If you’ve been thinking about your energy costs lately, you may be looking into energy efficiency upgrades for your home such as installing solar panels, adding smart thermostats or pursuing an EnergyStar home certification. And when comparing various energy solutions and the prices for new options, you’re going to hear one metric used incessantly: kilowatt-hour (kWh). So what exactly does a kWh mean and how does it differ from a kilowatt (kW)?
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New solar panels: what’s coming to market in 2019?
In today’s fast expanding solar industry, there are already hundreds of different panel models and designs available to the modern day solar shopper. A growing number of premium technology brands (think Panasonic and LG) have entered the residential solar market, leaving homeowners across the country wondering: what’s next? What new technologies can we expect for solar panels in 2019? In this article we will discuss all of the new developments with photovoltaic (PV) panels, including new aesthetics like clear solar panels, bi-facial (double-sided) panels, efficiency improvements and solar inverter integration.
How do solar panels work at night and on cloudy days?
If you’ve been wondering “do solar panels work at night or on cloudy days?, you’re certainly not alone. While they don’t work at night, you will still be able to use excess electricity depending on your system. On cloudy days, they will still be able to work, generating 10-25% of their normal power output.If you choose to rely on solar panels for your home electricity use, it’s important to understand how solar panels can be a reliable source of power during night time when there is no available sunlight.
Continue readingTesla Energy: Has Elon Musk invented the first clean power utility?
Tesla Motors was once a company that sold solely luxury electric cars, but its founder has set his sights on the creation of a full-throttle home energy solution. The company’s expansion into energy storage and solar power has been heralded by the unveiling of a new division: Tesla Energy.
What is my carbon footprint? Calculating CO2 impact
In an age of global climate change, people around the world are looking for ways to reduce their share of the approximately 15 trillion pounds of greenhouse gases emitted each year. In the United States, one of the top three polluters in the world, many Americans are looking into home energy solutions like energy efficient upgrades and solar installations. However, for some homeowners, the first question is “what is my carbon footprint, and what are the biggest contributing factors?” In this article we’ll answer the following questions:
- What lifestyle choices influence my carbon footprint?
- How do I calculate my own carbon footprint?
- What are the best ways to reduce my carbon footprint?
How is solar energy used?
With so many different gadgets and technologies that could leverage solar power in the modern era, many are wondering “how is solar energy used?” Whether it’s powering renewable transportation or charging a wireless speaker, the list of examples of solar energy is endless, leaving many homeowners wondering how far they can really go when they decide to “go solar.”
Continue readingWhat is the history of solar energy and when were solar panels invented?
Though solar energy has found a dynamic and established role in today’s clean energy economy, there’s a long history behind photovoltaics (PV) that brought the concept of solar energy to fruition. With the way the cost of solar has plummeted in the past decade, it’s easy to forget that going solar had a completely different meaning even just 15 years ago. Let’s go back a few centuries to the origins of solar PV and explore the history of solar energy and silicon solar technology.
Continue readingHow much do solar panels cost in Arizona?
In 2018, it’s rare to have a discussion about the top solar markets in the U.S. without mentioning Arizona. The Grand Canyon State offers a dynamic combination of bountiful sunlight and record low solar prices thanks to its lucrative state tax credit. When homeowners realize that Arizona is the third best state for solar after California and North Carolina, it’s hard not to see the appeal of installing a PV system in 2018.
Continue readingAre Massachusetts’ solar incentives the best in the country?
When you think of Massachusetts, you may think of the historical city of Boston, its championship sports teams, or distinctive pronunciation of the letter “R”. Now, it’s time to add a new association to the list because Massachusetts solar incentives and programs are now considered some of the best in the country. In this article, we break down these incentives and explain why solar panels are such a great investment in Massachusetts in 2018.
Continue readingSolar factories: do solar panels make sense for manufacturing?
Since the industrial revolution, factories have been among the world’s biggest consumers of energy due to their mass scale and high volume of processes centralized in one location. As a result of the major energy costs associated with manufacturing, many CEOs (such as Tesla’s Elon Musk) have identified solar power as the perfect way to reduce operating costs. In this article, we’ll explain why solar panels are a pragmatic investment for factories.
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