Solar Energy Show

The sun is shining brightly on your rooftop solar panels (or the panels you hope to have). But how can you tell if those photons falling from the sky are actually turning into useful electricity? Since there are no moving parts to a rooftop solar system, it can indeed be difficult to tell if you are getting what you paid for. Fortunately, there are four easy ways to keep an eye on your system’s performance. Check the green light on your inverter, check to see that your meter is running backwards, check your electric bill, and check your monitoring system. 1. If you have an ordinary string inverter (that big box hanging on the wall near your electric meter), all you need to do is make sure the green light is on and that the inverter’s display indicates that power (measured in watts) is being generated. Usually you should see peak output around noon, and on a sunny day this output will usually be about 75% of the rated DC output of your system. 2. Another way to check your system’s operation is to see if your

People with rooftop solar systems almost always ask about using batteries to store their energy for nighttime use. Tesla recently announced an off-grid battery storage system, SolarCity announced a home backup power system, and a dozen other companies already have comparable products on the market. These announcements have re-energized (grin) the hype and excitement in this new product category. But are these systems practical and will they save you money? For the vast majority of homeowners, the answer is “no” to both questions. Only if you have a completely off-grid application -- such as a cabin in the woods -- can the new generation of lithium ion battery backup systems combined with solar be more practical and cost effective than traditional lead acid batteries. If you are currently on the grid, energy arbitrage makes no sense at all: with current electric rates it is simply not cost effective to generate your own energy with solar during the day and use it at night (or buy cheap electricity at night an

Unlike other home appliances, HVAC systems and vehicles, there is virtually no maintenance required for a well-installed rooftop solar system. So unless you are paranoid, or just cursed by bad luck, there is no need to pay anything extra for a service contract or scheduled maintenance. Why are rooftop solar systems so reliable? First, because the solar panels themselves have zero moving parts, use tempered glass and anodized aluminum (better than most windows and skylights), and are covered by a 25 year manufacturer’s warranty. Second, because top quality microinverters carry a 25 year warranty and string inverters carry a 10 year warranty — and based on industry experience, the real-world performance of quality inverters has exceeded their warranty term. And third, because flashed rooftop mounting systems using all aluminum and stainless steel components will last at least as long as a homeowner’s roof. If your last name is Murphy you may ask: “what could go wrong?” If you live in a dusty or dry area, you

Understanding A Home Solar Sales Pitch by Barry Cinnamon 366248

A rooftop solar system is an expensive up-front investment. The typical 5 kw system costs about $20,000 – or $14,000 after the 30% investment tax credit (which expires on 12/31/16). Solar leases and loans have made it possible for hundreds of thousands of homeowners to go solar without any initial up-front investment. Now there is a new solar financing product called PACE that makes it easy for just about any homeowner to qualify for a low interest solar loan. PACE stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy. A PACE loan is repaid as part of a homeowner’s annual property tax assessments, and is automatically transferred to the new owner as part of the property. For example, a $20,000 rooftop system could be repaid in 15 annual tax bill payments of about $1,500. If the home were sold after ten years, the new owner would simply take over the remaining five years of principal and interest payments. Interest rates and terms on PACE loans are about the same as standard bank loans. Since the loan is secured, intere

Running A Successful Solar Business With Pamela Cargill by Barry Cinnamon 366248

Paperwork Makes Solar More Expensive by Barry Cinnamon 366248

How Do Solar Companies Find Their Customers? by Barry Cinnamon 366248

We've made great progress with renewable energy -- but from an almost zero base we still have a long way to go. Fortunately, the path is clear. California is already over 12% with a combination of hydroelectric, wind and solar (unfortunately not much hydro this year). Getting to 50% only requires the deployment of existing technology. But can we get to 100%? It depends on whom you ask. Our society has made these transitions before, with new energy technologies disrupting the incumbents. 200 years ago 95% of our energy came from wood; by 1900 it was 50% coal; and by 2000 it was a mix of coal, nuclear, oil and gas. The Union of Concerned Scientists have published a plan for renewable energy to provide 80% of our electricity by 2050. Why stop there? Solar enthusiasts like me want to go for 100%. This goal is possible: there is a recent Stanford paper entitled “100% Wind, Water, Sunlight (WWS) All Sector Energy Plan for the 50 U.S. States.” This plan is surprisingly realistic when one considers the rapid rate o

