the company I work for and I go out and fix people’s problems on solar installations. I’ve worked in residential, I’ve worked in commercial. The one that I have, the place that I’m working right now is much more focused towards commercial and small utility, so that is primarily what I’m working these days. Aaron Nichols: Okay. I’m interested, I just want to pull a thread for fun. You said, lead electrician for the company you work for. I’m not going to press you on that because on your LinkedIn it says it’s like undisclosed, but is that because you decided to be a content creator, you thought that you would keep it separate in your public persona? Derek The Solarboi: It is. There was an issue at the previous place I worked for where there was somebody who got cranky in Idaho or something about one of my videos where I was not being perhaps as safe as I should have been. And it became a whole problem. And so since then, I have kept my online identity fairly separate from my actual joby job. So that is why I get a little bit more cagey when it comes to details. Aaron Nichols: Yeah, that’s that’s interesting. That’s an angle I hadn’t considered since, you know, thought leadership for me is just standing in this blank room. I can be pretty safe right here, you know. I’m not there’s no harness I should be wearing while I’m talking to you on the computer. Derek The Solarboi: Well, and that’s the thing, like that’s the other reason why you don’t see a whole lot of people like me doing content is because the industry for for many good and bad reasons, very, very risk averse. And when you have somebody who’s on a site doing content about actual work, actual electrical work, there are so many things to think about when you’re looking at safety. Not just like are you actually being safe, but do you have the appearance, the full appearance of being safe? Because if you aren’t really careful, like if you do an edit that makes it look like you haven’t done a thing that you’re supposed to do, you’re I have a ton of comments from people saying, I don’t know if you didn’t do this thing or nothing. You know, because people get lost that there’s potentially more context than what is being presented. Right. So, that is tricky. And it’s really, really difficult to get somebody to agree to let somebody do something like this. You know, I know friends who have done content creation and have moved other companies that then realized, Oh, wow, these people have decided that they didn’t like this anymore, and it’s totally screwed them over that way. Yeah, it’s tricky, and it’s why you’re not going to hear as many people from my area of the industry talking about stuff, because talking about things while you’re in the field, according to things while you’re in the field, it’s just safety guys don’t like it. Aaron Nichols: Yeah, and I think you have a little more to lose in that avenue. you know, then maybe me or someone who’s in marketing or someone who’s more of like a manager, you know, a CEO. But I think that when you make the decision to open yourself to the public, you are inviting criticism. There’s just, just certain members of the public who are, you know, I like to report one star reviews of local businesses from time to time because I used to work in hospitality and I understand that there’s just certain people you’re never gonna make happy. Derek The Solarboi: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yep. For sure. Aaron Nichols: Now, Derek, you have, for anyone who’s listening, Derek has a bright purple beard. And I am interested to ask you about it because I’m curious if it was a gimmick for the channel or did you have it before you started? Does it mean anything to you? What is the significance of the purple beard? Derek The Solarboi: So there is no like deep meaning to the purple beard. It’s just fun. And I like doing, I love doing fun things. So, you know, the purple beard is fun. It is, you know, very consciously something that, oh, I can continue to do this to stand out on social media as, you know, eye-catching type of a thing. So, there’s a tiny bit of cynicism to it, but not all that much. I love my purple beard. And I get comments on it regularly from customers as well. Like, you know, I’ve gotten questions from people will be like, what doesn’t, isn’t, wouldn’t that be end up being inappropriate for customers? Like it seems like you’re just trying to get attention or whatever customers love talking about it. I get a lot of positive comments about it. It’s fun. Aaron Nichols: That’s amazing, man. Yeah, and so anything you can do to be remembered is important. And it’s also just a good beard. Like I think you think

    29 min

  4. MAR 20

    Virginia is Second State to Legalize Balcony Solar. Who'll be Third?

