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’ll focus on the factors and characteristics to help you make the best decision for your particular circumstances.

When I think about my 20+ years of installing rooftop solar panels, I’ve come to the conclusion that highest efficiency, quality features, country of manufacturing, low light performance, annual degradation, rock bottom pricing, proprietary cell technologies, fancy advertising, long warranties and Top Ten lists DON’T REALLY MATTER! You can throw every one of these manufacturer claims and specifications out the window if the solar panel manufacturer goes out of business, or just arbitrarily decides to ignore problems with their product.

What REALLY MATTERS is your confidence in the local installer you choose to install the system. That local installer’s business depends on happy customers for the long term. You can — and probably should -- pepper them with questions. Good installers will do their best to make good on warranties, even when the solar panel manufacturer disappears. So I suggest you trust their objective advice on the best panels for your particular roof space, orientation and budget.

Please listen to this week’s Energy Show for my advice on finding the Best Solar Panels for your rooftop.

The Energy Show

Which Solar Panels Should I Buy?

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 had a term for it: Caveat Emptor. Let The Buyer Beware.

Unfortunately, disreputable companies still advertise Free Solar. I see these ads on the internet every day. Many states, including California, have laws against this type of false advertising. Nevertheless, these deceptive sales tactics persist. 

The U.S. Department of Energy advises people to watch out for “too good to be true” offers. Beware of hard-sell attempts to collect your personal data in exchange for a free solar or battery quote. Make sure the contractor you select has the proper installation and sales licenses. If you find yourself a victim of a Free Solar scam, your best option is to contact your state’s Contractor Licensing Board or Consumer Protection Department.

Homeowners are even more vulnerable now that electric rates continue to skyrocket. My advice is to be patient, get educated about solar and battery technology, and get references from experienced local installers. These local companies are most likely to design a customized system, install reliable equipment, and provide the necessary service over the lifetime of your system.

For more about the persistent and probably painful pretense of Free Solar, please tune into this week’s Energy Show, or go to  ENERGYSHOW.BIZ.

No Such Thing as Free Lunch or Free Solar

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, CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS), and CO2 direct air capture (DAC) are way too expensive and very slow to scale to meet our needs. And with batteries sited with solar, we’ve solved the problems of intermittency and power when the sun is down.

Costs for rooftop solar and storage are continuing to decline as manufacturing scale increases. According to the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), rooftop solar can meet 45% of our energy needs. The rest can be easily met with utility scale solar.

So as long as we aggressively pursue deployments of BOTH rooftop and utility solar and storage, there is no doubt in my mind that by 2050 our society will be almost completely powered by solar. For more about Solar Power World Domination, listen to the full podcast at www.energyshow.biz.

Why Is Solar Taking Over The World?

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 and millions in lobbying money to further reduce competition.

Even though we need rooftop solar more than ever, this solar industry decline may leave both new and existing customers in the lurch. New solar and battery customers have fewer, although some will say better, choices. And people with existing systems may find that their original installer is no longer around to support their system.

Jedi Geoff Greenfield from Kokosing Solar joins us on this week’s Energy Show. His suggestions will help both new and existing customers continue to benefit from money-saving solar and storage systems. He points out that there are still thousands of established local solar companies all around the country with the Force to be able to support their existing customers — as well as orphan customers.

Here's the bottom line: if you're investing in solar, you need to choose wisely. There is a Dark Side to the cheapest or fastest solar and storage internet deal. In some cases the companies pitching these systems may not have the resources to complete your system, no less support it for its 25 year projected life. What may seem like a too good to be true deal may very likely cost you in the long run.

Please tune in to the full podcast at www.energyshow.biz for Geoff’s wisdom and solutions for the best ways to navigate these changes in the solar and storage industry.

What To Do When Your Solar Installer Goes Out of Business

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 and questions include:

* What is the best way for me to expand my existing solar system?

* What are the important assumptions -- such as shading, battery location and equipment compatibility — that I should verify with my salesperson?

* How long will my battery last during a blackout?
Can my backup battery start large equipment, such as my AC or pool pumps?

* What’s the difference between AC- and DC-coupled battery systems, and why should I care?

* What changes do I need t make to add a battery to my existing solar system?

* What are the building code and fire code restrictions on battery installations in my city?

* Can I install two batteries alongside my house or in my garage?

* Should I install an Essential Loads Panel, or just go with Whole Home Backup?

*How can I connect a generator to my batter system?

* What are my alternatives to doing an electric service upgrade?

Answers to the questions above are not obvious, and vary significantly based on your location, existing solar equipment, and the electrical wiring in your house. For all the details, please tune into this week’s Energy Show podcast at www.energyshow.biz.

Questions to Ask Before Installing Solar

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 gap in representation when it comes to the construction side of energy systems.

But not at Luminalt Solar under the leadership of Jeanine Cotter, their President and CEO. Luminalt is the leading solar and battery contractor in San Francisco. One would think that it would be easy to be a solar and storage contractor in a liberal city such as San Francisco. Until you try to find a space to park your van. Or navigate the city’s convoluted permitting issues. Or just try to find a place for a battery and inverter near the electric meter.

In our candid conversion, Jeanine and I discuss her journey as she built a successful solar company in one of the most densely populated cities in the country. Unlike most contractors, she didn’t start with a construction background; instead, she is a licensed California attorney. Take it from me: knowing how to navigate the regulations, policies and laws that apply to the clean energy industry is one of the most critical skills that a solar and storage company must have.

