There’s a lot of buzz around Boston-based Sistine Solar, and for good reason: their product allows homeowners to customize how their solar installation actually looks on the roof of their home. Sistine Solar’s innovative new solar technology is designed with the aesthetically-focused solar shopper in mind.
Continue readingCan I go off the grid with solar batteries? Excess solar energy explained
Newer, more efficient solar panels and inverters have been in the news recently, but advancements in solar technology aren’t limited to standard equipment. Energy storage is also moving closer to mass-market adoption, and more installers are offering solar batteries and solar panel battery banks (a.k.a. solar-plus-storage) as an option for homeowners.
Solar-plus-storage systems include a battery that captures and stores the excess solar energy generated by the PV system, opening up the possibility of going “off the grid” – a tempting proposition for homeowners who want to sever their connection with utility companies by using renewable energy. As solar batteries become cheaper and more accessible for homeowners, more people are wondering, “Can I use solar batteries to go off the grid with my solar panel system?”
Continue readingSolar Panels and Electric Cars: Can I Use Solar as an EV charger?
Solar panels and electric cars are a match made in heaven – when you install a solar energy system on your home, you can use it to both power your home and charge your electric car for emissions-free transportation. The cost of solar is falling rapidly, and companies from Tesla to Nissan are manufacturing electric cars for your daily use. Now, the ability to install a solar PV system large enough to power both your home and your car is an option within reach. But even with incentives and rebates available for both technologies, most homeowners still can’t afford to install solar and buy an electric car at the same time. Luckily, it’s easy to install a solar energy system today that takes your future electricity consumption into account, if you take a few additional factors into consideration.
Continue readingSolar news: 2017’s big energy storage milestone, New York community solar size cap lifted
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, we check out a new industry report on energy storage’s big 2017 and promising 2018, plus New York’s ringing endorsement of community solar and a clean energy future.
Continue readingSolarEdge vs. Enphase: comparing warranties for leading inverter manufacturers
If you want to make sure your solar panel system is operating as efficiently as possible, you are probably considering either power optimizers or microinverters (collectively known as “module level power electronics,” or MLPEs). In the United States, SolarEdge is the leading power optimizer manufacturer, and Enphase leads the pack for microinverters.
Continue readingHow solar installers calculate solar production estimates
When you’re evaluating your solar options, there are a lot of factors to take into account. Price, of course, is key, whether you’re paying out of pocket or financing monthly payments with a lease or loan. You should also think carefully about the installation company you choose and the type of equipment going on your roof. But arguably the most important data points are the amount of electricity your panels will produce, and how much they’ll save you in the long run.
When a solar installer starts to work with you, he or she will highlight a “production estimate” as part of their quote, which is the basis for your long-term savings. Here’s how your installer estimates your solar panel system’s electricity production.
Continue readingNew report says future homeowners can save big by installing solar with a new roof
According to a new study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the key to driving down the overall cost of solar implementation may lie in targeting property owners considering new roofs or entirely new construction. The report, titled Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential Solar Photovoltaics (PV) 2017-2030, supports the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) goal of reducing the cost of solar electricity to just 5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) by 2030.
Continue readingBuilding solar panels: how to make your own solar system
When you install solar panels, your home produces its own clean, zero-emissions electricity. If you’re DIY-minded, you can build your own solar power system. In some cases, you can even build your own solar panels, although the amount that you can effectively DIY home solar depends on how much you want to power.
Continue readingSolar news: falling high-efficiency solar panel prices, solar+storage options beating out natural gas
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, we explore the massive price drop in high-efficiency solar panels over the past year, plus an early indication that solar battery systems are a viable solution for peak electricity demand.
Continue readingSolar news: Tesla plans Australian “virtual power plant,” scientists make an organic solar cell breakthrough
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, we take a look at an ambitious new project from Elon Musk and Tesla, as well as a report from a Berkeley lab on the potential future of high-efficiency organic solar cells.
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