    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 bill to legalize balcony solar, officially making them the second state to do so. The bill now awaits Governor Abigail Spanberger’s signature. Spanberger ran on an energy affordability platform last year, so she’s expected to sign the bill into law. Now, the spotlight shifts to the Midwest and Northeast as several states race to be next. Why it Matters The map of states planning to allow “plug-and-play” solar is expanding rapidly: * Virginia: Gov. Abigail Spanberger is expected to sign the bill this month. Once live in January 2027, it will allow 1,200-watt systems (roughly 3-4 panels depending on panel efficiency and size) and will prevent landlords from banning them for most renters. * Total state tally: Legislation has now been introduced in 30 states, including Minnesota. * Active states: Legislation to legalize plug-in solar is actively moving in Illinois, Vermont, Washington, Colorado, and New Hampshire. * Stalled states: Indiana, Missouri, Hawaii, and New Mexico have deferred or failed to advance their bills before the end of their legislative sessions. * Failed States: Legislatures in Arizona, Oregon, Wyoming, and Georgia have yielded to utility pressure and allowed their bills to die in the state legislatures. Solar Fire Safety Mechanisms May Have Caused Fires What’s New A critical safety component required by U.S. electrical codes may actually be making commercial solar energy systems less safe. A new report from HelioVolta reveals that Rapid Shutdown Devices (or RSDs), which were originally designed to prevent fires and protect firefighters, are frequently failing and causing fires. Why It Matters RSDs were mandated by the National Electrical Code (NEC) to de-energize panels fast so first responders wouldn’t be shocked during a fire. However, HelioVolta argues the requirement has had “unintended consequences.” According to HelioVolta’s analysis of over 500 commercial rooftop systems: * RSDs have caused several fires: 21 fires have been caused specifically by RSD failures since 2021. * There were unintended consequences: The National Electrical Code Standard forced the widespread installation of thousands of tiny, complex electronic devices in harsh, unserviceable rooftop environments. This has created safety concerns rather than solved them. * RSDs don’t add value: Unlike microinverters or optimizers, basic RSDs don’t improve energy production; they exist solely for code compliance, making commercial solar energy systems more expensive as a result. Experts warn that as these millions of installed devices age, “worst-case scenario” failures will become more frequent. Next Wednesday’s interview on This Week In Solar is with Derek The Solarboi, who’s been an outspoken critic of rapid shutdown for years. Stay tuned. Sources: Catch up on our balcony solar reporting: 2/20: More States Consider Legalizing Plug-In Solar 2/27: What You Should Know About Plug-In Solar 03/06: The Complete List of States Considering Plug-In Solar: 03/13: New Website Tracks All Plug-In Solar Bills Virginia legislature passes balcony solar bill | Utility Dive Balcony solar bill gains momentum in Illinois | Canary Media Virginia to become second state that allows balcony solar https://pluginsolarguide.com/ SB250 - 2026 Regular Session | LIS HelioVolta report claims RSDs put commercial solar projects at risk Solar Inspection Data Links Rapid Shutdown Devices to Safety Risks Rapid Shutdown Devices and Safety in Commercial Solar This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit exactsolar.substack.com

