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Tag Archives: solar energy
The Benefits of Using a Solar Heat Catch
THE BENEFITS OF USING A SOLAR HEAT CATCH When the weather starts getting warmer we can all start preparing for heating bills to jump up over the next couple months. Whether your heating system runs on electricity or natural gas, you can still expect it to get pretty high. If you heat your home with […]
Is The Sun Setting On The Solar Boom?
Is The Sun Setting On The Solar Boom? The U.S. solar industry is expected to see its expansion significantly curtailed this year after installing record capacity in 2016, marking the first annual decline in installations for the industry. A new report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) raises some question marks […]
EROEI Calculations for Solar PV Are Misleading
EROEI Calculations for Solar PV Are Misleading The Energy Returned on Energy Invested (EROEI) concept is very frequently used in energy studies. In fact, many readers seem to think, “Of course, EROEI is what we should be looking at when comparing different types of energy. What else is important?” Unfortunately, the closer to the discussions of […]
Solar Water Pumps
Solar Water Pumps I recommend having a well or large cistern for backup water use when municipal water is unavailable in a prolonged crisis, but you still need a reliable way to get the water out of the ground if grid power is down. As usual, I recommend multiple options as backup—solar power or windmill […]
Blowout Week 118
Blowout Week 118 This week we focus on solar power in the United States. A report by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory has concluded that the country can fill 39% of its electricity needs with rooftop solar PV alone. And that doesn’t include the “immense potential” of ground-mounted PV units. Is an all-solar America […]
Warren Buffett’s Quieter Quest to Kill Solar in the West
Warren Buffett’s Quieter Quest to Kill Solar in the West There are solar battles blazing all across the west right now, as utilities anchored to fossil fuel power plants strain to avoid the inevitable spread of solar across their areas of operation. Not a month goes by without a story of some assault on solar-friendly […]
Are Solar Panels Lifespans As Long As Industry Claims?
Are Solar Panels Lifespans As Long As Industry Claims? The success of solar has really been a case of successful innovations in financing as much as successful innovations in technology. As with some many other major capital expenditures consumers have traditionally had a hard time paying for rooftop solar systems up front. With system costs […]
Toxic Waste Sullies Solar’s Squeaky Clean Image
Toxic Waste Sullies Solar’s Squeaky Clean Image Toxic sludge and filthy air – byproducts of the oil and coal industries – are a constant irritant for opponents and even proponents of fossil fuels, while renewables like wind and solar are often seen as bastions of rectitude for their relative cleanliness. However, before the proponents of […]
Don’t be Fossil Fooled – It’s time to say goodbye.
Don’t be Fossil Fooled – It’s time to say goodbye. It’s time to make the call – fossil fuels are finished. The rest is detail. The detail is interesting and important, as I expand on below. But unless we recognise the central proposition: that the fossil fuel age is coming to an end, and within […]
How Sustainable is Stored Sunlight?
How Sustainable is Stored Sunlight? One of the constraints of solar power is that it is not always available: it is dependent on daylight hours and clear skies. In order to fill these gaps, a storage solution or a backup infrastructure of fossil fuel power plants is required — a factor that is often ignored […]
Something To Consider Before Buying In To Rooftop Solar
Something To Consider Before Buying In To Rooftop Solar Green energy has moved to the forefront of the national conversation on energy production even as oil prices sit near decade lows. The simple fact that solar power and wind power now command so much attention speaks to how the country’s views on energy have changed. […]
The Inconvenient Truth About A Green Revolution
The Inconvenient Truth About A Green Revolution “Green energy is the future!” “Green energy will create tens of thousands of new jobs!” Statements like these have become the new mantra for green energy advocates even as fossil fuel emissions have fallen dramatically thanks at least in part to the rise of natural gas. Fossil fuel emissions today […]
As “Spectacular” Eclipse Covers Europe, Fears Turn To Its Power Grid
As “Spectacular” Eclipse Covers Europe, Fears Turn To Its Power Grid Some parts of Europe witnessed a near total solar eclipse this morning, an event which, while fun to observe (not without the proper equipment please), presents a challenge for solar panels: namely, a lack of sun. As it turns out this same problem happens […]
Electric Utilities Face A Disruptive Future
Electric Utilities Face A Disruptive Future Cheap gas and oil aren’t the only forces disrupting the U.S. electric system. Solar is already wreaking havoc, and large-scale batteries are looming. What Uber and Lyft have done to the taxi industry worldwide is just beginning to happen to the electricity industry; and it could shock consumers – […]
