Residential
How Important Is Solar System Monitoring?
A solar monitoring system can keep you apprised of your PV system’s performance. It offers information about energy consumption and generation, optimizing energy usage, and whether there is damage to your solar system, among other topics. It’s important to monitor your solar setup in some way; without monitoring, it can be difficult to figure out if your solar panels are operating at their best. With a monitoring system, you will be able to see if there have been any significant changes in performance. Most solar companies will set you up with a monitoring system that is connected to the ...
Promoting A Healthier Planet
We now live in a day and age where climate change has affected all of us in some way. Whether experiencing the impact of wildfires on the West Coast, torrential hurricanes to the East, or enduring wild winter weather in the South, it’s safe to say that no one can escape the consequences left behind by fossil fuels. But there are ways to reverse the damage done and promote a healthier planet, and it starts with everyday habits right at home. 1. Reduce Waste Many homeowners have taken simple steps to reduce the amount of waste they produce. Supplying ...
Electric Vehicle Owners are Discovering Even More Savings
Clean energy has been breaking records for the past few years, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. According to market insights provided by the Solar Energy Industries Association in partnership with Wood Mackenzie, solar PV accounted for 43% of all new electricity-generating capacity additions through Q3 2020. Similarly, electric vehicles (EVs) have also experienced record growth in 2020, registering a 43% increase despite a slump in overall auto sales. Even during a global pandemic, these industries have shown incredible resiliency as the demand for greener solutions continues to surge.Perhaps one reason why these numbers are so similar is that ...
How Long Will Your Solar Panels Last?
Most solar panels come with a 25- to 30-year warranty, but they may realistically last 25 to 40 years or more. Panels will, however, slowly begin to degrade over time, meaning they may produce less energy. Solar panel degradation rates are constantly improving. Currently, the standards are between 0.1 and 0.8% loss per year. To determine the projected output of your solar panels after a certain number of years, you can multiply the degradation rate by the number of years you are interested in and subtract that number from 100%. So, if your panel manufacturer predicts 0.5% degradation, at ...
How Can You Save Energy While Working from Home?
Just like that, millions of Americans are suddenly working—and teaching—from home. And for many of those newly home-bound families, there's an unexpected expense awaiting in the wings—a higher energy bill. Working from home often means your heater or air conditioner—either of which can account for up to half of an electric bill—is pumping out more air throughout the day. Not to mention lights staying on longer, computers charging more frequently, and printers printing more and more often. And all that extra electricity adds up. Luckily, there are several quick and easy ways to save energy while working from home: Use ...
How a Solar Battery Works During a Blackout
Flashlight batteries and cases of water are selling out, and gas tanks are being filled as worried residents try to picture their lives in the dark for what could potentially be days. But there is an alternative. Home and business owners who make their own energy from the sun and store it in a solar battery don’t have to rely solely on an increasingly unstable conventional grid. With a solar battery system, you can store solar energy for use at night, during an outage, or to avoid peak demand charges. Castaways recently announced Equinox Storage—the first all-in-one residential solar ...
Do You Know What’s Going on Your Roof?
Equinox™ is the only all-in-one, complete home solar system. With a conventional solar system, it's hard to know what you're getting. And while the installer may tout that variety as a strength, it's more like a warning sign. Inconsistent product strategy and standards are no guarantee that you'll be happy with the end result. Designed Down to the Tiniest Details More reliability means more savings. That's why we engineer nearly every part of our SunPower® Equinox™ system down to every clip, cable, and flashing, to fit seamlessly together and deliver long-lasting performance. With SunPower® Equinox™, you never have to ...
Generators vs. Solar Batteries: Which is the Better Backup?
A well-designed solar system can meet the majority of the electricity needs for a homeowner, but there are times when power needs to be pulled from the grid. While many energy providers offer the option of net metering to cover the cost of electricity used by the local power company, it’s not available to all solar homeowners. Having a backup supply of electricity can provide power during outages like PG&E's Public Power Safety Shutoffs and can also provide more electricity cost savings. Let’s face it: emergencies happen. Nevada wildfires, rolling blackouts, and power outages happen. Many people don’t realize ...
The Top Advantages of Renewable Energy
Renewable energy sources are, by definition, constantly replenished. Fossil fuels like coal or gasoline burn up and are gone, but the sun keeps shining and the wind keeps blowing, no matter how many homes use them to make electricity. The main types of renewable energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, bioenergy, hydropower, and hydrogen. These types of energy are also called clean energy. Below, we take a closer look at six of the most common alternative energy types, along with their benefits: Solar Power Solar power is a type of renewable energy that captures the sun’s energy. There are ...