Electric vehicles are great: they’re affordable, great for the environment and low maintenance. And where electric rates are low — or if you have rooftop solar power -- EVs are cheaper to drive per mile than gas-powered cars. But you have to think about how you will charge your EV: there are only a few thousand public charging locations in the U.S. — compared to 100,000 gas stations. When you buy an EV it comes with a 120 volt charger that you can plug into just about any outlet. These 120 volt chargers are convenient, but can take awhile to completely charge your battery — about 12 hours for a Chevy Volt, 17 hours for a Nissan Leaf and 59 hours for a Tesla. So if you drive a lot you will definitely need a higher capacity charger, either at home or at work. There are three choices for EV chargers: Level 1 chargers (120 volts), Level 2 chargers (240 volts) and Level 3 chargers (480 volts). Level 1 chargers are cheap and work just about everywhere, whereas Level 3 chargers are fast, but expensive and only wor

It’s the environmentalist’s third rail question: “Should we promote nuclear power as an expedient way to reduce CO2 emissions?” On the one hand, nuclear power generates electricity with almost negligible CO2 emissions — potentially a good way for our society to reverse the current global warming trends. On the other hand, nuclear power is…well…nuclear. Problems related to waste disposal, proliferation and high costs have not been solved, and we still have the occasional disaster. Nuclear technology continues to improve. Today we have more efficient reactors, lower cost modular designs, safer fuel cycles, better materials and control systems, and a heightened awareness of reliability and safety issues. We also have a determined and well-funded nuclear industry pushing the “restart” button. But alternative sources of electricity — particularly solar and wind — also continue to improve. Moreover, developments in more cost-effective storage are starting to negate nuclear’s biggest base load generating benefits.

Most of my rooftop solar customers express a preference for buying "Made in the U.S.A.” solar panels. And they were willing to pay a premium for domestically manufactured panels. But because there were very few U.S. manufacturers -- and hundreds of overseas companies manufacturing panels at lower prices -- the prices for U.S. made panels were always significantly higher. For a variety of reasons, the price gap between U.S. made solar panels and overseas made solar panels has been narrowing. Tariffs on certain manufacturers has been a factor; unfortunately, these tariffs have been one of the most contentious and divisive issues in the solar industry over the past three years. But a bigger factor has been the gradual resurgence of U.S. manufacturing of all types — capitalizing on automation, low overhead operations and shorter supply chains. My guest on this week’s Solar Energy Show is Mamun Rashid, Chief Operating Officer of Auxin Solar. Auxin began contract manufacturing of solar panels in the U.S. in 2008,

I bet you don’t know that there is a home improvement investment that you can make that will increase the value of your house more than the investment cost. It’s not remodeling your bathroom (2% return). It’s not landscaping with a designer (break even). It’s not remodeling your kitchen (2% loss). It’s rooftop solar (43% return). Surprise! A recent study by Lawrence Berkeley Labs clearly shows that your home's value will increase much more than a rooftop system costs. “Selling into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes” found that a home’s value will increase based on the size of the rooftop solar system at the rate of $4/watt. So for a typical 5,000 watt system that costs $14,000 after the 30% Investment Tax Credit, a home’s value would go up by $20,000. This is a big deal for anyone considering solar as an investment. But there is one catch: that $4/watt increase in value only applies if the system is owned by the homeowner (unsecured and secured loans, as well as PACE lo

For a homeowner, it’s a simple question. But in order to answer the question accurately, solar installers need to make a number of assumptions -- as well as gather some pretty detailed information from a homeowner. Often, by the time these data gathering questions are answered, the homeowner is even more confused. The ideal system size that a homeowner really needs is bounded by two parameters. First, the number of panels that will physically fit on the roof -- taking into account applicable setbacks, wiring issues, shading, structural requirements and aesthetics. And second, the size of the current (or projected) electric bill (only the utility will benefit if the resulting electric bill is negative). Naturally, a third parameter — the homeowner’s budget — is almost always a factor. Of course, a lot of number crunching goes on behind the scenes as a good installer determines the energy output, annual savings, and financing options for the customer. And tradeoffs are usually offered between higher efficien

