Author Archives: Guest Contributor

When expectations meet reality: new certification program helps companies follow through on diversity promises

As consumer expectations change, it’s on businesses to change with them. Many customers want to know that the companies they’re supporting are trying to make the world a more equitable place, and expectations around corporate social responsibility are higher than they’ve ever been.

To be successful in this evolving marketplace, businesses need to meet customer demand for action with serious commitments. That means it’s time for companies to prioritize important issues such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) to create a more inclusive work environment, serve their communities and hire diverse talent.

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Why smart car shoppers miss out on major savings

Humans have the capacity to think through problems carefully, but we’re also hardwired to make ‘intuitive’, automatic decisions. This is what psychology experts have labelled as system 1 and system 2 thinking. You may not be aware of it, but your intuition might prevent you from saving tens of thousands of dollars when you buy your next car.

As you perform complicated tasks such as driving or even simple tasks such as tying your shoes, you often rely on your intuition to automatically guide you through the process. Our intuition helps us simplify information and operate in modern society, but it can also lead us to make mistakes. Researchers have identified a long list of cognitive and emotional biases (think of them as mental shortcuts) that prevent people from making the best decisions. In this article, I’ll focus on how Present Bias and Loss Aversion Bias prevent car buyers from making the best financial decision when they choose between buying an electric or gas car.

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How 30 million solar homes can confront the climate crisis, address racial inequality in the energy sector, and get people back to work

From the street, Shiloh Temple in North Minneapolis looks like many other houses of worship across the country. But a birds-eye view of the church reveals the unique connection Shiloh has to the heavens – a connection that allows Shiloh to make an outsized impact on the lives of its congregants and other residents of this historically Black community.

Shiloh Temple has a rooftop solar array that generates enough electricity for the church to lower its energy bills – freeing up money for other critical community needs. The installation and maintenance of the panels also provide good-paying jobs for a diverse workforce. And because the church and its congregants actually own the system, it ensures that decisions about the energy Shiloh generates are retained in the community (it’s literally local power!)

Now, a group of organizations, businesses, and local officials are engaged in a campaign to bring the benefits of local solar to millions of Americans. In a letter sent to Congress earlier this year, the group – which represents millions of Americans – is calling on Congress to embrace the goal of 30 million solar homes powered by solar in five years.

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How your behind-the-meter solar system can lower electricity bills for your whole neighborhood

It’s well known that the behind-the-meter (BTM) solar on your rooftop can reduce the demand for grid-scale electricity: every megawatt-hour (MWh) produced from BTM solar is one fewer MWh that needs to come from the grid (often from a dirty coal or natural gas power plant). Lesser known, however, is the “price effect” of BTM solar. When BTM solar lowers the amount of electricity that expensive power plants need to produce, it also reduces the price that all utilities pay for that electricity. This means that BTM solar can both avoid the creation of dirty electricity, and lower the price that everyone in a region ultimately pays for electricity. As a result, when you install BTM solar, it benefits you and your neighbors.

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How can the clean energy industry support low-income households in going solar?

Although there is growing interest in policies and programs to ensure that the benefits of solar power are equitably reaching households of all income levels, lower income households are still less likely to go solar.

Some of the causes for this are well-documented and unsurprising. Income is unequally distributed among households, low and moderate income (LMI) households have less cash, are less able to finance installations, are less likely to own their home, and are less aware of the opportunity.

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The State of California Solar Policy

The California solar market is facing one of its biggest periods of upheaval ever and the next few months will set the fate of the industry for the next decade as the state decides the future of “net metering”. The stakes could not be higher for this 75,000 worker, $4 billion industry so let’s take a deeper dive into the forces bombarding the industry, the trials ahead, and how the industry can defend itself to make it through this challenging time.

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How to decide if high-efficiency panels are worth the cost

High-efficiency solar panels are becoming increasingly popular, and can impact how much solar power you can produce on your roof or property. Given all of the options for high-efficiency products, though, it can be hard to get a feel for how the efficiency of your panels influences the costs you pay for solar. Here’s a quick guide to help you determine if high-efficiency solar panels are worth the added cost when comparing your solar options.

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Highlights from the Tracking the Sun report

One of the best resources for tracking trends in the solar industry was just released. The recently published annual Tracking the Sun report from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) describes price and technology trends for distributed solar projects nationally, collecting project-level data from approximately 1.6 million systems through the end of 2018. The latest edition of the report, which is now in its twelfth year, finds that prices for distributed solar power systems continued to fall in 2018, that industry practices continue to evolve, and that systems are getting bigger and more efficient.

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5 questions to ask a real estate agent before selling your solar home

There may come a time when you decide to sell your solar home. At that point, you will want a solar-friendly real estate agent that understands the ins-and-outs of solar-powered homes to be able to explain all aspects of your solar energy system to potential buyers, as well as home inspectors, lenders and appraisers. A knowledgeable solar-home listing agent will help achieve the highest valuation possible for your solar home, while demonstrating to others how your solar-power system adds value to your home.

How do you know if your real estate agent will help you get the most value for your solar home? You know your solar home well, and you need a listing agent that is both experienced in selling solar homes and willing to learn the specifics of your solar home. Here are five questions to ask any potential listing agent to determine if they’ll be best for helping to sell your solar home.

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