Solar Energy Show

Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Scott Sullivan, my friend and one of the best networked executives in the industry. Earthquake excitement has diminished in the New Jersey area, but seismic changes in solar continue around the country. In Part 1 we discussed what happens in the solar and storage industry — really every industry — when company profits decline. It’s a tough adjustment to make, and many companies have not yet recovered from this high interest rate environment. Nevertheless, the majority of companies have figured out the formula, and the topics that Scott and I discussed are summarized below: * What are the characteristics of a great solar and storage contractor? * What should potential customers look for in a contractor? * Have you seen any changes with the solar panels offered by contractors? * Have you seen any changes with the inverters and batteries offered by contractors? * Is solar financing recovering yet from high interest rates? * Are Virtual Power Plants (VPP) and

Seismic changes in the solar and storage industry? Who would have thought that our friends in New Jersey would relate so viscerally? Their recent 4.8 magnitude quake in early April literally extended this metaphor across the country. Metaphors aside, the solar and storage industry is changing faster now than I have ever seen: * Electric rates are soaring, along with utility profits * Solar equipment costs — panels, inverters, batteries — are declining * UL-3741 standards for rapid shutdown throw a monkey wrench into rooftop safety standards * Demand for electricity to power our EVs and heat pumps is increasing * AI is recently on the scene as the newest electricity demand wildcard * Continued high interest rates are suppressing solar and storage financing * Utilities have wised-up to rooftop solar and storage threats to their profits * Hostile utility policies and relatively high interest rates squeeze installer margins, forcing many unprofitable solar companies out of business * Some companies have cracked

March isn't just about shamrocks and leprechauns; it's also Women's History Month, highlighting the incredible contributions of women in various fields. But have you ever wondered about their role in the energy transition? In general, women are just as involved as men — not just in solar, but also in batteries, hydrogen, policy-making, electrification, and manufacturing. However, there's a glaring gap in representation when it comes to the construction side of energy systems. But not at Luminalt Solar under the leadership of Jeanine Cotter, their President and CEO. Luminalt is the leading solar and battery contractor in San Francisco. One would think that it would be easy to be a solar and storage contractor in a liberal city such as San Francisco. Until you try to find a space to park your van. Or navigate the city’s convoluted permitting issues. Or just try to find a place for a battery and inverter near the electric meter. In our candid conversion, Jeanine and I discuss her journey as she built a succes

The Learning Curve for understanding home batteries and solar systems is steep. Your battery system education will require mastering at least twice as much jargon, TLAs (that’s Three Letter Acronyms), specifications and industry gossip than ordinary solar systems. So if you don’t want to get bamboozled by an aggressive salesperson, this week’s podcast is a great place to start. Some of the topics and questions include: * What is the best way for me to expand my existing solar system? * What are the important assumptions -- such as shading, battery location and equipment compatibility — that I should verify with my salesperson? * How long will my battery last during a blackout? Can my backup battery start large equipment, such as my AC or pool pumps? * What’s the difference between AC- and DC-coupled battery systems, and why should I care? * What changes do I need t make to add a battery to my existing solar system? * What are the building code and fire code restrictions on battery installations in my c

The Utility Empire is striking back. As a result, the rooftop solar industry is experiencing its first decline in growth ever. In California alone the end of Net Metering has resulted in an 80% drop in rooftop installations and 17,000 job losses among passionate Rebel solar installers. Utilities in other states are following California’s lead, leveraging their Death Star-caliber monopoly powers and millions in lobbying money to further reduce competition. Even though we need rooftop solar more than ever, this solar industry decline may leave both new and existing customers in the lurch. New solar and battery customers have fewer, although some will say better, choices. And people with existing systems may find that their original installer is no longer around to support their system. Jedi Geoff Greenfield from Kokosing Solar joins us on this week’s Energy Show. His suggestions will help both new and existing customers continue to benefit from money-saving solar and storage systems. He points out that there

This week we’re talking about World Domination. Domination of energy production, that is. In the re-scrambled words of the wise and infamous Dr. Evil: “Why make Gigawatts when we can make…Terrawatts!” Indeed, solar is on track to completely dominate electricity generation. Solar is growing faster than wind, nuclear and LNG ever did. Alternatives to solar such as nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS), and CO2 direct air capture (DAC) are way too expensive and very slow to scale to meet our needs. And with batteries sited with solar, we’ve solved the problems of intermittency and power when the sun is down. Costs for rooftop solar and storage are continuing to decline as manufacturing scale increases. According to the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), rooftop solar can meet 45% of our energy needs. The rest can be easily met with utility scale solar. So as long as we aggressively pursue deployments of BOTH rooftop and utility solar and storage, there is no doubt in my mind

If you’re thinking about solar there’s something important you should know. It should be obvious, but just in case: there is no such thing as Free Solar. Getting solar — or a battery -- installed on your house is not cheap and certainly not free. These projects are significant construction and electrical improvements. No company will install solar or a battery for free. I guarantee it. The Romans had a term for it: Caveat Emptor. Let The Buyer Beware. Unfortunately, disreputable companies still advertise Free Solar. I see these ads on the internet every day. Many states, including California, have laws against this type of false advertising. Nevertheless, these deceptive sales tactics persist. The U.S. Department of Energy advises people to watch out for “too good to be true” offers. Beware of hard-sell attempts to collect your personal data in exchange for a free solar or battery quote. Make sure the contractor you select has the proper installation and sales licenses. If you find yourself a victim of a

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 of h

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.