The Energy Show

“SunPower” and “bankruptcy” are two words I never thought I’d see in the same sentence. But we should temper our schadenfreude. The solar industry owes SunPower and their employees tremendous gratitude. Without a doubt, our industry would be much smaller without SunPower’s early and determined leadership. So rather than dance on their potential grave, this week’s Energy Show will focus on SunPower...

Who would have thunk that you could put a 240 volt split phase inverter on the back of every solar panel? The gurus at Enphase and Akeena did, and I've been a fan ever since their first prototypes in 2008. In fact, I still have Enphase M-190 microinverters on my San Francisco home. Time for an upgrade? Probably! Our special guest is Raghu Belur, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Enphase. We'...

You don’t have to be a Boomer to remember the days of simple DC wire connections to string inverters. For the most part, these times are long gone. Since 2010, module-level power electronics (MLPE) have taken over — and now, with batteries and advanced load control, solar systems have evolved into the energy focal point for homes. This Energy Show podcast highlights new capabilities from SolarEdge...

Yes, definitely. Heat pumps are literally and figuratively cool. And without a doubt, the best time to consider installing a heat pump is when your AC (or furnace) dies. Heat pumps do double duty, providing both heating and cooling. They offer significant savings and improved comfort -- which I confirmed first hand after my old outdoor air conditioner compressor died. Replacing both my old AC and...

Consider the poor photons! If your panels are dirty you are causing trillions of premature photonic deaths when they collide with dirt molecules. Please give those photons the chance to knock an electron loose from an eager semi-conductor. Instead of being converted to heat and banished to quantum hell. Save The Photons. Clean Your Solar Panels After just a week, your panels might look slightly du...

Are you sick of all the heat pump hype? Skeptical about why you should buy one right away? Don’t mind paying huge bills to your utility for methane (natural gas)? Even heat pump enthusiasts like us agree with you — they are definitely NOT for everyone. Here are five reasons why heat pumps may not be the right thing for your house: 1. You don’t believe in global warming and prefer to burn fossil fu...

This week's Energy Show dives into the tumultuous landscape of the clean energy industry, painting a picture of contrasting fortunes akin to the classic “Tale of Two Cities.” On one hand, we witness a surge in demand for clean energy, driven by improving economics, lower equipment costs, and rising electric rates, alongside enticing incentives. Yet, on the flip side, California experiences its fir...

I read an avalanche of media criticism when Elon Musk fired his entire SuperCharger team a few weeks ago. In spite of all the whining, it was a good business decision for Tesla. Here’s why: expanding and running a fast charging network is a lousy business. Installation costs are high, permitting and construction delays are extensive, and revenues from charging cannot overcome the high electricity...

10 years in the solar and storage industry qualifies most industry veterans as a solar old timer. But there is one person who stands out as a beacon of leadership, longevity and success. Ed Murray has been heating water molecules (solar thermal), converting photons to electrons (solar PV) and saving customers money since 1978. That’s 322 dog years! Ed Murray, CEO of Aztec Solar in Sacramento, know...

It’s not a flippant comment or a classic jazz solo — but an existential question about the devastating trend our civilization is on due to climate change. The history of Earth Day shows how the worldwide environmental movement has evolved from concerns about in-your-face air and water pollution … to a focus on the invisible hazard of rising CO2 emissions. To a large degree we’ve cleaned up the wor...

Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Scott Sullivan, my friend and one of the best networked executives in the industry. Earthquake excitement has diminished in the New Jersey area, but seismic changes in solar continue around the country. In Part 1 we discussed what happens in the solar and storage industry — really every industry — when company profits decline. It’s a tough adjustment to...

Seismic changes in the solar and storage industry? Who would have thought that our friends in New Jersey would relate so viscerally? Their recent 4.8 magnitude quake in early April literally extended this metaphor across the country. Metaphors aside, the solar and storage industry is changing faster now than I have ever seen: * Electric rates are soaring, along with utility profits * Solar equipme...

