Get a closer look at Qcells’ newest home energy storage system — the Q.HOME CORE G3, an AC-coupled battery and energy management system designed for installers who want more flexibility in both retrofits and whole-home backup. Here to make The Pitch is Kam Sihota, Head of System Engineering for Qcells.

0:29 - Overview of Qcells' AC-coupled platform

1:41 - Q.HOME CORE G3 compared to G2

4:46 - Q.HOME CORE Hub

6:35 - Q.OMMAND app for homeowners and installers

8:11 - Time savings during installation

10:03 - Qcells fleet management and remote diagnostics in action

11:25 - EnFin financing by Qcells & 30-year warranty option

13:49 - Qcells domestic manufacturing snapshot and future

15:28 - Trend: standardizing on one brand for solar + storage

In this episode of The Pitch, Solar Builder editor Chris Crowell interviews SMA America’s Tyson Schoelzel and Hasan Taylor about the Sunny Highpower PEAK3 — a 1500-V high-density string inverter that will soon be manufactured and skidded in the United States with a Create Energy partnership that enables domestic content bonus eligibility.

The discussion focuses on the specific ways PEAK3 reduces O&M cost, improves uptime, eases interconnection modeling, and supports community solar and utility-scale projects in the 5–100 MW range with a virtual-central skidded architecture. The SMA team explains how a single-MPPT architecture improves reliability and supports high-current bifacial modules without early clipping — and why the PEAK3’s 25-year design life and OptiCool thermal system matter for long-term project economics.

They also dig into repowering, explaining how the PEAK3 Flex can match legacy AC voltages without transformer rework or restudies — a key advantage as older fleets age out. On the control side, the team walks through Data Manager M + Smart Connect for remote monitoring, smart-connected O&M, zero-export functionality, and utility-model support — all critical as pricing complexity and grid constraints rise.

Timestamps

0:30 - Pain points for developers right now, and how PEAK3 helps

3:07 - Typical PEAK3 projects

4:30 - Skidding PEAK3 for larger sites "virtual-central architecture"

5:23 - A peek at the PEAK3 spec sheet

6:34 - Repowering and matching legacy voltages

9:08 - 25-year warranty, OptiCool & reliability

11:50 - Advantage of single MPPT

12:53 - Data Manager M and Smart Connect

17:04 - Storage PEAK3 coming?

Learn more about the PEAK3: https://www.sma-america.com/products/solarinverters/sunny-highpower-peak3

Subscribe to Solar Builder: https://subscribe.solarbuildermag.com/subscribe

The residential solar market is heading into major changes as the 25D tax credit sunsets at the end of 2025. What comes next for financing, installers, and homeowners?

In this live Power Forward session recorded on the PowerUp Live Stage at RE+ 2025, Solar Builder’s Chris Crowell sits down with Josh Tinaglia, Finance Program Manager at BayWa r.e., to unpack the outlook for residential solar financing. Thanks to SunCast Media for letting us have the time, and for producing this video. Topics include:

• What the 25D tax credit sunset means for installers and homeowners
• Why third-party ownership (TPO) will play a bigger role starting in 2026
• Questions to ask your TPO providers
• The outlook for solar loans, dealer fees, and new finance products
• Prepaid leases and transferability of tax credits
• The uncertainty of FEOC rules and domestic content requirements
• The impact of cancelled programs like Solar for All and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

If you’re a solar installer preparing for 2026, this episode breaks down the financing shifts you need to understand — from TPO to loan structures — and how to evaluate your options in a volatile market.

Subscribe to Solar Builder: https://subscribe.solarbuildermag.com/subscribe