    5 min
  5. Solar Isn't Going Anywhere: Kristina Zagame

    MAR 18

    Solar Isn't Going Anywhere: Kristina Zagame

    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 year. You can listen to this episode here, or on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify Connect with Kristina on LinkedIn here. Expect to Learn: * Why many companies are moving away from faceless branding and empowering employees to build personal brands. * How focusing on a single human story (like the “neighbor test”) drives action. * Tips for bridging the political divide (framing solar not as a tool for personal freedom). Quotes: "I've always considered myself a storyteller. The core of what I do is tell stories and give people answers." - Kristina Zagame "Fundamentally, we don't really trust brands or companies the way that maybe we once did. I think it's more important to have faces that people can resonate with." - Kristina Zagame Transcript: Aaron Nichols: Kristina, over the last year, you’ve become one of the most successful representations of what I like to call the “in-house influencer.” I think a lot of people would call that a thought leader nowadays as well. And I think you have a very unique perspective on this since you’ve spent so long working in media. Why do you think so many companies are now putting faces behind their names in new ways? Kristina Zagame: Okay, well first of all, thank you so much for saying all of that. I had no idea I was so influential. Aaron Nichols: I’m still stoked you’re here. You do. Kristina Zagame: Oh, well, thank you. I’m a huge fan of yours as well. And yeah, honestly, I think so... of course, yeah, I have a background in media. When I actually got hired into EnergySage, it had nothing to do with being on camera or doing any sort of video or influencer, or thought leader, anything. I really was just hired on as a writer. I’ve had experience in journalism. I’ve had on-camera stuff. And during my interviews, when I would bring up my background, a lot of people would say, “Oh, you know, we’ve always had this idea to do more videos. We’ve always had this idea to do a show.” And they kind of pitched what is now Plugged In to me. And I said, “If you hire me, I can make that happen.” Like, I was very much like, “Oh, great. I can do all of those things. You need to edit it? Cool. You need me to produce it? Cool. You need me to do this? Cool. Like, I got you.” So I think that was maybe part of the reason why I ended up getting the job. They’re all really excited about that. Aaron Nichols: That’s my exact trajectory at Exact Solar. Yeah. Same thing. Hard to be right here. Yeah. I think all the best roles come from starting as a writer. Kristina Zagame: But yeah, I think, honestly, companies realize... well, I think fundamentally we don’t really trust brands or companies the way that maybe we once did. At least for most people, you see most products are now being sold by influencers. Because if, you know, this company, if ABC tells me they have the best bubble gum on the market, I’m not going to trust them. But if my favorite YouTuber is saying, “I only chew ABC gum,”—which I just realized has already been chewed, so that’s gross—but anyway, if my favorite person is selling me, I’m way more likely to trust it versus the brand. And I think that translates really well into what we do, too. You know, we can work for great companies. I love EnergySage as a company. Ethically, morally, they align with what I believe in. But a lot of people, you know, they see the bottom line. They see it as a business at the end of the day. It is a business. So I think it’s more important to have faces that people can resonate with. They trust... they say, “You know, Kristina has this background in journalism.” It has always been my professional duty to try to be as unbiased as possible. Of course, I have bias in that, you know, I support clean energy and I think it’s truly great—although I feel like that’s not really a bias, it’s fact, but I’m sure we’ll get more into that. But, you know, I think people see me and know that it does not affect my bottom line whether they buy into what I’m saying or not. It’s really just me telling them what I’ve researched, what I know to be true, what I’ve learned through my learnings and interviews and talking to people. So, I think that’s why this—and I hate the term influencer, but that is so—so I think that’s why influencer culture has become what it is now. Aaron Nichols: Thought leader is the new influencer. Thought leader is going to be as cringy in a year, but yes. That’ll be your song a lot nicer at the moment. I think I’m interested—and you can confirm or deny this as you see fit since you have a lot more experience in this area than I do—but it