Solar 101: What’s my solar system going to cost?
Think of your solar system as a custom retrofit. That means the list of unique variables and components can be long, and hardware requirements may result in significant pricing differences.
Solar 101: How to evaluate solar contractors for rooftop projects
A well-designed rooftop solar system should last 20 or 30 years, or longer. This guide for choosing the right contractor should help ease your concerns.
Solar 101: Working the angles to maximize your solar system’s output
As a case study, the town of Normal, Illinois, shows how a roof’s latitude, pitch, and azimuth can affect energy output.
Solar 101: Attaching your PV system to your roof
A solar racking system’s strength is determined in part by the metal racking, but it also depends on the roof’s underlying structure. Rafters and any supporting structures must be strong enough to withstand your region’s maximum wind and snow loads.
Minute to design it: Solar design apps save time creating proposals for owners
In a sales environment where only one in 10 viable solar projects moves forward, getting from a good idea to a firm decision by a customer needs to happen fast. Here’s how one commercial solar installer makes technology work.
Hosting capacity maps: A gold mine for solar developers
Multiple U.S. states require electric utilities to share their power grid data with solar developers. The resulting tools are like treasure maps for solar developers.
Innovative PV modules at Intersolar San Diego
In sunny San Diego for Intersolar 2020, we’re seeing a new idea for tracking rooftop solar modules, diodes moving to cell level, two types of building-integrated solar products and some solar hot water.
US solar generation fell as much as 10% in H1
Clean Power Research saw solar generation shift downward from the norm by as much as 10% in many locations across the United States in the first half of 2019.
Zinc-air battery aims for extremely low $45/kWh cost
New York state has chosen Zinc8’s zinc-air battery to demonstrate the technology’s viability over a three-year period in a 100 kW/1 MWh storage system.
US government expects 24 GW of new solar this year
A Department of Energy agency expects 17.4 GW (DC) of utility scale solar power generation capacity plus 6.6 GW of small scale PV will be installed in 2020. That volume would be 60% higher than the record, set in 2016.
