Latest articles by The Solar Nerd

People are accustomed to haggling on the price of a car, but you can negotiate the price of other products and services too. Did you know that you can even haggle the price of a mattress? I’ve never done it, but apparently it’s a thing. A solar array for your home is a great investment, and there are many incentives that make it an even better deal, but some come in the form of tax credits, which means paying the full cost of the system upfront and then waiting until tax time to get your rebate.

Arizona is a great state for solar energy. Not only does it have some of the best year-round sunlight in the country, but it also has favorable incentives, including a generous state tax credit. This means that you can get two tax credits for going solar: one federal, and one state. Here’s a map of the solar energy that falls on the United States, with the areas with the highest solar potential colored in deep red:

If your home is a good candidate for solar, it can be a great investment even without tax credits and other incentives. But there’s no doubt that getting money back on your home solar installation makes the investment a lot more attractive. In the US, the solar federal tax credit of 26% is the only nationwide incentive. To find other rebates and programs, you need to look at your state and local governments, utility companies, and other organizations.

One of the important things that determine if your home solar panels will be successful is whether they are clear of shade throughout the day. Even in locations that aren’t traditionally thought of as being good for solar, if your property has a clear view of the sun throughout the day, solar panels can generate enough power to provide 100% of your electricity needs. But if shade blocks your solar panels for even part of the day, that can have a drastic impact on your energy production.

So, you’re thinking of getting solar panels for your house. Nice! But you’re wondering: How long will it take? If you’re really eager could you, say, have solar panels installed by this weekend? Probably not, unless you live in San Luis Obispo County, which recently implemented instant solar permitting. On average, you can expect it to take a couple of months from start to finish to get solar panels installed on your house.

Getting solar panels installed on your house might seem a little exotic, especially if you live outside of states like California, Hawaii, and the Sunbelt where solar is very popular. In reality, it’s less complicated than you might think. It’s actually not much different from hiring a handyman for a larger house project. You research companies, check their credentials, get multiple quotes, review a proposal, then sign a contract. Then you wait for the installation and permitting work to be completed.

I’ll start off by saying that I’ve been a fan of a lot of Michael Moore’s work for a long time. Updated 27 Apr 2020: Added items to the 'Additional resources' section, including a different documentary worth watching. I saw Roger and Me in the theaters back in 1989, and I thought TV Nation was funny and insightful. He’s an agitator and polemicist, but on balance his progressive brand of journalism has been a great voice for many years.

If you’re a homeowner who is thinking of going solar, or you’re already working with a solar installer and have a technical proposal in front of you, you’ll know that one of the key components in a home solar system is the inverter. Solar panels generate direct current (DC) electricity, which is the kind of electricity you get from a battery. Grid electricity and your home, however, use alternating current (AC).

If you’ve noticed a neighbor’s roof with solar panels, or just seen pictures of panels, you might notice that they’re very often distinctly blue in color. Why is that? The color of solar panels depends on the type of silicon, the type and thickness of anti-reflective coatings, and the surface texture of the silicon cell. In general, polycrystalline (also known as multicrystalline) solar panels are usually blue, while monocrystalline panels are black.

If you have a battery bank in your RV, boat, or other off-grid setting that you want to charge with solar panels, you need a charge controller. In a system where solar panels charge a bank of batteries - whether lead-acid or lithium-ion - a charge controller sits between them and regulates the flow of electricity into the batteries. While grid-connected solar panel systems also use charge controllers, this article will focus on smaller scale applications, such as 12 volt systems for RVs, boats, and cabins.