In this week’s Solar News Roundup, a new exclusion passes for bifacial solar panels from the January 2018 solar tariff, and Elon Musk says that the Tesla Solar Roof is currently being installed in eight states.
There are myriad benefits to solar energy. From reducing or eliminating your electric bills to increasing your property value, and from creating local jobs to protecting the environment, there are plenty of reasons to go solar. Another, lesser known benefit of installing panels on your property is that solar helps the entire electrical grid.
In the spring of 2017, Tesla announced pricing for their new solar roof product (the Tesla Solar Roof), a roof replacement for your home. And as of January 2019, Tesla is producing the solar roof at their Buffalo Gigafactory, albeit slowly. Installations have begun for the top of their wait list though mass-market availability still remains unclear.
The new solution requires that you replace your existing roof with Tesla’s blend of non-solar glass tiles and solar-enabled glass tiles. It is an elegant new product, designed with great aesthetics, and due to its immense popularity, we wanted to explore the question: does installing this new roof make financial sense for your home? After initial analysis, we’ve found that for the majority of homeowners the answer is “not yet.” Unless you’re in the market for a roof replacement, Tesla’s new solar roof is simply too expensive for the average American homeowner to justify as a home energy upgrade.
If you’ve found it difficult to stay up to date on the future of Tesla Motors and SolarCity in recent months, you are not alone. Numerous industries (solar, electric vehicles, and ridesharing, to name a few) worldwide are starting to feel the impact of a merger that could significantly alter growth plans for manufacturers and executives across the globe. Now the concept of an integrated solar glass shingle – the Tesla Solar Roof – is on everyone’s mind.
At EnergySage, we understand that choosing which solar equipment to install, who to contract with, and how to finance your system isn’t always an easy decision. Solar’s still a relatively new product category, and there are many options to consider.
As solar batteries become more and more popular, individual utilities are beginning to offer rebate and incentive programs to make the economics of adding storage to your solar panel system more favorable. Given that solar batteries are a new product, utilities have begun experimenting with new program designs specific to solar batteries. One of the newest, increasingly common program types is a bring your own battery, or bring your own device, program.
Renewable energy resources are an easy, cost-effective way to reduce both electricity costs and carbon emissions. However, a common criticism leveled at renewable energy resources like wind and solar is: what happens when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining? There are many options to solve for this criticism, from net metering policies to pairing solar with energy storage. One additional new method for combating this critique is through hybrid energy systems: by installing wind and solar hybrid systems, renewable energy developers are finding innovative ways to produce more energy with even greater consistency.
Solar power can be used in many ways. Aside from a traditional rooftop solar panel installation, you can take advantage of solar energy with solar lights that capture, store, and use the sun’s energy to light up your property.
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, Canadian Solar secures their largest panel order in company history, and Maryland passes a new clean energy bill with the governor calling for even more ambitious renewable generation targets.
One of the biggest hinderances to solar production is shade. So, before installing a solar energy installation, you want to make sure that any solar panels on your property receive as much sunlight as possible. If you live in close proximity to a neighbor whose trees or built structures have the potential to shade your property today or in the future, it’s a good idea to consider obtaining a solar easement.
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