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Calling all real estate agents in Southwest Florida! There is an updated form released by the Appraisal Institute® called the Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum (Form 820.04). This form provides a way to value solar energy systems on homes that allow the value to be included in residential and commercial real estate appraisals. It has long been known that solar energy system increase real estate values and reduce the time on the market for home sales. Only recently have widely accepted tools been released. Since there are so many solar panel systems in Southwest Florida, it’s important that real estate professionals understand the implicationsRead More →

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For the fourth year in a row, Fafco Solar will provide free solar energy to power the stage at the Earth Day event at Koreshan State Park in Estero Florida. Using its mobile solar generator designed an built by Jason Szumlanski, Fafco Solar will demonstrate the power of the sun and provide solar electricity for musicians and the PA system. Join Fafco Solar and all of the supporters of Earth Day this Saturday, April 20, 2013.    

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I receive monthly energy production reports from every one of our customers that has an Enphase microinverter based solar energy system. It’s great to see at a glance if systems are performing as expected, especially relative to the prior month and relative to other systems of similar size. It’s already April, and the numbers for March are in. There is a link below to a typical monthly energy report that I get via email. This is a summary report that has a lot more data available behind it on the Enphase Enlighten portal online. Monthly Energy Production Report It shows what I’m seeing across theRead More →

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What is the ideal pool temperature in Southwest Florida? We ask people all the time, “what’s your desired pool temperature?” We get all kinds of answers, but usually it’s a number in degrees. I’d like to point out that it’s all relative! An unheated pool today in Fort Myers was around 74°F. The outdoor temperature reached 84°F in clear sunny skies today. Getting into a 74°F pool might as well get you an honorary membership to the Polar Bear Club. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad, but a pool that is ten degrees cooler than the ambient temperature sure feels cold, especially at first. Even ifRead More →

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Tonight I was invited to part of a panel before a public group at the Naples Community Hospital. I guess you could call it a Solar Panel. Here is the text of my brief speech: “I would like to address the most common misconception about solar energy: Solar energy is expensive and cannot survive without government and utility incentives. The most common solar product installed in Southwest Florida is not solar electric or solar water heating for the home; it’s solar pool heating. Solar thermal energy has been effectively heating pools for four decades in Southwest Florida, and forms the bread and butter of the localRead More →

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It’s amazing how solar spreads in neighborhoods. The common call is, “My neighbor purchased a solar pool heater from you, and I would like to get a quotation for a system.” What could be better from the dealer perspective?! Just looking at Google Earth around Southwest Florida will show you that neighborhood solar is incredibly common. It is not unusual to spot four or more homes in a row with solar heated pools. Why does this happen? Simply put – people LOVE their solar heated pools! The picture above shows several different panel configurations. Customers often ask why we need to come out to takeRead More →

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Santa wants you to be good, which helps reduce fossil fuel (coal) usage.   Source: via Jason on Pinterest   In all seriousness, I am seeing lots of interest in the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year(s) – especially solar pool heating, one of the best gifts you can give a family with a pool. Solar electric panels are like an annuity that keeps on putting money in the recipient’s pocket year after year. Forget savings bonds, stocks, and CDs. Give the gift of solar panels for Christmas!    

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It’s that time of year. People start calling to get solar pool heating systems installed as pool temperatures drop. New system owners get to experience the luxury of a warm pool at no operational cost for the first time. Existing system owners are faced with a few common issues. “My pool level is going down. There must be a leak.” “My solar pool heating won’t turn on. “My pool is ‘only’ 80°. Just last week it was 85°.” (Also, “My pool is ‘only’ 80 degrees, but I have the controller set at 85°.”) Each of these issues can be resolved without a service call inRead More →

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This article could have easily been called “Why Florida Residents Won’t Drive Solar Electric Cars.” That’s not to say that we won’t one day drive cars with some kind of energy storage (batteries) that is recharged by the sun. It’s just that we won’t be charging the battery using solar power generated on the roof of the car. Theoretically, we should be able to build a battery with adequate capacity that is light and small enough to suit an electric car that meets our expectations, and that’s the direction in which I think we are heading. The problem with solar energy is that it isRead More →

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What was once true has become a myth. In years past, it didn’t make much sense to install solar panels (solar electric/photovoltaic modules) from a financial standpoint without generous subsidies, rebates, and incentives. The payback period was too long for most investors (see my article on the folly of the payback metric here). Except for those lucky enough to access a rebate, the numbers just didn’t make sense. In case you haven’t heard, solar panels have plummeted in price. We’re talking about a >75% drop in wholesale and retail prices in the last three years. Total installed costs have been cut in half. Meanwhile, electricityRead More →

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After an already depressed market in the first quarter of 2012, Florida’s solar electric installations fell to 18th among states in the second quarter of 2012 according to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s quarterly report. After rising to 14th among states in Q1 of this year, Florida regressed below it’s 2011 ranking of 17th among states. This follows a large spike in national solar electric installations with Florida installations remaining stagnant. To blame, in my opinion, is: Continued disruption caused by the FPL rebate program The lack of a cohesive policy in the state regarding renewable energy Lack of availability of financing and reasonable long-termRead More →

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Tropical Storm Isaac has passed Southwest Florida, and it appears that there was little to no impact on the area’s solar panels. The phones have been silent this morning. I would expect nothing less! Solar panels installations are engineered to withstand design wind speeds of 150-172 mph in Southwest Florida under the Florida Building Code 2010. Even systems installed 10-15 years ago used similar attachment methods, and would meet or nearly meet current building codes. There is more concern about windborne debris than the wind’s effect on the panels themselves. We had a few postponed installations last week due to the incoming storm, and thatRead 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:

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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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The Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) reported that Florida dropped from #8 in 2010 to #17 in 2011 for the amount of solar electricity capacity installed. In addition, total installations decreased by 60% from 35 megawatts to 14 megawatts. Why the big decrease? It’s my contention that the FPL rebate program is stifling the market. That’s right – a rebate intended to encourage solar energy installation had the opposite effect! The interesting thing is that solar prices have never been lower, even without a rebate involved. The perception about solar needing rebates to be successful is an outdated notion. Getting this message out is onRead More →