March isn't just about shamrocks and leprechauns; it's also Women's History Month, highlighting the incredible contributions of women in various fields. But have you ever wondered about their role in the energy transition? In general, women are just as involved as men — not just in solar, but also in batteries, hydrogen, policy-making, electrification, and manufacturing. However, there's a glaring...

The Learning Curve for understanding home batteries and solar systems is steep. Your battery system education will require mastering at least twice as much jargon, TLAs (that’s Three Letter Acronyms), specifications and industry gossip than ordinary solar systems. So if you don’t want to get bamboozled by an aggressive salesperson, this week’s podcast is a great place to start. Some of the topics...

The Utility Empire is striking back. As a result, the rooftop solar industry is experiencing its first decline in growth ever. In California alone the end of Net Metering has resulted in an 80% drop in rooftop installations and 17,000 job losses among passionate Rebel solar installers. Utilities in other states are following California’s lead, leveraging their Death Star-caliber monopoly powers an...

This week we’re talking about World Domination. Domination of energy production, that is. In the re-scrambled words of the wise and infamous Dr. Evil: “Why make Gigawatts when we can make…Terrawatts!” Indeed, solar is on track to completely dominate electricity generation. Solar is growing faster than wind, nuclear and LNG ever did. Alternatives to solar such as nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, CO...

If you’re thinking about solar there’s something important you should know. It should be obvious, but just in case: there is no such thing as Free Solar. Getting solar — or a battery -- installed on your house is not cheap and certainly not free. These projects are significant construction and electrical improvements. No company will install solar or a battery for free. I guarantee it. The Romans...

It’s no surprise that this is the most common question, since the solar panels themselves are the biggest cost component of a typical rooftop system. But I’m not going to give you the single "Best Panel" answer you may be looking for. Sorry. With over 100 companies making solar panels worldwide — and vast differences in efficiency, aesthetics and reliability — there is no one answer. So instead I’...

As in year’s past, we in California greet the New Year with yet another electric rate increase. It’s almost impossible to believe this time — but on January 1, 2024, PG&E raised electric rates by another 28.4% according to the San Jose Mercury News. Just follow the money. Since 2017, Utilities and the IBEW spent over $111 million on politicians and ballot measures to maintain their monopoly. S...

I’ve added electrification predictions for 2024 to my customary set of solar and storage predictions. Electrification incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are already starting to drive demand for heat pumps and electrical upgrades, just as tax credits accelerated the solar and EV markets in the past. So here I go again sticking my neck out with these ten home energy predictions for 2024...

It’s not a matter of IF your hot water heater dies – but WHEN. According to the Department of Energy, the average lifespan of a hot water heater is 13 years. So if your hot water heater is over ten years old – or if you’re planning to electrify your home -- the time to PLAN for a Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) is NOW. Heat pump water heaters have become consumer favorites — and the bête noir of nat...

The goal to cap global warming to 1.5C is just a pipe dream. At the rate the earth is warming we’ll hit that threshold in 2026 or sooner. And since our consumption of fossil fuels continues to increase without any meaningful reductions of airborne CO2 concentrations, we are on pace to hit 3C by 2035. It doesn’t take a doctor to diagnose the illness: our planet is sick from global warming. Or to de...

When you electrify your home – with a heat pump HVAC system, EV charger, induction cooktop or heat pump water heater – your demand for electricity will go up. Duh. Or as Tim Allen would say: “I need more power.” Incentives as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) help reduce the upfront costs of these electrification upgrades. But the only way to reduce the operating costs of these new electri...

By 2035 all new cars in California will be electric. It’s an achievable goal based on lower operating costs and rapid price declines for new EVs. But the current per kwh costs of EV charging continue to increase -- and we continue to be woefully short of necessary EV charging infrastructure. I predict a massive backlash against expensive and inconvenient EV charging. Our EV deployment goals are li...

Inside Scoop About Heat Pump HVAC Systems If you can answer these three basic questions, then don’t bother listening to this podcast. The questions are tricky, so if you're the least bit uncertain I suggest you listen to this week's riveting Energy Show episode. How can a heat pump be 300% efficient? Are gas furnaces still the most popular new heating system? Can you get an $8,000 IRA rebate and $...