Listen to today’s episode here, or on:
* YouTube
* 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 that triggered a lender cash freeze and default notice. The company says it’s seeking new capital or a sale; failing that, it will shut down entirely.
Why it matters:PosiGen focused on low- to moderate-income customers.
This pullback strands customers and contractors. It’s part of a broader residential downturn: 2024 installs fell 31%, and several major national players filed for bankruptcy, including:
* SunPower
* Sunnova
* Mosaic
These bankruptcies make great headlines, but for us at Exact Solar, and for many of the solid, dependable solar companies around the country who have been serving their communities for decades, they reinforce our belief:
Solar should be local.
So many solar installers (like Exact Solar) aren’t trying to grow at any cost and will continue to install high-quality systems and service them for their entire lifetimes.
Solar and Wind Top Coal in First Half of 2025
What’s new:
New EIA data show solar supplied 8.7% of U.S. electricity in the first half of 2025 and 10.2% in June alone. Utility-scale solar output rose 37.6% year over year through June, small-scale climbed 10.7%, and together they grew nearly 30%.
Combined, wind and solar provided 20.3% of U.S. power (more than coal or nuclear). Renewables as a whole (wind, solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal) reached 27.7%, second only to natural gas, which fell 3.7%.
Why it matters:
Solar now generates almost 45% more than hydropower and exceeds hydro, biomass, and geothermal combined.
Even with recent policy changes, developers still expect about half of the new U.S. capacity this year to be solar and another 13% wind.
Team Brunel wins the World Solar Challenge
What’s new:
Delft’s Brunel Solar Team won the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge’s Challenger Class race yesterday, crossing the finish line first after a grueling 3,021 km race from Darwin to Adelaide.
Official preliminary results show Brunel’s Nuna 13 averaging 86.6 km/h with an event time of 34.9 hours recorded on August 28th.
Why it matters:
The World Solar Challenge is a 3,000-km solar EV race that’s been runing every two years since 1987. Team Brunel’s victory is their eighth world title; they’re the “Michael Jordan” of this event by far.
Here are the rules of the challenge from Bridgestone’s website:
* Solar Panels can have a Maximum area of 6㎡ (spread out across the vehicle)
* Vehicles must have 3 or more wheels, and maximum dimensions are: length 5.8m, width 2.3m, height 1.65m
* 1 driver at a time (Teams must have 3 to 6 designated drivers who take turns driving.)
* Source of Power = Solar energy only
* Clock doesn’t stop once it starts, but charging is allowed overnight, so long as the charging source used solar power to charge.
Personally, I’m a little bummed. I was pulling for the University of Michigan team, since my friends at Optivolt made the solar tech to power their car. But you can’t win em’ all.
Sources:
Residential solar installer PosiGen lays off almost entire workforce
Residential solar installer PosiGen ceases “most of its operations”
Solar is nation’s fastest growing electricity source, expands by 30% in 2025
EIA: Solar and wind leave coal in the dust with record 2025 output | Electrek
Preliminary Results | Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
