Industry News Feed

Portable Solar Panels, Scott’s Story

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:24:54 +0000
I like to call my Mom by her name, Samantha because when Samantha and my Dad, take me RVing along with my ATV I feel more like a grown up than a kid. We live near Chicago but travel to the Wisconsin Dells and Mississippi on weekends, set up our RV and I am gone. [...]

Nomad 7 Adventure Kit, Portable Solar Power Means Freedom

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:02:50 +0000
Portable solar was never so easy as the kits Goal Zero has put together. The Guide 10 is one of the most popular backpacking portable solar kits we sell. I have a very cool job because not only do I get to talk to outdoor enthusiasts all day, I spend a considerable amount of time [...]

New From Goal Zero; Yeti Portable Solar Generator

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:32:31 +0000
Portable solar batteries just got more powerful. Once again, Goal Zero is leading the pack with it new portable solar generator. The Yeti 1250 Solar Generator is Goal Zero’s highest capacity portable recharger to date and is the most easy to use, affordable, dependable and complete solution available for those looking to “trade-up” from their [...]

Magnum MS2012 Pure Sine Wave Marine, RV & Emergency Backup AC Inverter

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:49:29 +0000
Magnum MS2012 inverters are the brains of any solar system for Marine, RV or emergency battery backup generator. A Magnum MS2012 inverter will change the direct current (DC) power produced by the solar panels, or stored energy in batteries, and convert it into alternating current (AC) electricity that home, RV or Marine owners can use [...]

Portable Solar & RV Panel Kits Increasing Popularity

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:50:24 +0000
Portable solar kits for camping are increasing in availability, but what about practicality? Can portable solar kits for camping be put to use readily? Are they portable enough? Are they durable enough? Many people spend most of their RV camping time in RV camping spaces with full hook-ups. They plan trips according to where the next RV [...]

How Much Does Solar Cost?

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:15:27 +0000

Solar makes a big mistake marketing to just men

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:37:12 +0000

You’ve heard this before:  A woman goes to buy a new car with her husband, and the sales guy spends the entire time speaking to the guy instead of the girl. Maybe the only question asked of her is what color she likes.

Same with solar.  Almost universally discussed in living rooms instead of showrooms, solar salespeople provide most criteria to cater to the values of men: watts, manufacturing processes, innovations. This is a mistake, and represents a huge missed opportunity for many large solar companies.

The reason is simple: Solar isn’t a big expensive purchase anymore.  It’s not a fancy, high-priced gadget like a plasma TV or a new Ducati. While these are the types of purchases that are assumed to fall into the man’s wheelhouse, statistics show that women still have the final say.

Solar isn’t an expensive purchase anymore because more customers lease their solar systems, or purchase electricity through a power purchase agreement. At One Block Off the Grid, 90% of customers fall into this category. See an excellent piece, including a webinar, that their VP of Marketing did on women and solar.

Since these leases and PPAs are usually a “zero-down,” sort of deal, it’s more about monthly savings than it is about a big pricey gadget.  Statistics have shown that when you’re talking monthly utility savings, now your in the woman’s wheelhouse, not the man’s.  A study at prudential shows that 95% of women are the financial decision-makers in their households. Many of these decisions concern monthly expenditures.

Of all the solar companies that I have met (and I have met many), the most successful selling organizations are the ones that require their salespeople to make sure both decision makers in the home are present during the presentation.  This way, you get to show both parties that this is about immediate monthly savings that you get for purchasing cleaner electricity, and not a high price tech toy that doesn’t get “approved.”

Solar panels are the next space race

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:31:31 +0000

As a portend of things to come for the solar industry, solar power is now cheaper to acquire and use than diesel fuel in India. As a result, Indian manufacturers are exchanging diesel fuel for solar panels to power their operations. That’s a big deal for the environment, as well as the solar industry at large. However, this presents a serious problem – and opportunity – for the United States.

“But wait, you just said solar is cheaper than diesel! That’s great!”

I urge you to hold your enthusiasm and ask an important question: Why is solar power now cheaper than diesel in India?

“That’s easy, solar panel prices have dropped over 50% since last year”

Good, now tell me why solar panel prices have dropped that much.

“Uhh, because… I don’t know. They’re just less expensive.”

Panel prices have come down so much because of Hu Jintao’s decision to massively subsidize the cost of producing solar panels in China.

Those subsidies allow Chinese manufacturers to produce panels at a net cost much lower than American companies can. There is now a huge amount of solar panels produced in China, as those solar subsidies were the equivalent to throwing gasoline on an already stoked flame:

China now has an extreme global advantage in an industry where panels on roofs are sure to become as ubiquitous as handles on doors.

Their low cost of labor and subsidized production have already tightened the vice on several American manufacturers. Last year, Evergreen Solar had to shutter one of its plants because it could not continue to compete with Chinese imports.

A solar panel manufacturing plant in Wuxi, China

On the other hand, solar installers love the decreased panel prices from China, as they are able to present much more financially compelling reasons why homeowners should go solar with a lower net cost of installation.

Meanwhile, American solar installers and manufacturers are at odds with one another as talks of tariffs on Chinese panel imports bubble up in congressional hearings.

American manufacturers are seeking protection from panel prices they cannot compete with, and installers want to protect their rosy sales and installation forecasts by being able to offer the most affordable solar solutions to their clients.

In the end, not much is happening to help domestic manufacturers and we’re starting to see a prosperous window of American opportunity start to close.

