Residential Solar 101's blog

Solar Decathlon Features Affordable, Innovative Home Design

solar homeThe 2011 Solar Decathlon hosted by the Department of Energy ended last weekend in Washington, DC. The event featured 19 solar-powered homes designed and built by students and faculty from universities across the country and abroad.

Long Island Solar Rebate Program Receives Stimulus Funding

Long Island Solar RebatesLast month the Long Island Power Authorities (LIPA) residential solar rebate program was suspended but thanks to an injection of $8.3 million in federal stimulus money, the program is back in business.

Hawaii To Offer Feed-in Tariff

hawaii feed-in tariffSolar energy incentives come in several forms.

Schwarzenegger Declares October, "Solar Energy Month"

california-solar-monthCalifornia Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared October as "Solar Energy Month". Southern California Edison (SCE) is leading the celebration with a variety of events aimed at educating homeowners about going solar. SCE will be offering classes at various locations throughout Southern California.

Solar Panel Recycling: Let's Close The Loop

At this year’s West Coast Green conference in San Francisco, Bill McDonough gave a rousing call–to-action keynote speech in which he proclaimed that we do not have an energy problem, but what we

Solar panel life - Is 25 Years Too Conservative?

A recent article by

9 Tips For Selling Solar Power Systems

Early on the people who bought solar energy systems were either live-off-the-land environmentalists, survivalists, right wing extremists , or engineers & hobbyists.  That has changed.

How do solar leasing companies make money?

How can companies like SunRun, Sungevity, and SolarCity provide a zero down or $1000 down solar lease while charging less per month than a utility company? Here’s a high level overview of how solar leasing companies make money.

Avoid Asthma – Use Solar Energy

NPR just did a great piece on spare the air days and in it they link spare the air days with an increase in likelihood of an asthma attack in kids. So why not combat asthma by going solar? 
 
“Spare the air days” happen on the hottest days of the year when a big demand is put on the power plants in part due to additional air conditioner usage. Power plants spew out fine particulate mat

Solar Energy Monitoring Systems - The Next Big Thing in Solar?

If micro-inverters are the current craze in the solar industry, then solar energy monitoring systems will be the next big thing. 
 
Micro-inverters (and other parallel technology) were given lots of attention because they can inc

Informative?