Category Archives: Environment and Clean Technology

Articles about environmental issues and clean technology products besides solar.

tesla battery day

Tesla Battery Day: what you need to know

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

It’s rare that very technical demonstrations of technology and supply chain advancements manage to jump beyond industry and into the public consciousness. But as with all things Tesla, the announcement of the company’s Battery Day was met with significant hype beyond just the storage and electric vehicle industries, and with good reason: teasers in anticipation of the event seemed to indicate that Tesla had discovered a breakthrough in energy storage manufacturing that would reduce the price of batteries to the point that they could begin to produce and commercialize a truly affordable electric vehicle. 

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Battery backup power vs. generators: which is right for you?

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

If you live in an area with frequent power outages, you already know the benefits of having backup power installed at your home. Propane, diesel, and natural gas-powered generators have long been the system of choice for homeowners and businesses that want to ensure that the lights stay on when the power goes out in the neighborhood. Now, an increasing number of people are considering newer, cleaner battery options like the Tesla Powerwall.

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Tesla Powerwall 2

Tesla Powerwall 2: an upgraded battery for your home

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

Tesla brought solar batteries to the forefront of home energy technology with the launch of the Powerwall in 2015. A year later, Elon Musk announced the new and improved Tesla Powerwall 2, an industry-leading product that takes solar-plus-storage to the next level. The Powerwall 2 offers a few much-needed improvements over the original Powerwall product, including a larger storage capacity, a lower per-kilowatt hour cost, and a built-in inverter.

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hybrid wind plus solar energy system

Hybrid energy systems: combining wind plus solar

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

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.

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solar batteries

Bring your own battery programs: what you need to know in 2020

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

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.

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home with solar panels and ev

Tesla Q3 2019 earnings call: what you need to know

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As a publicly-traded company, Tesla presents quarterly reports to shareholders, analysts, and the media about the state of the company. While most coverage of these quarterly earnings calls focuses on the company’s electric vehicle business or their financial standing, we want to provide an analysis of what their reports reveal about Tesla’s solar and storage business. With that in mind, here’s what you need to know from Tesla’s Q3 2019 earnings call: 

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house with electric meter

Behind-the-meter: what you need to know

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

The electricity system is changing, from the way we generate power to the way we distribute and use it. All grid-tied energy systems are situated either “in front of the meter” or “behind the meter”, and as more and more electric customers take control of their production and usage, it is important to understand the fundamental differences between these two positions on the larger electric grid.

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renewable energy sources

Five types of renewable energy sources: best alternatives to fossil fuels

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Reading Time: 5 minutes

Technologies like solar and wind power are becoming more common across the globe, and are both examples of renewable energy sources. There are several ways to generate power from renewable sources. These alternatives to fossil fuels will become an even more important part of our power generation mix in the years to come.

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solar panel car

Can you buy solar panel cars?

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Solar panels can produce electricity wherever the sun is shining. As electric cars continue to increase in popularity, some companies have begun exploring the possibility of integrating solar panels directly into cars to provide power on the go. In this article, we’ll take a look at how feasible solar panel cars actually are, and if you should consider buying one once they’re available.

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camping with solar panels

Solar camping gear: on-the-go electricity and heat from the sun

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

With advancements in the efficiency of solar equipment and technology, solar panels are no longer just capable of powering your homes. In fact, from RVs to boats to sheds, solar on a smaller scale can keep many things running outside of your home. One way that this smaller-scale solar technology is being used today is in solar-powered camping gear. 

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