The podcast home for Solar Builder magazine, a go-to resource for solar professionals. We go in-depth on new solar PV systems, products and services (inverters, modules, tracker systems, etc.), and we chat with experts about solar design and installation trends -- from residential and small C&I to large utility-scale solar plants. Here, we connect installers, EPCs and developers right to what’s happening in the marketplace.
Solar Builder Radio is the hub for all of Solar Builder’s podcasts, video shows, and articles in audio form. Recurring shows include:
| The Pitch | Explore new products in the solar industry with the manufacturers and suppliers
| Power Forward! | A solar business discussion series in conjunction with BayWa r.e.
| The Buzz | Giving our 2 cents per kW on the hottest solar industry headlines
Qcells goes AC-coupled with Q.HOME CORE G3 | The Pitch
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
29 Oct 2025
The flexibility of SMA Sunny Highpower PEAK3 | The Pitch
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
6 Oct 2025
Solar financing after 25D: What installers need to know for 2026 | Power Forward
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
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