The Brief — Solar — 2026-08-28

POLICY

California bill enables remote inspection for residential solar, batteries, heat pumps and more California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1738 establishing homeowner right to request remote virtual inspections for home improvement projects including solar. Why it matters: Eliminates costly permitting delays and reduces inspection bottlenecks that slow residential installations and customer timelines.

Executive order bans foreign-produced transformers, inverters, and circuit breakers for U.S. power grid President Trump issued emergency executive order banning acquisition, importation, and installation of foreign-produced electrical grid equipment from designated countries. Why it matters: May restrict inverter and balance-of-system sourcing options and increase domestic equipment costs; affects procurement decisions and supply chain planning.

California plug-in solar bill SB 868 earns approval of both legislative houses, nears governor's desk California Assembly passed SB 868 (Plug and Play Solar Act) allowing plug-in solar installation without utility approval, pending governor signature. Why it matters: Opens DIY and simplified solar market segment; expands addressable customer base without traditional installation requirements.

PSE&G launches VPP pilot with $5,000 home battery incentive Public Service Electric & Gas Company launched GridSmart Battery Program offering $5,000 incentives and zero-interest financing for residential battery storage in New Jersey. Why it matters: Creates immediate customer incentive for battery pairing with solar; reduces customer acquisition cost in target market.

TECHNOLOGY & OPERATIONS

Who controls what in a BESS? Understanding the BMS, PCS and EMS Battery management systems, power conversion systems, and energy management systems interact in ways that can prevent a commercial BESS from delivering rated power despite being electrically complete and fault-free. Why it matters: Understanding control layer interactions prevents performance failures and customer dissatisfaction on storage projects; critical for system design and troubleshooting.

Data center power bottlenecks prompt SMA to launch dedicated solar, storage architectures SMA America expanded utility-scale portfolio with power conversion and grid-forming architectures designed to bypass grid interconnection delays for AI and hyperscale workloads. Why it matters: Opens high-margin commercial segment with accelerated deployment timelines; positions solar as infrastructure solution rather than standard installations.