Tag Archives: utilities

Top EnergySage articles of 2020

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Let’s all breathe a big sigh of relief – 2020 is almost over! Despite some hurdles, solar energy had a strong year full of exciting news and milestones; in their 2020 World Energy Outlook report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) proclaimed that solar will be the “new king of electricity,” the world’s largest solar plant went live in October (2.2 gigawatts!), and just this week, the federal government extended the 26 percent solar tax credit for another two years.

To finish off the end of a long year, we’ve pulled together a list of our most popular articles of 2020, as chosen by you, our readers.

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utility scale solar

An overview of utility-scale solar panel installations

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The largest scale of solar projects is utility-scale solar. Typically sized anywhere from 1 to 5 megawatts (MW), utility-scale solar installations can be massive projects, often spanning multiple acres of land. Utility-scale solar projects are usually ground-mounted arrays. Sometimes, these arrays include the use of solar trackers to maximize energy production.

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saving energy with energysage part 1

Saving energy with EnergySage, part 1: What’s on your bill?

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This post is the first in our series about how to save on your energy bills even when you’re spending more time at home, as the entire EnergySage team is, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue to check our blog for more ideas for how you can take control of your energy bills in the coming weeks. 

You may have heard that the world is basically on pause right now. The impact of the global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus appears to be vast, far-reaching, and multilayered, including in some ways that you may not anticipate. For instance, with so many Americans now working from home or sheltering in place, one way you may see the impact of the pandemic personally is in how your energy bills change now that you’re spending more time at home. 

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solar batteries

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

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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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house with electric meter

Behind-the-meter: what you need to know

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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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off grid solar

What is a solar off grid system? What does it mean to go “off the grid” with solar?

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People say all the time that they want to get off the grid. Beyond just meaning getting away from it all for a while, getting off the grid has a specific technical meaning with regards to your relationship to your utility and how you get your power. So, what exactly does it mean to go off the grid?

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distributed generation

Solar panels are the new iPhone: imagining a distributed energy future

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In 1994, only 10% of Americans had a cell phone. And yet, in 15 short years, more Americans had cell phones than landlines. While the rapid adoption of mobile phones can’t be attributed to a single factor, there is one major parallel between the transition from landlines to smart phones and what’s actively happening today in the electricity industry: the transition from a centralized system to a distributed (or decentralized) network.

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what appliances use the most energy

What appliances use the most energy?

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Not all appliances are made equal. Although every appliance in your home consumes energy, utilizing each one will have a different impact on your monthly electricity bill. Understanding which of your appliances use the most energy, as well as when they’re pulling power from the grid, can help you save substantially on your monthly utility bills.

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