seems like it’s smart for companies to build in-house channels just for the simple reason that earned media doesn’t have the effect that it used to as well. Kristina Zagame: Yeah, I think so. It’s interesting. One of the people who I interviewed for an episode of Plugged In is a YouTuber. I’ve interviewed a lot of YouTubers. They have their own name, their own channel. They’re not affiliated with any one company. They sort of gave me a piece of advice, a warning of, “You know, if you are just EnergySage, people aren’t going to subscribe or interact or be as engaged with instead of just being, ‘I’m Kristina Zagame.’” And that was really early on. And I did, I took a little bit of the feedback only to my team to say, “Hey, I don’t think I should post on my own account.” Like, I obviously still work for this company, we’re coming to people from EnergySage. And I think EnergySage is in a unique position because we are completely free for the consumer. So people don’t feel as much like we’re trying to sell to them because it’s a completely free service for them to use. But I did take that in trying to make myself more personable in my writing. I use a lot of “I” instead of “we,” just because I think that it is, again, so important for people to really connect with the person rather than the brand. So I’m not really sure if that answers your question. Aaron Nichols: No, it certainly does. I just published an article on storytelling, and I dropped this line on the latest SunCast episode I was on to a good laugh, but I think no one wakes up and says, “I wonder what Bank of America is up to today?” Kristina Zagame: That’s cool. Yeah. Yeah. Aaron Nichols: You’re interested in people. You’re interested in journey. Well, for anyone listening, welcome back to This Week in Solar. I’m your host, Aaron Nichols, the Storytelling and Policy Specialist here at Exact Solar in Newtown, Pennsylvania. And my guest today is Kristina Zagame. Kristina, would you just briefly introduce yourself now that we’ve launched in and talk about your day-to-day life as the Senior Content Producer at EnergySage? Or is it Senior Content Producer 2? Did I get that? Kristina Zagame: Yes, that just means I leveled up, right, in my career. Aaron Nichols: Oh, okay. It’s good content to see. Kristina Zagame: Yeah. No, although it often feels like... Senior Content Producer, Senior Content Researcher, whatever you want to call me. My day-to-day really isn’t very glamorous. It’s a lot of time of me spent staring at my computer screen, reading a lot of research, reading a lot of thought leader posts on LinkedIn, trying to just get a pulse on what people are talking about in regards to energy, clean energy, any sort of home electrification topics. And then, in regards to Plugged In, it’s a lot of reaching out, networking, talking to different influencers, researchers, scientists, you name it to get them onto the show to bring their expertise to our consumers. But ultimately I think my job, like if I were to really pare it down, I’ve always considered myself a storyteller. I went into journalism as a young 17-year-old because I wanted to tell stories and I wanted to give people answers. And I think even though my career and job and overall trajectory has changed so many times, that is still the core of what I do, whether it is in web format for energysage.com or whether it’s for Plugged In, or even just messaging people on LinkedIn or whatever it is, the core of what I do is tell stories and give people answers. Aaron Nichols: I’m interested to hear you elaborate on what storytelling means to you. And if you’ve read a lot of my LinkedIn content, you know I’m very biased in this area because energy as an industry for so long didn’t really have to tell compelling stories because it was just made up of regional monopolies. Now we need to, but our example is so far behind. And a lot of people who are very technically minded who work in industry, who work in energy, think that storytelling just means “let’s just make more graphs and make them look prettier.” I would love to hear from someone who’s been storytelling their entire career. What that means to you? Kristina Zagame: Yes, yeah, definitely. For me, I honestly think when I think of storytelling, I think of telling one person’s story, right? So we can all read the charts: electricity bills are like this, right? Or like this—I don’t know what flip of the camera is. Our electricity bills are through the roof. When you hear that, you know it. But then if you change it and you say, “Hey, my neighbor is a single mother with three kids and she got her utility bills and she’s broken into tears. She can’t pay it. She doesn’t know what to do. She might have to...” You know, if you start painting that pi

