With the 30% residential solar tax credit gone, the industry entered the year expecting installations to fall by as much as 20–30%. But rising electricity rates, cheaper batteries, new financing products and an increasingly unreliable grid are changing the math yet again. This week on The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon talks with Charlie Herche, CEO of Aurora Solar, about where the residential solar and storage industry actually stands and what comes next. Episode Highlights: •

2025 was a record year for residential solar and batteries. 2026 is shaping up to be a record bad one. The 30% homeowner solar tax credit is gone ... is residential solar in serious trouble? Not so fast. This week on The Energy Show, Barry sits down with Raghu Belur, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Enphase, to talk about what comes next for homeowners, installers and the solar industry. Raghu and Barry have both been riding the solar coaster since the early days of re

With the 30% residential solar tax credit gone, the effective cost of going solar has jumped dramatically and residential installations are already down roughly 20–25%. For installers that historically relied on cash sales, the drop can be even worse. But before we start writing solar’s obituary, there are a few important plot twists. Electricity rates are still climbing. Blackouts aren’t exactly going out of style. Battery prices continue to improve. And, most importantly, l