But it's not all business; we delve into the personal side too. How did Jeanine get into solar? How does she champion diversity, equity, and inclusion within Luminalt and the clean energy industry in general? And perhaps most intriguingly, how does she suggest women navigate the traditionally male-dominated construction industry?

Please listen to the full podcast for Jeanine’s insights into achieving success in the solar and storage industry and be sure to visit The Energy Show at www.energyshow.biz for access to all Energy Show episodes.

Installing Solar In The Big City

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 equipment costs — panels, inverters, batteries — are declining
* UL-3741 standards for rapid shutdown throw a monkey wrench into rooftop safety standards
* Demand for electricity to power our EVs and heat pumps is increasing
* AI is recently on the scene as the newest electricity demand wildcard
* Continued high interest rates are suppressing solar and storage financing
* Utilities have wised-up to rooftop solar and storage threats to their profits
* Hostile utility policies and relatively high interest rates squeeze installer margins, forcing many unprofitable solar companies out of business
* Some companies have cracked the code for long-time success — how do they do it?

For cross country insights into the impact of these changes, our guest on this week’s podcast is Scott Sullivan. I’ve known Scott for over 20 years. Not only is he the best networked person in the industry, but his depth of solar sales and marketing knowledge is a treasure for people trying to figure out what’s next.

Scott and I had so many topics we decided to split the podcast into two episodes. So please listen to Part One of Scott’s podcast for his observations and advice for these metaphorical seismic changes in the solar industry.

Seismic Changes in the Solar & Storage Industry

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 make, and many companies have not yet recovered from this high interest rate environment.


Nevertheless, the majority of companies have figured out the formula, and the topics that Scott and I discussed are summarized below:

* What are the characteristics of a great solar and storage contractor?
 * What should potential customers look for in a contractor?
 * Have you seen any changes with the solar panels offered by contractors?
 * Have you seen any changes with the inverters and batteries offered by contractors?
 * Is solar financing recovering yet from high interest rates?
 * Are Virtual Power Plants (VPP) and Vehicle To Grid (V2G) technologies getting much traction?
 * And last but not least, what do you do for fun?

If you missed any of Part 1 or Part 2 of our podcasts with Scott Sullivan, please visit ENERGYSHOW.BIZ and listen to the full podcasts.

Seismic Changes in the Solar and Storage Industry - Part 2

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 worst of the visible air pollution, contaminated water, and toxic wastes hiding under a few feet of topsoil. In the first few decades of Earth Day, consumers, companies and governments were all pulling in the same direction to right these environmental wrongs.

But something insidious happened due to the profits that can be reaped by polluting the Earth. Economists call it a Negative Externality (the imposition of a cost to one group of people as an indirect effect of the actions of another group of people). To fossil fuel companies, the negative externality they cause by producing oil and gas — which when burned pollutes the Earth with CO2 — is just a side effect to their record profits. For decades fossil fuel companies have been fighting and concealing this unprofitable truth.

There is hope amidst this grim reality. The history of Earth Day shows how public opinion can indeed change this trajectory — especially as the effects of CO2 pollution impact all of us with flooded shores, burning homes and unlivable cities. For insights into our progress amidst this grim reality, please Listen Up to this week’s Energy Show.

Earth Day … So What?

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, knows solar thermal, PV and storage technology like the back of his hand. He’s managed to run his successful solar business in spite of the “solar coaster” craziness.

But what impresses me the most about Ed is his industry leadership. Ed has been on the Board of Directors of the California Solar and Storage Association for 40 years, has been serving as its president since 2016, has been on the Board of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners for 14 years, and served on the Board of the Solar Energy Industries Association for 14 years.

For a detailed dive into what it takes to be successful in the solar and storage industry for the long term, you don’t want to miss this episode of the Energy Show at www.energyshow.biz

40+ Successful Years in Solar and Storage

With much higher volume manufacturing, prices for solar panels have come down tremendously over the past 20 years — from about $1,000 each to less than $200. But solar panels are still very time consuming to install on a roof in a way that will last 25+ years without leaks. The majority of this rooftop work is on the flashings, roof hooks, and special roof mount components.

A few companies specialize in manufacturing solar roof mounts. As a solar contractor I like to try out new products in an effort to reduce my installation costs while still maintaining high quality installations. One of the leading roof mount companies is SolarRoofHook, with offices in Livermore, California and Rock Hill, South Carolina.

My guest on this week’s show is Rick Gentry, Executive Vice President at SolarRoofHook. Over the years Rick has been instrumental in developing new roof attachment products that are both reliable and easier to install. Please join me on this week’s Energy Show on Renewable Energy World as Rick explains the ways these roof mounts prevent leaks through the roof, the corrosion-proof fasteners that are used, and key considerations that homeowners and contractors should keep in mind when selecting roof attachment products.

Solar Roof Hook Dot Com with Rick Gentry

The Energy Show, hosted by Barry Cinnamon, is a weekly 30 minute talk show that runs every Saturday on KDOW Radio AM in San Jose California.

Every week Barry provides practical money-saving tips on ways to reduce your home and business energy consumption.

Barry Cinnamon heads up Cinnamon Energy Systems (a San Jose residential and commercial  solar and energy storage contractor) and Spice Solar (suppliers of built-in solar racking technology). After 10,000+ installations at Akeena Solar and Westinghouse Solar, he's developed a pretty good perspective on the real-world economics of rooftop solar -- as well as the best products and services for homeowners, manufacturers and installers. His rooftop tinkering led to the development of integrated racking (released in 2007), AC solar modules (released in 2009), and Spice Solar (the fastest way to install rooftop solar modules).

Solar Roof Hook Dot Com with Rick Gentry

The Energy Show

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