    30 min
  6. New Website Tracks All Plug-In Solar Bills

    MAR 13

    New Website Tracks All Plug-In Solar Bills

    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 of the relevant legislation on different state websites and find the right representative to contact. Ryan’s put everything in one easy-to-use place. I used this website as a resource to write this week’s update. These are the six states closest to legalization: * Virginia: Passed House 98-0 and Senate 30-8. It’s now on Governor Abigail Spanberger’s desk, and she’s expected to sign. Using clean energy to lower electricity bills for Virginians was a large part of Spanberger’s campaign platform in last year’s Gubernatorial elections. * Vermont: Passed Senate 29-0, and is now in the House committee. * Washington: Passed House 56-38; advancing in Senate. * Colorado: Passed House 48-16 on March 5, 2026; moving to the Senate. * New Hampshire: Has gone through the Senate and House with “Ought to Pass” recommendations. * Massachusetts: Integrated into an omnibus energy affordability bill that’s currently moving through the Senate. Trump Administration Has Kept White House Solar Panels What’s New: Earlier this week, Amy Harder from Axios wrote a piece pointing out that even though President Trump publicly speaks about the superiority of coal and oil and has called solar power “very, very expensive,” his administration has kept the Obama Administration’s solar panels up on the White House roof. Why it matters: Solar panels have been added and removed from the White House a few times. President Jimmy Carter first put solar panels on the roof in 1979 to save energy. President Ronald Reagan took them down a few years later. President George W. Bush added solar thermal back in his administration to heat the White House pool. President Barack Obama then added solar PV in 2013 to generate electricity. President Obama’s panels are still on the White House. Anyone can see them on Google Maps. Sources: 1 sun thing: Trump White House still has solar panels Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them https://pluginsolarguide.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit exactsolar.substack.com

