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One of the subjects that often comes up at the start of a solar electric (photovoltaic) system conversation is whether the utility company will “allow” a solar energy system to be installed. Is Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC) solar friendly in Cape Coral, Sanibel, Marco Island, and the other areas they cover? While there are challenges, utility companies are generally bound to Public Service Commission Rules, including Florida’s Met Metering Rule, which give consumers fairly broad power to install customer owned renewable generation equipment. LCEC is no different, and it’s actually quite easy to get a residential or small to medium commercial system installed. In fact,Read More →

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You’ve probably heard of high profile investments in solar by large retailers like Ikea, Kohl’s, Costco, and the world’s largest retailer, Walmart. These investments leverage the long terms assets (real estate) of the companies into income producing machines both inside and out. Coupled with various tax credits, accelerated depreciation, rebates, and other incentives, investments in solar make great financial sense for companies who have maximized interior square footage, but haven’t taken advantage of massive swaths of roof space. Walmart alone has installed over 65 megawatts of solar capacity to date. Susan O’Neal Gear of Upstream Insight has an interesting perspective on big-box solar investments. She hypothesizesRead More →

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Air bubbles in pools can come from several sources. One of the first things to check is whether there is air inside the filter basket of you pool pump. If so, the leak is coming from the suction side of your pool plumbing. There may be an air leak at a joint in the plumbing itself, or the air may be coming from another source like a pool vacuum hose. One of the most common air intrusion sources on the suction side of pool plumbing is very simple to diagnose and resolve. Your pool may simply be low on water! When the water level ofRead More →

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Today I am at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) to see eleven teams that came from as far away as Key West compete in the second annual High School Solar Go-Kart Challenge. All carts feature a completely electric drivetrain and will compete in speed and endurance races. Powered by three photovoltaic panels and batteries, solar go-karts highlight both the simplicity and complexities of electric powered vehicles, and mirror the interest in street-legal neighborhood electric vehicles and fully electric cars like the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, and Tesla Model S. Today is mostly sunny, which obviously helps in terms of endurance and speed. The event is co-hosted withRead More →

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Integrity Florida, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute and government watchdog whose mission is to promote integrity in government and expose public corruption, has just released a scathing report on how utility companies influence the Florida legislature and utility regulators. While it’s not shocking to discover that big business uses big money to influence lawmakers, it does paint a picture of an incestuous club of cronyism that results in harm to the Florida energy consumer. Full disclosure: my company is currently embroiled in a battle with FPL over interpretation of the “Net Metering Rule,” 25-6.065, F.A.C., Interconnection and Net Metering of Customer-Owned Renewable Generation. I have requested informal assistanceRead More →

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We sprung forward last night for Daylight Saving Time, and naturally many people want to change the clocks on their Pentair SunTouch Solar Pool Heating Controllers. It’s actually quite simple, and I’ll show you how here. Here are the steps to change the time on your Pentair SunTouch for spring Daylight Saving Time: Press Menu 5 times Press the right arrow Press the up arrow Press the right arrow 2 times Press the left arrow to return to the main screen In the fall, do the same thing, except in step 3 you will press the down arrow. If you need to adjust the minutesRead More →

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If you are an FPL Netmetering customer with a solar electric system, you may have received an email recently describing changes to the program. All of these changes apply only to new Netmetering customers, and no action is needed for existing customers. The only significant change that applies to non-government entities is that a manual disconnect switch is no longer needed for new Tier 2 and Tier 3 interconnected systems (systems with a gross power rating exceeding 10kW). Specifically, the email addressed these following changes: Eliminating the requirement for a manual visual load break disconnect switch on U.L. 1741 listed inverter based renewable energy systems.Read More →

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It’s not uncommon for people to mishear or misunderstand the name FAFCO as Fasco, Fastco, Falco, Fabco or something else. FAFCO is an acronym for Freeman A. Ford Company. Freeman is a visionary in the solar thermal industry, having revolutionized/started the solar pool heating industry in addition to a variety of other solar thermal technologies. The local Southwest Florida dealer is actually Fafco Solar (note capitalization). Fafco Solar is a fictitious name (dba) of Solar Pool Heaters, Inc., a Florida corporation. FAFCO, Inc. Is the California manufacturer of a variety of products. The FAF in Fafco Solar is Freeman A. Ford.

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What are you looking to get out of a solar pool heating system? Do you know how it works? What made you consider a solar pool heating system? Why do you want a solar pool heater? Have you experienced a solar heated pool at a friend or neighbor’s house? What other pool heating sources have you considered? Are you aware of the alternatives? Are you aware of the options? How did you find us, and what prompted you to call me? What are your concerns about buying a solar pool heater? These are all things you might hear out of a solar company’s sales professional.Read More →

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I’m in Las Vegas learning and sharing with colleagues, and let’s just say I’m feeling lucky… not just in the Sports Book, but because of the valuable information and face time we will get this week. This is the time of year we all get a good status check and go over trends in the industry. Serious meetings – with a little fun sprinkled in. 😉 Naturally I was reflecting on the plane about the “gamble” of going solar. Is it a safe bet? What is the risk/reward trade off? If I head down to the Casino and drop $100 on red, there is aRead More →

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Unlike the southern tip, the northern end of North Captiva, FL, not accessible by land vehicles, actually has utility electric power available. Just like any mainland homeowner, this one wanted to offset increasing utility bills with solar energy. Working on an island is obviously a challenge, but our amazing crew pulled off this 4.6kW SunPower solar photovoltaic system in two days. This system is comprised of fourteen SunPower 327W modules, among the most efficient modules commercially available. Paired with a SunPower branded SMA SB-5000US inverter, this system is expected to cover the majority of this homeowner’s electrical consumption. The system was installed to meet theRead More →

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Net Metering, the concept and laws that allow solar electricity producers to connect to the grid and sell back energy, is under attack in the United States. Florida has been spared from the recent trend of utility companies working publicly to repeal or amend Net Metering laws. Utility companies in other states have taken various public and well-funded measures to repeal Net Metering laws or to make Net Metering less attractive to solar energy customers. For example, Arizona utilities recently succeeded in adding a fixed charged for solar producers based on photovoltaic system size. While it was opposed by the solar industry and the finalRead More →

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I left my phone in the living room last night, and awoke in panic when I saw my charging cord dangling on my nightstand. Being without my phone makes me feel naked. Alone. Rendered useless. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad, but I do have a bit of an iPhone addiction. It got me thinking… Could I do my job without my phone? Could my employees do theirs? What would solar energy sales and contracting look like without our phones? The phone has long become “not a phone” at this point. Calling people still happens, of course. Of the time I spend “on my phone,”Read More →

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Solar pool heaters are usually installed as an afterthought, which means we often need to get creative with plumbing. Obstructions created by windows, doors, gutters, electrical equipment, and sometimes the pool equipment itself can present quite a challenge. I’m always impressed with how our guys can visualize a plumbing run, select the best route, and execute it with a combination of fittings. It’s funny that after years working with my employer, I can often identify the installer based on how they built a valve manifold or ran plumbing around a gutter. In this picture I have to admit that I have no idea who didRead More →