In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we sit down with Whit Fulton, founder and Chief Product Officer of ConnectDER, to explore how a simple but powerful innovation, the meter socket adapter, is reshaping residential solar, storage, and EV adoption. By turning the meter socket into a universal plug-in point, ConnectDER removes one of the biggest barriers to home electrification: complex, costly, and time-consuming wiring upgrades. Whit discusses the origins of the idea, the industry’s over-reliance on policy incentives, the persistent challenge of soft costs, and the larger paradigm shift from hardwired to plug-and-play clean energy systems.Key Points:<ul><li>Solar’s Soft Cost Problem – While panels themselves are cheap, permitting, sales, and installation overhead make solar feel like a construction project instead of an appliance purchase.</li><li>The Plug-In Breakthrough – ConnectDER’s meter socket adapter lets homeowners plug solar, EV chargers, or batteries directly into the grid interface, cutting installation from days to minutes.</li><li>Scalable and Universal – Compatible with 95% of U.S. homes, the technology has already reached ~30,000 deployments across 20 states, with California soon joining.</li><li>Whit Fulton, Founder and Chief Product Officer of <a href="https://connectder.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ConnectDER</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitmanfulton/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li>Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of <a href="https://technica.inc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Technica Communications</a>, and Founder of <a href="https://www.womenincleantechsustainability.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Women in Cleantech and Sustainability</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaannpinkerton/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li></ul> <ul><li>Previous episodes discussed:</li><li><a href="https://earthlingspodcast.com/episodes/74-blip-energy-storage/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#74 - Making Home Energy Storage Accessible For All</a></li><li></li><li><a href="https://earthlingspodcast.com/episodes/91-span-home-electrification/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#91- Building Resilient, All-Electric Homes for the Future with Arch Rao</a></li></ul> 🚀 Calling all Earthlings…&nbsp;&nbsp;Visit our <a href="https://earthlingspodcast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">website</a> for more episodes!Sign up to our <a href="https://theearthlingspodcast.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">newsletter</a> for the latest news on the most exciting technology and research shaping our futures!&nbsp;We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QjZGBcv41Kgl4TbKEP2US-SiooH_R9812UBapuqudFs/edit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">survey.</a> Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our <a href="https://earthlingspodcast.com/episodes/life-at-3-c/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Life at 3C episode</a> on our websiteThanks for tuning in! If you like what we’re doing over at Earthlings 2.0, you can support us by heading over to our <a href="http://patreon.com/TheEarthlingsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Patreon Page</a>.Let’s stay connected! Follow Earthlings 2.0 Socials for the latest updates and news:&nbsp;<ul><li>Follow us on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthlings-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/earthlingspod/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;</li><li>Follow us on our<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086533328643" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Facebook Page</a></li><li>Follow us on <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/earthlingspod?lang=de" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">X</a>&nbsp;</li></ul> Thanks to <a href="https://resourcelabs.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Resource Labs</a> for having us on the network!

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

124: The Plug in Future of Solar with Whit Fulton

Earthlings 2.0 Podcast

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews