Solar Energy Show

It’s no surprise that this is the most common question, since the solar panels themselves are the biggest cost component of a typical rooftop system. But I’m not going to give you the single "Best Panel" answer you may be looking for. Sorry. With over 100 companies making solar panels worldwide — and vast differences in efficiency, aesthetics and reliability — there is no one answer. So instead I’ll focus on the factors and characteristics to help you make the best decision for your particular circumstances. When I think about my 20+ years of installing rooftop solar panels, I’ve come to the conclusion that highest efficiency, quality features, country of manufacturing, low light performance, annual degradation, rock bottom pricing, proprietary cell technologies, fancy advertising, long warranties and Top Ten lists DON’T REALLY MATTER! You can throw every one of these manufacturer claims and specifications out the window if the solar panel manufacturer goes out of business, or just arbitrarily decides to i

As in year’s past, we in California greet the New Year with yet another electric rate increase. It’s almost impossible to believe this time — but on January 1, 2024, PG&E raised electric rates by another 28.4% according to the San Jose Mercury News. Just follow the money. Since 2017, Utilities and the IBEW spent over $111 million on politicians and ballot measures to maintain their monopoly. So it should be no surprise that our government passed laws that make California’s peak rates the highest in the country. The Solar Rights Alliance compiled this list of Utility and IBEW Contributions from publicly available data. So you can see for yourself how much your own politicians -- from the Governor on down -- accepted in contributions. Please listen to this episode of the Energy Show as I connect the dots from these contributions to: ...Anti-solar laws passed by California’s Legislature ...The Governor's appointments of new California Public Utilities Commissioners ...The end of Net Metering ...An array

I’ve added electrification predictions for 2024 to my customary set of solar and storage predictions. Electrification incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are already starting to drive demand for heat pumps and electrical upgrades, just as tax credits accelerated the solar and EV markets in the past. So here I go again sticking my neck out with these ten home energy predictions for 2024: EVs will be equipped with integrated 240-volt generators for home backup and evening power Heat pump sales will surge by 25% Fewer than half of the newly announced clean energy manufacturing plants will be completed Utilities in other states will follow California’s lead to end Net Metering Residential solar revenues in California will plunge by 50% A national-scale solar installation company will file for bankruptcy Tesla will claw its way into the U.S. inverter business Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and Vehicle to Grid (V2G) will not gain traction The residential battery system business will consolidate It’s Game

It’s not a matter of IF your hot water heater dies – but WHEN. According to the Department of Energy, the average lifespan of a hot water heater is 13 years. So if your hot water heater is over ten years old – or if you’re planning to electrify your home -- the time to PLAN for a Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) is NOW. Heat pump water heaters have become consumer favorites — and the bête noir of natural gas companies – because they have efficiencies in the range of 200-300%. Much more efficient than gas water heaters (70-80%), electric water heaters (99%) and tankless water heaters (70-99%). Plus, there are no dangerous exhaust fumes or methane fuel. Their big disadvantage is that they are not an easy replacement for a tankless hot water system. This is because customers who have a tankless system almost never have space for a large hot water tank. So if you have a tankless system – whether inside or outside your house – a HPWH is usually not a good option. There are three reasons why the up-front costs for

The goal to cap global warming to 1.5C is just a pipe dream. At the rate the earth is warming we’ll hit that threshold in 2026 or sooner. And since our consumption of fossil fuels continues to increase without any meaningful reductions of airborne CO2 concentrations, we are on pace to hit 3C by 2035. It doesn’t take a doctor to diagnose the illness: our planet is sick from global warming. Or to determine the cause of the illness: CO2 emissions. Or the cure: stop burning fossil fuels. But fossil fuel companies and countries are determined to increase the use of fossil fuels. Oil and gas interests were out in force at COP28, from the President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber — his day job is the head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) — down to the 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists in attendance. OPEC instructed its members to oppose any language targeting fossil fuels, and Ahmed Al Jaber stated that there is no science indicating that a phase-out of fossil fuels is needed. The Fox (the metaphor, and maybe the network t

When you electrify your home – with a heat pump HVAC system, EV charger, induction cooktop or heat pump water heater – your demand for electricity will go up. Duh. Or as Tim Allen would say: “I need more power.” Incentives as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) help reduce the upfront costs of these electrification upgrades. But the only way to reduce the operating costs of these new electrical appliances is with more solar power on your roof. But upgrading an old solar system is not for the faint of heart. New solar inverters and panels are unlikely to be compatible with your existing system. Your utility may restrict the number of panels you can add. And sometimes your electrical service may require an upgrade to handle the higher power output from your upgraded solar system. Keep in mind these three recommendations. First, it is relatively easy to add a battery to an existing system. Second, seriously consider replacing the entire system if it is over 15 years old. And third, work with an experien

By 2035 all new cars in California will be electric. It’s an achievable goal based on lower operating costs and rapid price declines for new EVs. But the current per kwh costs of EV charging continue to increase -- and we continue to be woefully short of necessary EV charging infrastructure. I predict a massive backlash against expensive and inconvenient EV charging. Our EV deployment goals are likely to fail. Miserably. The reason is simple: our EV charging paradigm is based on utility profit maximization as they take over the corner filling station – NOT lower driver operating costs (cheap and convenient charging) and NOT leveraging the value of these mobile batteries (such as Vehicle to Home charging). One of the leaders who “thinks different” is Tom McCalmont, CEO of Paired Power. Tom’s product line at Paired Power harnesses local solar power during the day when cars are typically parked at work, shopping malls and other public places. The Paired Power system uses low-cost Level 2 or DC solar charging

Inside Scoop About Heat Pump HVAC Systems If you can answer these three basic questions, then don’t bother listening to this podcast. The questions are tricky, so if you're the least bit uncertain I suggest you listen to this week's riveting Energy Show episode. How can a heat pump be 300% efficient? Are gas furnaces still the most popular new heating system? Can you get an $8,000 IRA rebate and $2,000 Federal Tax Credit for a heat pump installation in 2023? First, we’ll delve into the way a heat pump HVAC system works. In a nutshell, a heat pump is an air conditioner operating in reverse. This heat pump thermodynamic trickery has been improving so much that heat pumps are now standard equipment on most new homes. They also work great in cold climates, unlike the systems I installed in the ‘80s. Retrofitting a home with a heat pump — which both heats and cools — provides homeowners a great deal of design flexibility. Heat pumps can use existing ductwork, can be installed “ductless" with mini-splits, or a h

There is one thing for certain as you electrify your house. You’ll need more electricity. Duh! But getting more electricity from the street to your house is not easy. Bizarrely, it often takes longer to do these electrical upgrades than it does to install your new all electric appliances. When — not if -- your old gas hot water heater dies, you don’t want to wait months for a new 240 volt circuit for that new super-efficient electric heat pump water heater. Nor do you want to delay the installation of your new heat pump HVAC system while you wait for a new electric panel. So you need to plan in advance for these upgrades. There are three general types of upgrades you will need as you electrify your home. First, you will need a dedicated electric circuit (wires and a separate circuit breaker) for each new appliance. Second, you may need a new electric panel if there is not enough space for these new circuits. Third — and most problematic since your utility is involved — you may need to upgrade the electric

The Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, became law in August 2022. It's packed with incentives across the entire value chain, including domestic manufacturing, energy-efficient products, and clean saving energy. But these fantastic incentives do not yet match the realities of what you can get today for your electrification project. The table below shows the most significant IRA electrification incentives that are available to homeowners in 2023, as well as pending IRA incentives in 2024. Many utilities, counties and cities also have localized electrification incentives, such as the SVCE and PCE rebates shown in this table. There's a clear divide between tax credit incentives and rebate incentives. Tax credits are the heroes, with no application process, simple documentation and automatic credit on next year’s tax return. The only downside with tax credit incentives is that they only make sense for homeowners who have an annual tax liability. Rebate incentives -- while well-intentioned — often get bogged down

Batteries were everywhere at September’s RE+ Conference in Vegas. I counted over 100 different battery company and system vendors. It was more of a battery and solar tracker show than a solar show — demonstrating the rapid evolution of these clean energy technologies. But out of a hundred batteries on the show floor, there are only half a dozen that I would recommend to homeowners. Home battery systems should provide reliable backup power during a blackout, and also generate utility bill savings. The vast majority of batteries I saw on the show were basically not ready for prime time. Here’s why… First, you need a complete battery system, not just a battery. In addition to the battery, these systems require controls, an inverter, an enclosure, a transfer switch, communications, and a lot of software. It’s extremely important that all these major components are controlled by one company. Batteries are not “plug and play” like printers and solar panels. Second, your battery system should be manufactured by

Proving the solar skeptics wrong, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) now expects that utilities will add 54.5 Gigawatts of solar generation capacity in 2023. And this capacity does not include 6.4 Gw of residential installations and 1.7 Gw of commercial installations expected in 2023. SIDEBAR: a Gigawatt is a billion watts of power. In 1955 the eminent Dr. Emmett Brown stated that the only power source capable of generating 1.21 Gigawatts is a bolt of lightning. Obviously things have changed in the future. For over 20 years the EIA predicted that fossil fueled power generation would continue as our leading source of new power generation. They’ve been among the biggest solar skeptics, predicting that solar would never catch up. But now, solar-generated electricity is the cheapest source for new power. By far. Utility solar plants generate electricity for less than $0.02/kwh, and residential rooftop systems generate electricity for less than $0.08/kwh. Compare that to the $0.16/kwh average costs

HEADLINE: Higher Electric Rates and More Blackouts Unfortunately, this is the new normal for most of the U.S. In other words: SNAFU This situation will not change. It’s a little-known fact that utilities use our money to influence politicians to maintain their monopoly. To the tune of $18m in California just in 2022. Government regulators are supposed to ensure that utilities provide inexpensive, reliable and safe power. However, this poorly regulated capitalism is not working. Just look at your electric bills over the past few years. Count the number of blackouts you’ve had. Heard about any wildfires recently? Solar is the cheapest way to generate electricity, and batteries are a cost effective and reliable way to keep that power flowing. But ONLY when you own those solar panels and batteries. In spite of all the solar and battery investments made by utilities, our rates keep going up. We're experiencing record numbers of blackouts. And wildfires are becoming commonplace. The electricity game is rigged.

Our society is moving rapidly towards electrification. Building electrification is good for the climate, good for our health, and good for our economy. We’ll all be using more electricity — it’s inevitable. Luckily, using all this extra electricity for our heating and our cars is inexpensive when you get it from rooftop solar and storage. But utilities have a monopoly on electricity distribution. They’re rubbing their greedy hands together like Montgomery Burns, safe in the knowledge that as long as their monopoly holds, people without solar and storage will have to pay exorbitant rates for power. All the tax credits, IRA rebates and local incentives that benefit homeowners to electrify will ultimately mean even more profits for utilities -- and much higher electric bills for everyone. Even though electricity rates are supposed to be regulated, when it comes to safe, clean and inexpensive power — money talks much more loudly than morality. It’s a little known fact that utilities around the country contribut

On this week’s show we’re talking about the first steps toward your home electrification project. What I call the Low Hanging Fruit. These are easy and cheap energy efficiency measures — most of which you can do yourself (DIY) or do not require any special contractors. Many people recommend starting with an energy audit of your home. However, unless you're working with a local energy auditor that knows your local conditions and incentives down to the city level, the standard energy audit recommendations are almost always wrong or out of order. Beware of utility energy audits and recommendations because they almost always ignore energy efficiency measures that cut back on their own revenues — such as installing solar and battery systems. So here are some of the Low Hanging Fruit electrification measures that you can do on a weekend with a trip to your local hardware store: * Replace all of your incandescent and compact fluorescent lightbulbs with LED bulbs * Eliminate Vampire loads in your house * Instal

More heat pumps were sold in 2022 than gas furnaces. And that was before the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) kicked in, which provides an $8,000 rebate for most heat pump installations — on top of a $2,000 federal tax credit and city/county incentives that can exceed $3,000. Heat pumps are cleaner, more efficient and less expensive than most conventional gas furnaces and air conditioners. But the variety in heat pump system configurations, efficiency, and costs is enough to make even a geeky engineer’s head spin when trying to determine the best solution for a particular home. My guest on this week’s Energy Show is Dennis Stinson, VP of Sales at Fujitsu General America. Dennis has been in the heat pump business for over 30 years. Along the way he’s accumulated a wealth of practical knowledge about heat pump installations for just about every type of building in the U.S. So if you’re wondering what the difference is between a ducted and ductless system, why high efficiency heat pumps use inverters (but not th

How would you like to reduce your home energy costs, improve your health and comfort, and at the same time do your part to improve the environment? If your answer is “yes,” then listen to this week’s Energy Show episode. If your answer is “no,” then maybe you don’t need your share of the $10,000-$40,000 incentives that are available for your home. The concept of Home Electrification is simple: you replace gas appliances with electric appliances — either all at once, or as the old gas appliances stop working. But the whole-home electrification process can be daunting. You will need to evaluate the costs and incentives for each electrification measure, hire several different types of contractors, and then sort through their varying recommendations. The biggest barrier to Home Electrification is that people just don’t know where to start. So here is my recommended Three Step Electrification Process: * First, attack what I call the Low Hanging Fruit — mostly simple DIY changes like installing LED lighting, we

Batteries are becoming an essential part of home solar systems. With solar-connected batteries, homeowners can avoid paying peak utility electricity charges. Batteries can provide backup power during blackouts. And if you’re in California, after net metering ends in April 2023, you will need batteries to avoid peak electric rates. In the old days, automobile-style lead acid batteries were used for backup power and time-shifting energy use. I still have holes in my old blue jeans where battery acid splashed (my kids think they are fashionable now). Starting in 2016, lithium ion batteries became popular for home use. Now, over 50% of our customers are installing batteries with their solar systems. My guest on this week’s Energy Show is Magnus Asbo, Senior Director of Technical Marketing for SolarEdge. I’ve known Magnus for almost 15 years, starting when we worked together on the first AC solar module. He’s a wealth of knowledge when it comes to designing and installing practical battery systems. Some of the

According to Wikipedia -- which has supplanted the Oxford English Dictionary and Encyclopedia Brittanica as the world’s definitive source of information -- an Atmospheric River consists of narrow bands of enhanced water vapor winds that form over the oceans. In plain English, Atmospheric Rivers are windy rainstorms that dump a huge amount of water in a relatively short time. They account for about 50% of annual precipitation – so these storms are critical to reducing California’s current drought conditions. Since our crews work on rooftops, we’re very concerned about rooftop safety. As a result we always look at forecasts when planning rooftop work for our customers. This morning I noted that significant rain is projected for eight of the next nine days. In over 22 years of installing solar in Silicon Valley I have never seen such a severe and extended series of storms. The National Weather Service is predicting that this next atmospheric river storm will be as bad or worse than the recent New Year’s Eve d

In our opening Energy Show we discuss frequently asked questions about residential solar.