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

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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.

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Artificial intelligence is showing up in every corner of the solar industry—from proposal software to microinverters—and it’s reshaping how installers work. In this Solar Builder interview, Editor-in-Chief Chris Crowell talks with Jason Higginson, Head of Marketing for North America at APsystems, about how AI tools are improving design, sales, customer service, and long-term system performance.

We cover:

- Why AI is no longer optional for solar businesses

- The top AI tools installers should start using right now

- How APsystems is building AI into its microinverters, storage, and APdesigner software

- Real-world impacts on efficiency, customer satisfaction, and profitability

If you’re a solar installer looking to stay competitive in 2025 and beyond, this conversation breaks down what you need to know.

0:19 Why AI matters for solar installers now

1:35 Where AI is embedded in today’s solar tools

2:35 Boosting customer satisfaction and reducing errors

3:22 No-brainer AI tools for solar companies

4:49 Example of AI-driven design with APdesigner

8:15 Is AI good enough to help avoid change orders?

9:31 Operational AI in the field: commissioning & troubleshooting

11:25 APsystems and AI optimization

13:02 AI-powered battery management and time-of-use savings

13:46 Manufacturing & background AI applications

15:15 Looking ahead: proactive AI tools for solar businesses

17:18 AI for O&M, customer follow-ups, and repowering

Solar energy compensation programs continue to change across the country, as states move away from retail net metering. A great resource for following these trends is the NC Clean Energy Technology Center.

The Center is home to the Database of States Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), a public good that provides information on policies and programs related to clean energy at the federal, state, local, and utility level across the United States.

Its quarterly 50 States of Solar. series provides insights on state regulatory and legislative discussions and actions on distributed solar policy, with a focus on net metering, distributed solar valuation, interconnection rules, community solar, residential fixed charges, residential demand and solar charges, and third-party ownership.

Joining The Buzz to sum up the latest actions, and chat about the future of net metering is Rebekah de la Mora, a Senior Policy Analyst at the NC Clean Energy Technology Center at NC State University.

• 1:08 - Top line trends in changes being made to net metering
• 4:49 - Are there more actions happening now than previously?
• 7:37 - So, is it fair to say "net metering is dead" ?
• 9:09 - Impact of interval data & time of use rates on distributed generation compensation
• 13:35 - Will moving to TOU billing hurt nascent solar markets?
• 17:46 - What states have "friendlier" solar compensation rates?
• 19:15 - Boosting incentives for commercial solar customers
• 23:02 - Emerging markets for commercial solar + storage

Solar panels make a great pair with metal rooftops – as long as you have the right attachment system and support team that understands the nuances of the application. Today on the Pitch we’re talking all about solar mounting on metal roofs with Jesse Winternitz, application engineer with S-5!

• 0:34 - Background of S-5! and metal roof attachment
• 2:31 - Role of the S-5! Support Team
• 4:12 - Misconceptions of solar projects on metal roofs
• 4:53 - Overview of PVKIT system & installation
• 6:29 - How PVKIT helps overcome common project challenges
• 8:13 - How the Support Team helps overcome challenges
• 9:17 - Advice for installers considering metal roof jobs
• 10:11 - How else S-5! is innovating in solar

The Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) is signed, as is the death warrant for the residential solar tax credit. On Power Forward, Solar Builder Editor-in-Chief Chris Crowell discusses what solar installers should do next with David Dunlap, VP of product strategy with BayWa r.e.

0:36 - How to handle the Dec. 31, 2025, deadline for end of ITC

3:08 - What qualifies as a "project" to qualify for tax credit by Dec. 31.

5:40 - What should solar installers do now to prepare for life after ITC?

9:04 - Ways to change my sales approach (and pricing) with no tax credit.

13:26 - Is "diversification" strategy still viable without EV and other tax credits?

16:52 - The case for getting into commercial solar projects

21:07 - Final thoughts: Any silver linings to losing the tax credit?

About BayWa r.e.https://solar-distribution-us.baywa-re.com/

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The residential solar market has changed, which means residential solar business models need to change too. Over the next few episodes of Power Forward! we’ll discuss some actionable strategies for restructuring your approach so that your solar installation business can be more resilient in the years ahead. To kick things off we’re zooming in on the concept of “repowering,” and how you can turn that into a profit center, with Travis Walker, our Director of Business Development at BayWa r.e, and Corey Garrison, CEO of SouthFace Solar & Electric in Arizona.

0:52 – What services should be offered by solar installer’s “service department”

3:32 – How to start pursuing solar repowering jobs

5:54 – How to sort a list of past customers for repowering potential

8:08 – The value of customer service agreements

9:01 – The economics of solar repowering: What’s my margin?

13:39 – Working with new (unhappy) customers with stranded systems

15:33 – Challenges or downsides to repowering jobs?

18:13 – Three ways to approach repowering as a line of business

22:16 – Hardware considerations when repowering.

BayWa r.e. https://us.baywa-re.com/en/ SouthFace Solar & Electric https://southfacesolar.com/ Subscribe to Solar Builder: https://subscribe.solarbuildermag.com/subscribe