Every residential solar contractor's website talks about their experience, knowledge of rooftop solar products, and happy customers (full disclosure: including mine). Although many states have licensing requirements for contractors, some of these requirements are not specific to rooftop solar work. So how can you find out if a solar contractor really has the right training for the surgery necessary on your roof? To address this training and certification need, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practioners, or NABCEP, was founded in 2002. Since then they have certified thousands of solar PV and solar thermal installers, as well as solar PV salespeople. In order to become certified, a solar installer or salesperson must document the experience they have, and then must pass a rigorous examination specific to their certification category. As a result of these requirements -- and the reputation that NABCEP has built over the past dozen years -- NABCEP Certification is now considered the "gold standard

Solar panels have been on the market in the U.S. for over 25 years. Without exception, all of the manufacturers of panels on the market today tout their reliability, quality and long term durability. Nevertheless, on a per watt basis, these panels generate almost exactly the same amount of energy over a 25 year period. Manufacturers conduct reliability tests, certify their panels, and conduct bankability studies. But even with these tests, industry experts cannot distinguish significant long term performance differences among solar panels. Being among the Top Ten worldwide manufacturers should imply a certain degree of stability and bankability. Surprisingly, looking back to 2001, fewer than 50% of the Top Ten manufacturers are still in business. To an ordinary consumer, distinguishing among different solar panels is almost impossible, and the mumbo-jumbo language that solar salespeople use just confuses consumers more. On this week's Energy Show we take a consumer's perspective regarding their choices amo

If you live in a location with high electric rates and local incentives, it's very likely that the economics for a rooftop solar system are favorable. But many people don't have the $20-25k cash that these systems typically cost. Fortunately, over the past few years a range of new residential solar financing options have been developed. These new financing options have spurred the growth of rooftop solar throughout the U.S. In addition to a cash purchase, solar financing options also include a home equity loan (secured) or ordinary bank loan (unsecured), lease or Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), and Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loan. Although the details of these financing options can get pretty complex, with some "back of the envelope" calculations you can figure out the economics for yourself. First, add up your total electric bill for the next 25 years, then subtract out the cost of the system (either up-front cost or periodic payments) to get the total lifetime benefit of the system. You will als

Homes are billed for electricity based on the amount of energy they consume (measured in kwh). But commercial facilities often get an additional charge for the peak amount of power they consume during each month (measured in kw). These demand charges are designed to compensate the utility for the peak generating capacity that they must provide when large motors, air conditioners and other commercial processes are started up (power draw from motors is highest when the motors start). For example, a medium commercial customer may pay a demand charge of $20 per kw based on the peak usage in any given 15 minute period during a month. So if they had several large industrial processes start while their air conditioning and lighting was also operating, they could experience a peak power draw of 200 kw -- and they would be billed for a $4,000 demand charge that month. These demand charges can be dramatically reduced if large equipment is not started within the same 15 minute time period, and if other loads (such as

It's getting to be that time of the year again -- tax time, that is. As all new rooftop solar homeowners should know who purchased a system in 2014, they are eligible for a Federal Investment Tax Credit of 30% of the cost of their system. This tax credit is good for both solar PV and solar thermal (hot water) systems. The solar ITC applies to the owner of the system, which is the homeowner for purchased systems or the leasing/PPA company for systems that are owned by third parties. The solar ITC is arguably the most important incentive to solar customers, but it goes to zero on January 1, 2017. Claiming the credit on your tax return is surprisingly easy. All you need is the complete set of invoices from your installer that summarizes your qualified costs for your system -- then you can reduce your 2014 tax bill by 30% of those total costs. For example, if your purchase price for the system installed in 2014 was $20,000, you get to reduce your 2014 tax bill by $6,000. So Listen Up to this week's Energy Show

The worldwide demand for energy is almost inexhaustible. Couple that demand with the need for clean energy -- and energy we can afford -- and the picture gets a lot more complicated. Fortunately, good market research helps us to get some perspective of the potential for PV to meet these energy demands. There are two types of market research available in the solar industry: primary research and secondary research. Secondary market research related to the solar industry is relatively easy to find on the internet. This information is based on studies that were conducted by industry groups, government agencies, or extracted from other publicly available sources. This secondary information is often generalized and not targeted towards addressing a specific business need. On the other hand, primary market research studies are more specific, particularly useful in the solar industry to answer a specific question. For example, one can find secondary research on the percentage of homeowners who lease a rooftop syste