Podcasts 12/16

Sep 24, 20161 min read

What Could Go Wrong with your Home Solar System?

Just because you have a worry free warranty on your rooftop solar system doesn’t mean things can’t go wrong. Murphy’s Law — “anything...

Sep 18, 20162 min read

Presidential Energy Politics

We’re in the midst of a bizarre presidential election. And a global energy transition driven by both economics and climate change. So...

Sep 5, 20166 min read

An Urgent Letter to the Solar Industry and our Customers from Jigar Shah and Barry Cinnamon

We don’t call it the “Solar Coaster” for nothing. U.S. solar installations will hit 16 GW in 2016. These solar installations are having a...

Aug 22, 20161 min read

When Can I Get Solar Shingles?

For over fifteen years I’ve been talking to homeowners who want solar shingles. This is a concept called Building Integrated...

Aug 13, 20161 min read

Fueling Freedom Book Review - The Faulty Rationale for Fossil Fuels

I don’t normally do book reviews, but I came across a recent book called “Fueling Freedom – Exposing the Mad War on Energy,” by Stephen...

Aug 8, 20161 min read

The Next Big Energy Appliance

We’re witnessing the transformation of electricity generation, storage and usage of electricity in buildings. The “home of the future”...

Aug 1, 20161 min read

Rooftop Solar is a Low Risk, High Return Investment

Traditional finance theory characterizes investments by their risk and their return. High risk investments, such as junk bonds, have to...

Jul 25, 20161 min read

Utilities Substituting Solar for Nuclear

Some nuclear power news: PG&E is shutting down the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, the last plant in California. Their decision is not...

Jul 10, 20161 min read

Electric Vehicles - Save Money and Have Fun

Electric vehicles will continue to gain popularity for the same reason as rooftop solar – the economics keep improving. Batteries (mass...

Jul 4, 20162 min read

Will I Save Money with Rooftop Solar?

We celebrated a milestone recently. Over one million homeowners have solar. It took 62 years, from 1954 to 2016, to get to this point....

Jun 27, 20161 min read

Operating and Maintaining Your Home Solar System

If you have a rooftop solar system, you already know that it requires very little maintenance. But “low” maintenance doesn’t mean “no”...

Jun 20, 20161 min read

Straight Answers To Your Solar Questions

How many solar panels will fit on my roof? How can you tell if a solar salesperson is exaggerating? Will a big solar company be more...

Jun 13, 20161 min read

Are LEDs the Best Bulbs to Get?

Things have been changing pretty quickly in the light bulb business. In the course of a few short years, Edison’s filament bulbs have...

Jun 7, 20161 min read

Anti-Solar Lobbying Groups Trying to Trick You

You can generate your own power on your home or business roof for about $0.07/kwh, with paybacks in the 4-8 year range. Without a doubt,...

May 31, 20161 min read

Long Term Costs of Nuclear Power

Last month was the 30th anniversary of Chernobyl. The meltdown at this Soviet plant was the worst nuclear power disaster in history. It...

May 24, 20161 min read

Practical Battery Storage Systems

Battery storage systems have made enormous strides in terms of cost and efficiency. Unfortunately, our society’s needs keep increasing —...

May 8, 20162 min read

Cost Trends in the Solar Industry

Lower costs trends in the solar industry are creating a boom. At the end of 2015 there were over 200,000 people employed in the industry,...

Apr 25, 20161 min read

Solar Power in the Sunshine State

When I first got into solar, Florida seemed to be a natural market. After all, it’s the sunshine state. In spite of the sun, there is one...

Apr 18, 20161 min read

Cleaning Your Solar Panels - Professionally

Just as a grimey window does not transmit as much light as one that’s sparkling clean, dirty solar panels will not produce as much energy...

Apr 11, 20161 min read

Loans for Financing your Solar Installations

The economics for rooftop solar are terrific — typical paybacks in the 4-10 year range. From a Return on Investment (ROI) standpoint,...