Thanks to resiliency and economic benefits, many homeowners throughout the country are considering installing energy storage systems. But with this increased demand comes an increase in products available in the market, making it harder to determine the best battery solution for you and your home.
Continue readingAGM batteries for solar: what you need to know
Absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries have traditionally been used as car batteries, but in certain cases, they can be a solid choice as an energy backup system or paired with solar panels. In this article, we’ll discuss what AGM batteries are, and when they might be the right choice for you.
Continue readingFederal ITC savings: 2020 vs. 2021
One question we field a lot at EnergySage is whether it’s the right time to install solar panels. For anyone asking that question in 2020, the answer is often as soon as possible: given the looming step down and expiration of the federal investment tax credit (ITC), solar shoppers who wait until 2021 or later to move forward will be missing out on major tax savings – but just how much?
Continue readingSolar news: August 21st, 2020
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, there’s a new efficiency record for transparent solar panels, and the largest battery storage system in the country comes online.
Continue readingHow do electric meters work?
Unless you live in an off-grid home, you have an electric meter. Your electric meter tells your utility how much electricity you’ve used over a given time period so that they know how much to charge you on your monthly bill. There are a few different types of electric meters, all of which function in slightly different ways, including net meters that work for solar homes. In this article, we’ll break down the different types of meters, how they work, and why you should care what kind of electric meter you have.
Continue readingLithium-ion vs. lead acid batteries
If you’re considering a home energy storage option, there are several types of batteries to choose from. In this article, we’ll compare two of the most common battery options paired with solar installations: lithium-ion and lead acid.
Continue readingSolar news: August 7th, 2020
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, Community Energy enters an agreement to build a 50 megawatt (MW) solar project for a municipality in Kentucky, and BP announces plans to cut its oil and gas output by 40 percent by 2030.
Continue readingRGS Energy now installing Dow POWERHOUSE solar shingles
NOTE: As of 2020, RGS Energy has filed for bankruptcy, and Dow has stopped producing POWERHOUSE shingles.
Solar is more popular than ever, but some homeowners can be concerned about the look of a solar panel installation on the roof of their home. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and more specifically, solar shingle and tile technology, are intended to fix that “aesthetic” problem for solar shoppers who are sitting on the fence. RGS Energy is the latest company to enter into the solar shingle business.
Continue readingSRECs in Maryland: prices, projections, and program status
If you’re considering installing solar in Maryland, one incentive you should be aware of is solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs). Maryland is one of the few states that offers this performance-based incentive to people generating solar electricity. Property owners in Maryland who buy and install a solar panel system can earn hundreds of dollars each year by selling the SRECs their system generates.
Continue readingSolar O&M plans and providers
For most, a solar installation is a “set-and-forget” investment, but not always: problems may come up with your system over time, from damaged panels to faulty wiring and more. You may have heard of “operations and maintenance,” or O&M, plans designed to help catch problems as they come up and fix them quickly so you can keep generating free energy from the sun. In this article, we’ll take a look at what O&M providers actually do, different types of monitoring and panel maintenance plans, and who the major providers in the space are.
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