
Rob Smith
Rob Smith is a Renewable Energy Business Development Manager at ABC Supply Co., a 17-year solar industry executive based in Apex, North Carolina.
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Apr 7, 2026
Is Storage The Catalyst That Finally Unlocks C&I Solar? 4 Expert Opinions
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4:12Tim MontagueGUEST
And you need to find partners that understand that stack and can help you dial in the value.

Rob SmithGUEST
And I think you also need to consider why are all these incentives coming out? incentive rates or the utility rates are consistently going up across the country, whether it's 5% here, 20% there.

Rob SmithGUEST
At the end of the day, the grid's being jeopardized with all these data centers, a lot of extra demand on the grid and the utility companies can't afford to upgrade all of those distribution lines.

Rob SmithGUEST
Traditionally, utility solar was always upgrading all the transmission lines, adding new substations.

Rob SmithGUEST
But you go into areas like New York City, New Jersey, the grid is almost 100 years old.
13 MINS LATER
Where Solar Contractors Are Losing (and Finding) Margin | ABC Supply
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Rob SmithGUEST
I mean, last year, I mean, that's why you saw a huge influx of purchasing through distribution was everyone safe harboring.

Rob SmithGUEST
And you're stuck holding the bag with all this expensive product and you can't move it at all.

Rob SmithGUEST
So we opted for the safe route and just kind of stay the course and keep pushing those name brands.

Nico JohnsonHOST
You need you have these buying signals that tell you, well, we can finally stock this because we have enough interest in it.