    4 min
  7. How Solar Developers Can Win Hearts In Rural America: Azuraye Wycoff

    MAR 11

    How Solar Developers Can Win Hearts In Rural America: Azuraye Wycoff

    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 at yellowbarn.farm Listen to this episode here, or on: * YouTube * Apple Podcasts * Spotify Expect to learn: * The Power of “Social Soil”: Why building trust at the speed of trust is the only way to avoid NIMBYism and community pushback. * Agrivoltaics and Integration: How combining solar with grazing and microclimates actually improves land fertility and water retention. * Stacking Functions: Why solar developers should look beyond energy production to solve local needs like noise barriers, shade for livestock, and decentralized power. Quote from the episode: “Nature grows slowly and intentionally. And anything that is truly fast and exponential is usually some sort of virus and that’s not usually a good thing... You build trust at the speed of trust.” — Azuraye Wycoff Transcript: Aaron Nichols So, Azuraye, welcome and thank you for sitting down with me today. When I was getting ready for this, I was thinking through it and I think you’re one of the people that I respect most in the world. I was like, it’s my wife, my family, Azuraye is very high on the list. And I think it’s because you didn’t have to do any of this. But you’ve worked so hard to create a community and bring a community together. And so I wanted to start with that tone. And if you wouldn’t mind giving anyone who’s listening an overview of who you are and what Yellow Barn Farm is. Azuraye Wycoff Thank you. It’s quite the honor just to be named that. Yeah, my name is Azuraye Wycoff and I actually grew up on this property where we are right now, Yellow Barn Farm. And it was originally called Autumn Hill, but well before that it was indigenous land. Truly its origination is the home of the Ute, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Shoshone tribes, many others that moved through these foothills for many, many generations and steered to the land in what we now call regenerative agriculture. So where we are now, what we’re doing now as Yellow Barn Farm is really paying homage to what living in harmony with ecosystems really looks like, but also recognizing where we are in history with technology and energy and innovation that we can’t necessarily live the same way any longer. But what we can do is really live in a holistic integrated way that incorporates everything and really tries to build bridges between all of these different industries and worlds. Aaron Nichols And would you explain what has been happening with the county? Azuraye Wycoff So back in December, we got notified by some of our community that the county had plans to do an aerial drone spray of the herbicide rejuvra in the open space county land back behind Elk Green Farm and Yellow Barn Farm. But this had been a plan that had been solidified in their weed management plan back in 2024. But this was the first that we were really getting word that it was coming right up to the edge of our regenerative farms. Aaron Nichols So to summarize, the county decided what was best for you without consulting you. Azuraye Wycoff I think the county was doing its best to meet a lot of demands from a lot of different parties. Aaron Nichols Okay. And you’ve managed to engage, I believe it was more than 1,200 people against this effort. Is that about right? Azuraye Wycoff Definitely not alone. But yes, with DAR’s help, we sent out a mass campaign on social media, on our newsletters that just made it really easy for people to send an email directly to the county. We had helped with pre-drafting everything, writing the subject line, and addressing it to each of the individual county commissioners so people could just sign their name, add a little bit more information if they wanted to, and press send. Aaron Nichols Okay. And who else was involved and who else would this affect if it went through? Azuraye Wycoff A lot of people, a lot of people are involved, a lot of people it affects. A lot of communities in this whole front hill, the foothills region would be affected. Residents, a lot of different agricultural operations along this area. And everyone who got involved, there are so many people to name. It has been truly a community effort. And there are many other people that were pioneering this to combat the use of aerial drone spraying, the pesticides use on open land for years before we came along. Tess McDonald is a really big name in this area. We’ve had a lot of support from some of the people here, John and Margo, Shana, and just the whole community has really rallied. I’m just really voicing what their concerns are, the way that something like this would affect a bunch of different people downstream, from the people, the animals, the aquatic life, the plants. It’s more than just isolating and targeting one issue, which is right now cheatgrass. Aaron Nichols Right. And so let’s get a little deeper into the potential consequences if this goes forward. What could that potentially do? Azuraye Wycoff I mean, man, we’re seeing this in so many arenas in our world right now. It’s just the use of a toxic chemical has so much of a domino effect. You can’t just target one thing in an ecosystem and not expect it to affect everything else in that ecosystem. So while they’re focusing on cheatgrass and trying to stop that seed bank from regrowing every year, it still is harming the seed bank of not just that plant, but everything else around it. It affects the runoff in the rivers downstream. It affects the aquatic life, the invertebrate, it affects any animals that are eating anything from those ecosystems. You can’t just have this one thing target that one issue and not expect to see the ripple effect. Aaron Nichols And so I think the reason that I wanted to sit down with you is because I work for a solar company. I work in the solar industry. And even though I work in what’s called behind the meter where homes and businesses own their own solar and they’re the people like trying to put it on warehouses and on their home roofs, there’s also the other side of the solar industry which I haven’t had a lot of experience with which is utility scale where people are going in and developing large projects often in rural America. And a lot of solar companies struggle with community engagement and often run up against resistance. Now, I’m interested, like, why do you think you were able to engage so many people against this effort to spray the herbicide? Azuraye Wycoff I mean, I think we’ve all seen a lot of the effects of what toxic chemicals can do. I we’re seeing it with the glyphosate that’s sprayed on all of our food right now. We’re seeing it when you try to mass produce a result that you get a really big ripple effect and that’s gonna affect everything from our internal health, it’s gonna affect our children’s health, it’s going to be something that we have to deal with for generations to come and it’s not easy to solve. So I think when you’re looking at things like how do you work with communities rather than enact something without necessarily consulting what might work for a specific community, I think you’re gonna face pushback in any kind of industry. Aaron Nichols So for any project developers who are listening to this, if they’re going into a community to develop a project, how can they connect with that community and connect with the leaders and work with the community in the right way? Azuraye Wycoff Geez, I mean, for us, it’s been this idea of social soil. We have relationships with people. We have gotten to know everyone in this entire community over many years, my family being here for 25 some odd years. It’s going to be hard for someone who’s in an industry trying to build relationships because that, at least quickly, because that does move slowly. You build trust at the speed of trust. so I think if you are looking to come into community, it’s really getting to know what their needs are. If you’re coming into a rural community, what matters to them? If you’re coming in with laser focus to just get a project done, and you’ve got enough money behind you to just bulldoze anything in your way, of course you’re gonna hear a lot of pain and pushback because you’re not considering what the needs of that community truly are. Aaron Nichols And what diverse perspectives do you think we often bulldoze? I know when we were talking before the interview, you were talking about how people work in different silos. They think energy is one silo, agriculture is another silo, these things don’t need to meet and mix. What holistic perspective are we missing that people need to consider? Azuraye Wycoff I mean, how can you integrate everything? How can you build bridges? How can you do diplomacy, the boots on the ground work that is actually getting to know the people and know what their needs are and actually hopefully stack functions. If you’ve got a solar project coming in, what would it look like instead of being super laser focused or siloed in one industry and saying this is just solar, but saying, we’ve also got agriculture, we’ve got community needs, what could solar do to benefit all of those different industries? The idea of covering an entire giant swath of empty land with just solar, you’re taking away a really valuable resource that could have been used for grazing cattle. And that grazing cattle is something that actually brings fertility back into the land, which creates coverage for the soil, which prevents things like cheatgrass. We’re dealing with this entire circular system that we’re looking at i