There’s plenty to find issue with regarding the philosophy of the Chinese government on many accounts over the course of human history. Though, I simply can’t help but admire China for their ability to take action instead of quibble and be locked in stalemate as is commonplace in Washington.

Opportunity to lead in a new industry was clear. China’s political system is uniquely set up to seize global economic opportunities (as well as political prisoners). They have the money and the leadership to act quickly and they’re now set to dominate the global solar marketplace.

The China Brilliance “JinJue” resembles a BMW

China has taken up similar manufacturing challenges supported by subsidies in the past – namely to produce automobiles. Cars are not easy to manufacture, require a lot of technical expertise, testing, and dogged commitment to process improvement. Even so, there are signs that the Chinese automobile industry is picking up and turning some heads after years of development.

While Chinese cars still have a long way to go to achieve the levels of prestige, reliability, and performance of international competitors, the solar panel market is nascent, and the technology is very simple. Nobody in any country has had enough experience with solar panels to have brand associations or expectations yet and Chinese panels work just as well to harvest electricity from the sun as domestic panels do.

Your neighbor has no perception that an Oregon manufactured SolarWorld panel is as nice as an Audi, or that a Chinese manufactured SunTech panel is as reliable as a Pinto. There’s also strong reason to believe they never will, as you don’t spend a significant amount of time hanging out with your solar panels once they get installed: They don’t get you to work, you don’t take vacations in them, you don’t make memories with them. They just make electricity.

There aren’t any moving parts either: just silicon, some wiring, good housing, maybe a microinverter popped on the back and that’s it.

Due to their technical simplicity, Chinese solar panels have quickly overcome their growing pains and are now performing as admirably as German engineered cars.

For those reasons, there’s strong reason to believe solar panels will soon become as much a commodity as say lumber, corn, or pork bellies.

Instead of a tariff, which arguably helps nobody (even with cost protections, manufacturers will have a difficult time selling panels into an artificially pricey market), we should be subsidizing the manufacture of solar panels just like we subsidize other farm commodities.

I urge the United States government and all of congress to stop subsidizing corn so damn much and shift billions, yes I said it, billions of dollars to subsidize the American solar panel industry.

Create a manufacturing war just as hot and inspired as the space war. This IS the new space war. We’re not doing ourselves a favor by being so influenced by the giant oil, coal, and corn lobby. We need to lead like China has led.

There’s still time. Jump in the damn pool.

Obama on Clean Energy at the State of the Union

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:24:35 +0000

In case you missed it last night:

Click here to view the embedded video.

States with the most solar installed per capita

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:58:26 +0000

Where is the US solar market growing fastest? One way to get at that question is to dig deeper in to some obvious data about how much solar has been installed in the country: Take a look at per capita solar installations to date and last year.

How many watts of solar have been installed per person in each state? The answer to that question will reveal markets where solar panels are becoming vastly more visible across the landscape – worthy of further attention here at SPR. Let’s take a look:

I created the chart above from data in the last Interstate Renewable Energy Council report on solar energy trends in the country.

I gathered population data in each state, then divided the total installed watts by total population by to arrive at the associated figures you see in the bar chart above (All this of course before I realized IREC created a table with similar data for the top ten states you see below right.)

In top states figures of close to 40 watts per person are equal to everyone in the state, everyone having 1/5th of a solar panel over their heads. Babies, grandmas, bartenders, everyone. That’s pretty impressive.

What’s also interesting is that the top three states listed above (NV, HI, and NJ) now have more solar installed per capita than California, the solar pioneer in many ways.

In the northeastern corridor, strong state solar incentives have become a key driver to recent installations.

I was particularly surprised at how quickly the Nevada solar market is blossoming over the past few years.

With that in mind, we’ll be updating Nevada state incentives and rebate policies tomorrow afternoon to see if anything new has come to light we’ve glossed over.

Solar Panel Electricity - Dallas TX - North Texas area

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:55:00 GMT
Solar panel electricity is created using Photovoltaic (PV) technology. “Photo” stands for, produced by light and “voltaic” stands for, an electrical current produced by a chemical reaction. Below is an illustration of a PV System receiving sunlight.   The PV array is a group of PV panels... more >

Solar Power For Commercial Buildings - Dallas TX - North Texas area

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:45:00 GMT
Photovoltaics (PV) or Solar Systems produce electricity from sunlight for commercial and residential buildings. The same PV system is used for commercial and residential buildings. The only difference between systems is that the commercial systems must be larger to meet the greater demands of... more >

Solar Electricity in Dallas - North Texas

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:33:00 GMT
The most abundant source of energy on the planet, sunlight, is available an average of 5.4 hours daily in Dallas, Texas. The chart below indicates producing solar electricity in Dallas can be easily achieved. Researchers conclude, with the over abundance of solar insolation, Texas could... more >

Solar Power Dallas - North Texas

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:01:00 GMT
Dallas, Texas is one of the leading cities in the country because of its commitment to using renewable energy. The city is the nation’s 9th largest purchaser of green power and the number one municipal purchaser of renewable power. Sunlight is a readily available and inexhaustible source of... more >

Oncor Solar Rebate Program - North Texas Dallas Area

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:45:00 GMT
Untitled Document “Take a Load Off Texas” is a renewable energy program offered by Oncor. Oncor is the deregulated electric Transmission and Distribution company for the North Texas area. The “Take a Load Off Texas” program encourages customers to use renewable energy by offering a... more >