Battery Storage Systems 2/3

Dec 5, 20182 min read

Flow Batteries with Matt Harper from Avalon

It’s depressing that lithium batteries get almost all of the focus in the energy storage industry. Lithium batteries have a number of...

Nov 19, 20182 min read

The Sun Also Rises - At Night With Battery Storage

One of my favorite Hemingway books is “The Sun Also Rises.” It’s about Spain, bull fighting and a group of lost generation friends in...

Oct 24, 20182 min read

Energy Toolbase with Adam Gerza

Solar combined with battery storage seems like magic to many residential and commercial customers. With a million and a half systems...

Jul 31, 20182 min read

Ten Electric Utility Company Myths

Electric utilities got their start in the U.S. in the 1880s. Thomas Edison began transmitting DC power as he literally illuminated the...

Jul 24, 20182 min read

California Requires Solar on all New Homes

California continues to lead the country when it comes to clean and inexpensive energy. Here is an example – In May the California Energy...

May 16, 20182 min read

Battery Storage System Safety

This week we’re talking about battery storage system safety. But first, a brief digression. As a contractor, the biggest safety concern...

May 3, 20181 min read

Can the Battery Storage Industry Avoid the Same Mistakes as the Solar Industry?

The battery storage industry is roughly where the solar industry was in the early 2000’s. It’s a tiny market now, with fewer than 1,000...

Mar 27, 20181 min read

Solar and Storage in Hawaii with Marco Mangelsdorf

Solar is clean and renewable and cheap. So more solar is better for everyone…except your local utility. Keep in mind that utilities...

Mar 19, 20181 min read

Solar and Battery Storage System Engineering with Josh Weiner of SepiSolar

Solar and battery storage systems are constructed on-site with components from a number of different manufactures. It’s not as if one...

Mar 5, 20182 min read

Ten Tips for a Successful Battery Storage Installation

There’s no doubt in my mind that battery storage will be an integral part of every solar installation. It’s like the early days of solar...

Jan 9, 20182 min read

Commercial Energy Storage with Neil Maguire of Adara Power

For the past 15+ years companies have been installing PV solar systems to reduce their energy costs, measured in kilowatt hours (kwh)....

Nov 29, 20171 min read

The Economics of Commercial Energy Storage Systems

There is no doubt in my mind that Energy Storage Systems (ESS) will be as ubiquitous as solar – in all market segments. Utility companies...

Oct 17, 20171 min read

Home Backup Power System Primer

Look around your home. Your land line phone, fireplace and pilot lights (on stoves and hot water heaters) are likely gone. Our reliance...

Sep 19, 20172 min read

SolarEdge Battery Storage Review

For the past 15 years I’ve been skeptical about the market for grid-tied home solar systems equipped with battery backup capabilities....

Aug 1, 20172 min read

LG Battery Storage with Linh Tran

20 years ago the problem with rooftop solar was that customers needed a large collection of lead acid batteries to store their daytime...

Jul 17, 20172 min read

Enphase Battery Storage System Review

Future energy sources in our homes and businesses will be a combination of rooftop solar, battery storage and power delivered by the...

Jul 13, 20173 min read

San Jose Mercury News Op-Ed: More solar panels and battery storage at homes could prevent power fail

At 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon in June, I experienced the second power outage at my Silicon Valley home this year. Then, last weekend a...

May 10, 20171 min read

What Home Owners Need To Know About Battery Storage Systems

Since the sun does not shine at night we need a way to store daytime-generated solar energy. Net metering is an elegant and 100%...

Mar 7, 20171 min read

Future Rooftop Solar Costs - Getting to $2.50/watt

The solar industry is one of our most obvious success stories. Our industry directly employs 261,000 people. We generate energy that is...

Feb 4, 20171 min read

Backup Power

We’re in the middle of winter – and there’s some serious precipitation. It’s snowing in much of the country, and California is finally...