In this week’s News Roundup, we’re taking a slight detour from our usual theme of solar energy. Instead, we decided to focus on two recent stories in the energy industry that have wide-ranging implications for not just solar, but the way we use energy as a whole.
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.
A large portion of the cost of electricity comes from a very small portion of hours out of the year. As a result, utilities, electricity grid operators and private companies alike are finding innovative solutions to these infrequent but substantial electricity costs. One product in particular that has already proven to be successful throughout the country is demand response.
Solar energy is not a “one size fits all” investment. Depending on your needs, you’ll have to choose between several types of solar power systems for your property – grid-tied, grid-tied with storage, and off-grid solar systems.
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, learn about two exciting new developments concerning solar batteries: an international company acquisition and a plan for nearly a gigawatt of new solar and storage resources in Arizona.
The electrical grid is designed with redundancy in mind. In order to avoid any consumers losing power, and especially any prolonged drops in power, utilities and the grid operators have designed backup plans and backups to those backups. Although very rarely, if ever, necessary, the last of those backup plans is perhaps the most important of all: black start resources.
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, one of the country’s largest utilities makes an exciting commitment to solar, plus a case study on the transition from fossil fuels to solar energy.
There are a number of important steps along the path to installing solar: obtaining quotes, choosing your equipment, selecting an installer, and the actual installation itself. Arguably the most important step is connecting your solar energy system to the utility grid, commonly known as solar interconnection.
Across the country, utilities are beginning to introduce innovative rate structures for residential energy consumers. These rate structures–from time-of-use rates to demand charges to real-time-pricing–all have a common goal: to incentivize customers to consume energy during times when the cost of generating electricity is cheap, and to disincentive energy consumption when the cost of generating electricity is high. As a result, understanding the ins and outs of a time-of-use rate can help you reduce your monthly cost of energy.
Solar panels and smart thermostats are two of the most powerful technologies available to help you take control of your home’s energy consumption. By installing solar and a smart thermostat in your home, you can minimize your environmental impact and maximize your clean power use. Here’s why solar panels and smart thermostats are the best way to turn your home into a 21st-century eco-friendly house.
privacy secured