    20 min
  8. The Complete List of States Considering Plug-In Solar

    MAR 6

    The Complete List of States Considering Plug-In Solar

    What’s new: As of March 2026, 1 state has passed legislation to legalize plug-in solar kits, and 29 states are considering legalizing them, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey (though bills in PA and New Jersey are currently stalled). Today’s email includes a complete list of all the states considering this shift, and a link to the relevant legislation. Plug-in solar kits are small, DIY systems that connect directly to standard 120-volt wall outlets. People can put them anywhere that gets direct sunlight, plug them into a standard outlet, and use the output to lower their electricity bills. Why it matters: Plug-in solar is the most significant deregulation of residential energy in decades. Since Utah legalized it last year, thousands of residents have installed kits. In Utah, these kits are legally treated like appliances rather than professional construction projects, so they don’t require permits. 70% of Americans have historically been locked out of the solar market due to rental status, roof design, or high upfront costs. Plug-in solar helps change that. Which Bills Are Close to Passing? * Colorado’s HB26-1007 advanced through committee last week with a 9-2 vote, and passed the House yesterday (March 5th, 2026) by a vote of 48-16. This bill makes it illegal for a utility to prohibit these kits and allows up to 1,920 watts per meter, 60% higher than Utah’s limit. * Vermont’s S. 202 passed the Senate with a unanimous 29-0 vote in late January. The bill allows systems up to 1,200 watts per meter. * Washington’s HB 2296 passed the House 56-38 in February and is now sitting in the Senate Rules Committee. This bill specifically prevents Homeowners’ Associations (HOAs) and landlords from banning plug-in solar devices and also sets a 1,200-watt limit per meter. * New Hampshire’s SB 540 moved out of the Senate in mid-February with an "Ought to Pass" recommendation. This bill prohibits utilities from charging any extra fees or requiring prior approval for plug-in kits. It also caps the systems at 1,200 watts per meter. Which Bills Are Dead? * Georgia’s HB 1304 effectively died in late February. Despite bipartisan sponsorship, House Bill 1304 was “held” by the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee without a vote after intense opposition from Georgia Power and the state’s Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs). * Wyoming’s “Affordable Electricity Act of 2026” also failed to advance out of committee this February after the House Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs Committee declined to move the bill forward after hearing testimony almost exclusively from utility representatives. Utilities in Georgia and Wyoming mainly focused their arguments on: * An inability to ensure safety if consumers use this tech * The idea that people who pay less for power wouldn’t be paying their fair share for grid upkeep A Complete List of States Considering Plug-In Solar Below is a list of states considering similar legislation. Utah HB 340 - Enacted (2025) Colorado HB26-1007 - Advanced (Passed Committee and House) Vermont S. 202 / H. 598 - Advanced (Passed Senate) Virginia HB 395 / HB 289 - Advanced (Passed Senate) Washington HB 2296 - Advanced (In Senate Committees) New Hampshire SB 540 - Advanced (On Track) New Jersey S 4982 / S 2368 - Advanced (On Track) Illinois HB 4371 - Advanced (On Track) Oregon HB 4080 - Advanced California SB 868 - Introduced New York S 8512 / A 9111 - Introduced Connecticut HB 5340 - Introduced Idaho HB 612 - Introduced Arizona HB 2843 - Introduced Pennsylvania HB 1971 - Introduced Alaska HB 257 - Introduced Hawaii HB 2435 - Introduced Maryland HB 39 / HB 0345 - Introduced Indiana SB 74 / HB 1084 - Introduced Iowa HF 2046 - Introduced Maine LD 1730 - Introduced Minnesota HF 3555 - Introduced Rhode Island H 7269 - Introduced Oklahoma HB 4060 - Introduced Missouri HB 2444 / 2528 - Introduced South Carolina HB 4579 - Introduced New Mexico SB 157 - Introduced Washington DC HR 1047 - Introduced Georgia HB 1304 - Sidelined/Dead (Not Voted On) Wyoming HB 146 - Dead (Voted Down) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit exactsolar.substack.com

    4 min
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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
    83
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Exact Solar
  • Show Website
    This Week in Solar

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