Solar Builder Radio

New 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 to 50% quicker to install than busduct or wireway.  The highly flexible nVent ERIFLEX FleXbus utilizes single conductors per phase, eliminating the need for multiple cables and cable trays, consuming significantly less space. With no bending radius requirement and adaptability to various layouts, nVent ERIFLEX FleXbus streamlines installation in tight areas and enables connections to be made above ground that would otherwise require trenching. https://www.nvent.com/en-us/
 
Emtel Energy USA is pioneering electrostatic supercapacitor-based energy storage solutions that deliver high efficiency, long-duration performance, and enhanced safety—without relying on lithium. Their proprietary technology ensures stable energy retention and controlled release, making it an ideal alternative for a range of applications from a residential product that can hang on the wall inside (no thermal runaway risk) to utility-scale containers. https://emtelenergyusa.com/
 
GME Supply introduced their new Enterprise Solutions Platform, a private company website that allows your team to easily order Workwear, fall protection, safety footwear and PPE and more; plus an administrative dashboard that puts your company in control. https://www.gmesupply.com/
 

Domestic 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 Tables9:38 - Is there value in sourcing a module with domestic wafers?13:23 - MLPE vs. string cost percentage comparison17:26 - How long can I use the May 2024 Safe Harbor Table?19:24 - Changes to Energy Storage domestic content rules22:29 - Does the DC percentage step up 5% each year for the ITC or no?25:16 - What is the residential demand for domestic content solar products?27:58 - Demand for domestic content in commercial solar?29:06 - Is it just better to not pursue the domestic content tax credit?
BayWa r.e. https://us.baywa-re.com/en/
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Making solar field operations more efficient with SiteCapture | The Pitch

Time 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 - How can solar operations be "inefficient" in the field?
4:57 - Improving site photo documentation and review
6:40 - Solving TPO finance process headaches
8:48 - Quantifying efficiency improvements
9:43 - Three other handy features of SiteCapture
12:10 - How is SiteCapture using Artificial Intelligence?

Solar 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 solar installers in 2025
 
BayWa r.e. https://solar-distribution-us.baywa-re.com/
Subscribe to Solar Builder: https://solarbuildermag.com/subscribe/

The Unintended Consequences of Solar's Domestic Content Tax Credit Adder

This 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
 
The Q4 Digital Magazine is sponsored by Generac: https://www.generac.com/dealers-installers/generac-installer-programs/pwrcell-installer/#form 
 
Subscribe to Solar Builder magazine (it's free!): https://solarbuildermag.com/subscribe/

Project of the Year 101 kW to 1 MW: Camino Real Mobile Estates

Solar 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 GainInstaller: Solar Gain, TerrasmartModules: ZNShineInverters: CPSMounting/Racking: Terrasmart
Full story: https://projects.solarbuildermag.com/camino-real-mobile-estates-2024-project-of-the-year-101kw-to-1mw/
All Projects of the Year: https://projects.solarbuildermag.com/
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Project of the Year Over 10 MW: Escalante Solar

Solar 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: https://projects.solarbuildermag.com/escalante-solar-2024-project-of-the-year-over-10mw/
All Projects of the Year: https://projects.solarbuildermag.com/
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Project of the Year 1 MW to 10 MW: Cincinnati Zoo Solar Carport

Developer: 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.com/cincinnati-zoo-solar-carport-2024-project-of-the-year-1mw-to-10mw/
All Project of the Year Winners: https://projects.solarbuildermag.com/
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Project of the Year Under 100 kW: Adventure Science

Solar 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/
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Key features of Generac's PWRcell 2 ESS | The Pitch

Generac 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 integration works
9:42 - Integrating a standby generator
Learn more about installing Generac in this webinar: https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.j...