Shows
Solar Builder RadioProblem-solving solar on metal roofs with S-5! | The PitchSolar 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 cons...2025-07-2811 minSolar Builder RadioPost-OBBB: Selling solar without the tax credit | Power Forward!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...2025-07-1725 minSolar Builder RadioRepowering as a Solar Installer Business Model | Power Forward!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 o...2025-05-2724 minSolar Builder RadioSpeeding up roof repair with QuickPATCH | The PitchA quality solar installation starts with respecting your customer’s roof. Today on the Pitch, Rick Gentry and Ben Hedrick from QuickBOLT discuss common issues on the roof and advancements in solar mounting designs over the years. Then, they explain QuickBOLT's latest roof protection product: QuickPATCH.
0:21 - Overview of common problems seen on the roof
1:06 - How rooftop solar mounting has evolved
3:01 - Avoiding (and dealing with) missed pilot holes
4:26 - Explanation of butyl as a sealant
5:29 - QuickPATCH installation demo
7:33 - Why QuickPATCH over the flash card and sealant?
10:17 - Di...2025-04-1512 minSolar Builder RadioNew Product Showcase from Intersolar 2025!Relive this New Product Showcase session, live from the Hub stage at Intersolar & Energy Storage North America in San Diego! Solar Builder Editor-in-Chief Chris Crowell interviews three entrants in the New Product Showcase:
- Dave Dong, Director Vertical Growth NAM, nVent,
- Stephanie Choi Brookes, CMO, Emtel Energy USA
- Cody Sellers, Business Development-Enterprise Solutions, GME Supply
nVent showcased the ERIFLEX FleXbus, an innovative solution for connecting large electrical installations, such as transformers, switchboards, and generators. This unique concept is an attractive alternative for connections up to 25 meters, and up t...2025-03-2021 minSolar Builder RadioDomestic Content Deep Dive for Solar Pros | Power Forward!Domestic content is one of the most important topics in the solar industry, but what do solar contractors need to know about it right now? We go in-depth on the topic with David Dunlap, VP of product strategy at BayWa r.e.
0:48 - Has the Trump Administration changed the domestic content outlook?
3:02 - Available U.S. solar manufacturing (modules, inverters, racking, batteries)
7:12 - Overview of changes to Safe Harbor Tables
9:38 - Is there value in sourcing a module with domestic wafers?
13:23 - MLPE vs. string cost percentage comparison
17:26 - How long can...2025-03-1032 minSolar Builder RadioMaking solar field operations more efficient with SiteCapture | The PitchTime is money, but so are the errors that result from working too fast. Today on The Pitch we’re chatting with Kamal Shah, CEO of SiteCapture, about how solar contractors can leverage technology to achieve efficient field operations without sacrificing quality.
Start your free trial of SiteCapture here: https://sitecapture.com/solar/?utm_campaign=5460234-Solar%20Builder%20Product%20of%20the%20Week%20-%20Jan%2025&utm_source=Solar%20Builder%20Magazine
Subscribe to Solar Builder: https://solarbuildermag.com/subscribe/
0:25 - Overview of SiteCapture
1:20 - How solar companies use the SiteCapture platform
3:50 - Ho...2025-02-1214 minSolar Builder RadioSolar business outlook for 2025 | Power Forward!We close out 2024 and look ahead to solar business in 2025 the way we always do with David Dunlap, VP of product strategy with BayWa r.e.
0:37 - Look back at key solar storylines from 2024
4:43 - Lasting takeaways from bankruptcies and financing shift?
7:17 - Expectations for residential solar market in 2025
16:31 - Product oversupply still an issue in 2025?
19:30 - How can/will the Trump administration change the IRA or ITC?
22:49 - Other tangible impacts on DG solar due to a change in administration?
24:07 - Final thoughts for...2024-12-2326 minSolar Builder RadioThe Unintended Consequences of Solar's Domestic Content Tax Credit AdderThis is an Audio Article from the Q4 2024 issue of Solar Builder Magazine. Editor-in-Chief Chris Crowell reads "Domestic Influence: Calculating the Unintended Consequences of the Domestic Content Tax Credit Adder in Small-Scale Solar."
0:01 - How Trump could influence this even more
0:58 - Explanation of the domestic content adder calculation
3:44 - Lopsided MLPE vs String calculations
7:21 - Overview of U.S. inverter & racking manufacturing
9:56 - Impact on residential solar / TPO financing
Read the Q4 issue of Solar Builder: https://digital.solarbuildermag.com/q4-2024/page-1
2024-12-1616 min
Solar Builder RadioProject of the Year 101 kW to 1 MW: Camino Real Mobile EstatesSolar Builder's 2024 Project of the Year 101 kW to 1 MW is the Camino Real Mobile Estates in Lathrop, Calif.
Property owner Sansome Skyline Development tapped developer and EPC Solar Gain to install a 419 kW ground-mount solar system for the Camino Real Mobile Estates in Lathrop, California. Mobile homes don’t have enough rooftop space to make the economics of solar work, so the only feasible option was using a narrow but steep retention basin located next to the park.
