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For owners of solar electric systems with Enphase microinverters, the company has just updated its Enlighten system monitoring portal. The new design is great. The site uses intuitive tabs. All of the same great charts and reports are available. You can now upload photos of your system to the site to show in a gallery. There is also a handy download button to download charts as an image file or PDF like shown below. The site leads you into time-lapse views of your energy production over time more intuitively. Now I’m waiting for the ability to download a video of the time-lapse views. These wouldRead More →

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The solar boat Ra has docked in Fort Myers on its 6,000 mile “adventure powered by the sun.” Captain Jim Greer and crew are taking the solar powered vessel around the Great Loop of the United States while filming the entire journey. I went down to see the boat this evening and snapped a few pictures of the Ra. It looks like a boat equipped for an adventure, outfit with 15 solar panels and a cockpit perfect for viewing the scenery along the way. I’m hoping to meet the crew tomorrow and learn more about the inner workings of the solar energy system. I getRead More →

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According to The Solar Foundation, Florida ranked 6th among states for solar jobs in 2011 despite being ranked 17th for solar electric capacity installed. Many of the solar jobs in Florida can be attributed to the solar thermal industry. Solar pool heating and solar water heating installations are popular in Florida. California had more people employed in solar than the next five states combined, but was ranked #6 in the number of solar jobs per capita (Colorado was #1). Florida by comparison was ranked #15 in solar jobs per capita. Rank State Solar Jobs #1 California 25,575 #2 Colorado 6,186 #3 Arizona 4,786 #4 PennsylvaniaRead More →

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The most complex financial analyses that solar dealers need to perform are for grid-interactive solar electric systems. The number of variables makes an accurate and reliable analysis difficult to provide to potential customers (investors). However, there are plenty of models out there to give us an idea of the realistic investment returns a system owner can expect. Some are simplistic, while others are tremendously sophisticated. The key is to ensure that the inputs are realistic and accurate. The first kind of analysis, the one that most people ask for, is the payback. Many people, myself included, are critical of this metric, primarily because it isRead More →

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One of the most frequently asked questions about a solar energy system is, “what’s the payback?” What the customer is asking is how long does it take to get their money back from the investment. My favorite response (which I have never actually used) is, “what’s the payback of that [insert fine automobile brand here] in your garage?” Payback is a term taught in basic accounting, finance, and investing courses. When I was studying as a University of Florida Finance major, payback came out pretty early in the curriculum. The concept is pretty simple. If I invest $1000 and I get a return of $250Read More →

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As a financial analyst by education, I’m surprised at how few posts I’ve made on the investment returns of solar energy products. Residential solar energy systems provide a return on investment that rival investments of similar risk. One factor that is often left out of financial analyses is the impact of personal income taxes, not from the perspective of tax credits, but from the perspective of electricity costs. Let me explain… When you pay for your utility bill each month, you are probably paying with money from your checking account. This is money upon which you have presumably paid taxes, or will pay taxes. Let’sRead More →

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I’ve been playing with SlideDeck for WordPress today, and it seems pretty cool! My first SlideDeck is a simple one to display my Pinterest pins on my Solar Energy board. This is a board of solar energy projects in Southwest Florida and solar related pictures that I have taken around the world or from the web. Enjoy the latest pins here:Read More →

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SUMMARY: On August 9, 2012 Fafco Solar, a Cape Coral solar company, will host a Learn About Solar Energy event in order to provide answers to the public’s questions about solar power and it’s available technologies. CAPE CORAL, FLORIDA (July 12, 2012) Before America was even considered a country, Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure, in 1764, discovered solar radiation; capturing the sun’s light and heat for use as an energy source. Then in 1839, a French physicist named Becquerel identified the photovoltaic properties of the sun’s energy which lead to further discoveries between the sun and its uses in generating electricity. The spirit of these pioneers continues today. Advances inRead More →

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In a recent lecture, I discussed the many reasons that people decide to invest in solar energy systems.  The reasons range from practical to financial to ideological to competition. All of the reasons are [arguably] legitimate. This list is by no means comprehensive, but I break it down this way: Go Green – an environmental motivation Reduce Operational Costs – motivated more by future cost savings than initial investment Lock in Price of Energy – motivated by concern about future energy costs Tax Shelter – motivated by incentives that increase tax savings Geopolitics – motivated by concern about ability to obtain energy from foreign (orRead More →

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The price of residential electricity has historically trended upwards despite routine promises of future innovation resulting in lower energy prices. Based on the linear trend, electricity in 25 years will cost about 50% more than it does today. At a 3% annual increase, typical of expected inflation rates, electricity would more than double in the next 25 years. In other words, a $150 electricity bill today will be over $300 in 25 years! What if I told you that you could prepay for 25 years of electricity at well under the current price of about 11.5 cents per kilowatt-hour? Wouldn’t that be a smart financialRead More →

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It was a pleasure speaking to the Introduction to Engineering class at Edison State College last night. The questions asked at this type of event never cease to amaze me and always inspire me to understand what people want to know about solar energy. This was my second time speaking to this class. This time I decided to add a section on emerging technologies. I’m glad I did! Many of the questions revolved around the emerging technologies discussion. I should have known. After all, this was an engineering class at a college! I don’t recall being so inquisitive in school. For the second time IRead More →

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The Solar Energy Industries Association reported last month that Florida ranked 14th in solar energy installations in the first quarter of 2012. That’s an improvements from the ranking of 17 among states for the 2011 calendar year, but it is still appalling that Sunshine State cannot score better for solar electric growth. Florida residents and businesses installed only 2.8 megawatts of solar electric compared to 173.8 megawatts in New Jersey, the leading state in the first quarter. Yes, New Jersey, in the winter, installed 62 times the amount of solar electricity as Florida. The reported numbers are for solar electric (photovoltaic) installations. Keep in mind that FloridaRead More →

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Solar salespeople don’t like to talk about hurricanes when discussing solar panels with prospective customers. With hurricane season in full swing, there are understandable concerns about high winds and their effect on solar panels. The truth is that there is not much to fear. Hurricane prone Southwest Florida has seen its share of storm activity over the years, so there is some precedent for solar panel performance here. Under the Florida Building Code (FBC), solar panel attachments must meet very stringent wind uplift requirements. In Collier County, for example, the maximum ultimate design wind speed we face is 172 mph for a typical residential solarRead More →

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I realized that I have not been posting many pictures of solar energy installations around Southwest Florida. I’ll get back into that habit. This is about as basic a solar pool heating panel installation as you will see. These are FAFCO Sunsaver panels on a shingle roof, strapped to meet 160 mph design wind speeds required by the Florida Building Code in this particular area of Fort Myers. Notice how we get around vents in the roof.    Read More →

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Commercial flat roofs in Southwest Florida come in many forms. Asphaltic/bituminous roofs are the most popular, with rolled roofing seen most commonly. TPO and EPDM membranes are becoming more popular. Using the right attachment method is key to a successful leak-free solar energy system. One product that is great for flat roofs comes from  EcoFasten Solar. In this flat rolled roof solar installation we used EcoFasten base plates with a through-bolt attachment method to achieve extraordinary wind uplift capability. After drilling holes for threaded rods we placed a healthy dollop of sealant between the base plate and existing roof material. Custom patches were cut fromRead More →