Straight-Talk Solar Cast

In this week's podcast we discuss how more homeowners associations are looking at going solar to offset their common area electricity costs. Some HOA's are turning to construction consultants to help navigate the solar process and help find the best solution for the HOA. About Jamie Duran & Solar Harmonics Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California , who invite their customers to...

In this week's episode we discuss a recent case of a solar client who bought a house with an existing solar lease and how to move forward with the solar lease and what to expect with the lease, maintenance, payments, and buyouts. Leasing can be a painful process so in today's real estate frenzy it's important to know about the solar lease details before buying the new home. About Jamie Duran &...

In this week's podcast we discuss the new Ford 150 Electric Truck 'Lightning' . The new Ford electric truck has a backup battery that can be used by a home during a power outage. We discuss this massive change in EV technology and how home storage batteries can now eliminate the need for a separate home storage battery. About Jamie Duran & Solar Harmonics Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in N...

In this week's podcast we discuss the latest episode of Last Week Tonight where John talks in great detail about the PACE financing program for home improvements.  We share a lot of the same opinions on PACE but John leaves out some of the most egregious aspects of the PACE program. About Jamie Duran & Solar Harmonics Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California , who invite t...

In this week's podcast we get to talk to Joe Wacunas from the Electrify Now & CleanTechnica about his experience with hot water heat pumps. Joe installed an HWHP in his home and shares his experience, pros and cons of the HWHP and solar power. About Jamie Duran & Solar Harmonics Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California , who invite their customers to “Own Their Energy” by p...

In this week's podcast we discuss how solar panel systems make so much sense for senior citizens, retirees, and people about to retire.  Owned Solar is one of the only hedges against inflation, increases the value of the home, and has numerous environmental advantages.  We also discuss how some seniors object to going solar because they don't know how much longer they will be around...we...

In this week's podcast we discuss this year's high school & college graduates, the opportunities they will face and how many of the jobs/businesses available in 5 years have not been invented yet...solar power and other opportunities in renewable energy are only growing because all of these exciting technologies run on electricity. About Jamie Duran & Solar Harmonics Brought to you by Sola...

In this week's podcast we are happy to welcome George Hershman from Swinerton Renewable Energy . We learn about SRE's origin story, growth in the utility-scale solar market and how SRE is helping utility companies all over the country to generate electricity from solar power. About Jamie Duran & Solar Harmonics Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California , who invite their custome...

Solar + Site Inspections - In this week's podcast we discuss what happens after you select the solar company's proposal and before you sign the contract.  We go into probably too much detail of everything that is checked in the site inspection, issues that come up and what our plan is to resolve these issues to help our clients go solar. About Jamie Duran & Solar Harmonics Brought to you...

In this week's podcast we discuss our new searchable podcast episode format.  We then get into a discussion about the role the main electric service panel has in the solar panel system.  There are new Solar Ready Main Electric Service panels that have reduced the service panel upgrade prices by 90%. About Jamie Duran & Solar Harmonics Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern Cal...

In this week's podcast we meet with Carlos Gutierrez, the Manufacturing Director for Solarever USA.  Solarever is the largest solar panel manufacturer in Mexico, and they now have availability in the US as well.  We discuss the origins of Solarever, the advantages their solar panels have, and their plans to expand into the US market.   https://solareverusa.com/ About Jamie Duran &am...

In this week's podcast we discuss the life cycle of a solar customer, and the vast amount of 'electrification' that is happening with #EV's #HeatPumps #NewBaby and tons more.  Most solar clients add more solar capacity, and it's just a question of when and where the panels can be placed. About Jamie Duran & Solar Harmonics Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California , who inv...

In this week's podcast we discuss the various ways homeowners use to heat their pools.  We focus on the thermal pool panels and why we do not recommend them.  We then discuss electric pool heaters and the benefits of heating the swimming pool with a #NetZero solution. Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California, who invite their customers to “Own Their Energy” by purchasing...

In this week's podcast, we discuss the motivation of pain and how it factors into going solar. We discuss how governments can influence or discourage solar adoption. In California, there are plenty of pain points that solar relieves, and we discuss how other parts of the country can use solar power to solve their pain points. Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California, who invite the...

In this week's episode we revisit a recurring topic - annual true-up bills.  When someone goes solar, they need to keep an eye on their annual electricity bill because electricity usage has been increasing every year.  We discuss how to monitor the true-up on the PGE.com site using our video here: https://youtu.be/Cq4DtzvERVE and we discuss when it makes sense to add more solar to an exi...

In this week's episode we discuss the latest update with Bill Maher's solar project, and we discuss in detail the new American Jobs Plan - $2  Trillion - and the impact on solar power for the next decade at least. Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California, who invite their customers to “Own Their Energy” by purchasing a solar panel system for their home, business, or farm. In e...

In  this week's podcast we discuss the proposed changes to the current Net  Energy Metering (NEM) program. Great changes for PG & E and bad changes for people who have not gone solar and even existing solar customers.  Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California, who invite their customers to “Own Their Energy” by purchasing a solar panel system for their home, busi...

In  this week's podcast, we discuss how California changes the classification for solar panel waste as universal waste instead of hazardous waste. This is very important as nearly 100% of the materials in solar panels are recyclable and reusable. The heavy metals in solar panels are not easy to extract so a better solution still needs to be improved. Solar panel recycling will be a growing pa...

In this week's podcast we discuss a quick update on the solar project for Bill Maher and on another topic, how drones are starting to gain more acceptance in both the solar site inspections and after solar project documentation and photos.  The solar industry's use of drones is gaining more acceptance and within the next 5 years will change and improve the safety for solar installers and home...

In this week's episode we discuss the massive power outage in Texas and its causes. We also discuss the role of solar power in Texas and how solar power can get greater acceptance in Texas and the rest of the country that will rely on fossil fuels for electricity. Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Northern California, who invite their customers to “Own Their Energy” by purchasing a solar panel...

In this week's podcast we examine Bill Maher's ongoing rant about his solar project over the last 3 years.  Bill complains that he wanted to go solar 3 years ago, and his system still has not been approved.  We discuss the limitations of ongoing solar and what is the role of the solar installer vs. the local governments, and how both could have avoided this situation. Brought to you by S...

In this week's podcast we meet Austin Rosenbaum from Demand IQ .  Demand IQ unites Project Sunroof with solar installer's websites to help customers answer the question "How much does it cost to go solar?"  Demand IQ walks the client through some initial questions to assemble a quick estimate of not only the cost of going solar but how much the savings will be as well. Brought to you by...

In this week's episode we discuss how the impact of community choice solar for apartment buildings, HOA's, triple net buildings and even farms can benefit from large solar arrays that distribute the solar benefits to all of the stakeholders.  Moving these benefits away from the electricity companies can save money, increase solar deployment and reduce costs. Brought to you by Solar Harmonics...

In this week's podcast we discuss how the need for solar in Home Owner's Associations is massive.  For most HOAs electricity expense for pools, lighting, fountains, etc. are ongoing expenses that never go away or get cheaper.  Unfortunately, the political side of HOAs can drastically increase the time it takes to go solar.  In this podcast we discuss what it takes for an HOA to go s...

In this week's podcast we discuss how building portfolio owners (people who own a lot of property) are starting to realize they can turn their roofs into major revenue centers with solar and without the management of billing tenants.  Solar on the roof or on a carport is a no-brainer for property owners and now there's even less headache than ever. Brought to you by Solar Harmonics in Norther...