Developer/EPC: Solar Gain
Installer: Solar Gain, Terrasmart
Modules: ZNShine
Inverters: CPS
Mounting/Ra...2024-12-1207 min
Solar Builder RadioProject of the Year Over 10 MW: Escalante SolarSolar Builder's 2024 Project of the Year Over 10 MW is the Escalante Solar Project in Prewitt, N.M.
Escalante Solar was built by Gridworks across 1,714 acres on the site of the former 253 MW coal-fired Escalante Station in Prewitt, New Mexico, which was retired in 2020, as Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association continues to pursue its landmark Responsible Energy Plan.
Developer: Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Origis Energy
EPC/Installer: Gridworks Inc., Sacramento Drilling
Modules: Boviet
Inverters: Sungrow
Mounting/Racking: Array Technologies, Unimacts
Full story...2024-12-1007 min
Solar Builder RadioProject of the Year 1 MW to 10 MW: Cincinnati Zoo Solar CarportDeveloper: Cincinnati Zoo
EPC/Installer: Melink, Terrasmart
Modules: VSUN
Inverters: CPS
Mounting/Racking: Terrasmart
Solar Builder's 2024 Project of the Year 1 MW to 10 MW is the the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.
The zoo completed a 2.8 MW solar parking canopy in August 2024. This was the zoo's third solar system, having installed its first solar system in 2006 with a ground-mount system and then its second in 2011 with a solar carport. Overall, the zoo now has about 4.5 MW of solar capacity on its property.
Full story: https://projects.solarbuildermag...2024-12-0510 min
Solar Builder RadioProject of the Year Under 100 kW: Adventure ScienceSolar Builder's 2024 Project of the Year, Under 100 kW, is the Adventure Science Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The center partnered with Everybody Solar to install a 72.32 kW rooftop solar array. In addition to reducing the museum's electricity bills by approximately $10,956 annually, the project also provides hands-on education and community impact.
Developer: Everybody Solar, ReNew Solar Solutions
EPC/Installer: ReNew Solar Solutions
Modules: SunPower
Inverters: CPS
Full story: https://projects.solarbuildermag.com/adventure-science-center-2024-project-of-the-year-under-100kw/
All Project of the Year Winners: https://projects.solarbuildermag.com/
Subscribe to Solar Builder: https://solarbuildermag.com/subscribe/
2024-12-0309 minSolar Builder RadioKey features of Generac's PWRcell 2 ESS | The PitchGenerac is now selling its next generation home energy storage system, the PWRcell 2 Series. On The Pitch, Beto Fonts, product manager at Generac, explains what's new with PWRcell 2, key features of the installation, the differences between the PWRcell 2 and PWRcell 2 MAX, and how they fit in the broader Generac home energy ecosystem.
0:27 - Comparing PWRcell 2 Series with PWRcell 1
1:54 - Step by step PWRcell 2 installation
3:00 - Introducing the Smart Disconnect Switch (SDS)
5:13 - PWRcell 2 MAX explained
6:31 - PWRcell 2 Series vs. competitive systems
7:26 - How the ecobee smart thermostat...2024-11-1512 minSolar Builder RadioCalifornia solar and the lithium battery MESS | The BuzzJeff Spies, president of Planet Plan Sets, is increasingly concerned that the solar and storage industry is facing the biggest safety challenge of its 50-year history. Solar Builder published the article The Lithium Battery MESS in our Q3 2024 magazine, explaining why. This episode of The Buzz is digs deeper into differentiating safe and legal home batteries, and how decisions by California regulators have helped set the market conditions giving rise to this Lithium Battery MESS.
0:10 - Overview of the lithium battery MESS in California
2:15 - How safe are UL 9540 listed batteries?
4:56 – Influx of un...2024-11-0741 minSolar Builder RadioClimate First Bank explains ethical solar financing | The PitchOneEthos is the fintech affiliate of Climate First Bank, which bills itself as the world’s first FDIC-insured digital community bank founded to combat the climate crisis. On the Pitch, Chris Cucci, EVP at Climate First Bank and OneEthos, discusses how they set their solar loan business apart for installers and homeowners with 30 year fixed rate, no dealer fees, and 100% financing for resi and C&I loans.
OneEthos: https://www.oneethos.com
Climate First Bank: https://www.climatefirstbank.com
Solar Builder: https://solarbuildermag.com/subscribe/
0:41 - How does Climate First Bank op...2024-11-0414 minSolar Builder RadioTPO 101: Get started selling solar leases | Power Forward!Solar Builder Editor-in-Chief Chris Crowell gets a crash course in third-party ownership (TPO) solar programs from BayWa r.e. Finance Program Manager Joshua Tinaglia.
Questions asked:
0:35 - Why should I consider offering solar systems via leases – aka third-party ownership?
1:48 - Questions to ask of my business before offering TPO?
4:06 - Fundamental differences in leases vs loans, as a business model?
5:49 - Is there more work on the front end?
7:08 - How do I evaluate TPO providers? Fine print to watch for?
11:01 - How does TPO ch...2024-10-2521 min