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One thing that is abundantly clear, is that there is no single silver bullet solution to achieve a zero carbon economy. Rather, multiple technologies will need to work together in an interlinked fashion in order to achieve the goal of a zero carbon economy. Broadly speaking, the technologies needed to achieve a zero carbon economy can be divided into two` distinct categories; energy production and energy management. Some of the most critical technologies that fall under the umbrella of energy production include solar power, wind power, hydro-electric, geothermal and “advanced” nuclear.

[Read more…] about How Solar Can Lead the Way to a Zero Carbon Economy

Unlike many major industries in the U.S., such as the automotive industry that are dominated by a few major players, the U.S. solar market is notably different. While there are several major corporate players in the U.S. residential solar space such as SolarCity, Vivant Solar, SunRun and NRG with billions of dollars of investment backing, the residential solar market is shared with much smaller solar panel system installers that are still finding ways to thrive. Interestingly, while the top five national solar companies do control a large segment of the market, an estimated 42% of the U.S. residential solar market is occupied by independent installers. In order to better understand how local solar companies are able to coexist with national powerhouse solar companies like SolarCity, this article will examine some of the unique features of the solar market that allow for it to be a shared by local and national solar companies.

[Read more…] about Solar’s David Vs. Goliath Battle

Photo Credit: DAVID MCNEW VIA GETTY IMAGES

Roughly 10,000 years ago, a major social change occurred that revolutionized human society forever: instead of hunting and gathering for food, we began to farm our food. This agricultural revolution had a dramatic impact on human society. Instead of living in warring nomadic tribes, humans began to form early farming settlements that eventually grew into major global metropolises. However, while we now farm for the vast majority of our agricultural resources as a society, we still hunt and gather for one resource: energy.

[Read more…] about The Global Social Impact of Widespread Renewable Energy

When a homeowner buys a solar system or when a solar company installs a system on your home, the federal government issues a 30% tax credit rebate based on the quoted price of the system. Sounds fair right? Unfortunately, solar leasing companies have found a loophole to exploit this government program, while simultaneously hurting the entire solar industry and squandering tax payers dollars. In the residential solar sales market, the price that a solar system sells for is dictated by the economic laws of supply and demand. In order to stay competitive, solar companies must sell their systems at a similar price point to other solar companies. However, because solar lease companies do not actually sell their solar systems, but rather lease them to homeowners, they can quote the value of their system as essentially whatever price point they want.

[Read more…] about How Solar Leasing Companies Are Exploiting Government Rebates

Many homeowners go solar due to the potential to save huge amounts of money by producing their own electricity. Few homeowners, however, consider the potential savings that come with making their homes more energy efficient. In fact, making your home more energy efficient prior to installing solar panels can lead to your home needing a smaller sized solar system. This, in turn, would mean that you wind up saving a lot more money. As an experienced solar company on Long Island, we recommend that homeowners have a professional energy audit conducted prior to installing solar on their home, with the goal of knowing exactly which appliances in their home are consuming the most energy.

[Read more…] about Energy Efficiency & The Benefits of Home Solar

Once you have made the investment to install solar panels on your Long Island home, it is important to take necessary steps to protect your solar panels from natural hazards such as pests like squirrels and birds that will nest under your solar array if given the opportunity. In addition to the threat of pests, a solar system also faces challenges related to leaf buildup and falling snow hazards. Greenleaf Solar Long Island’s  Solar Company explains the variety of products on the market that are designed specifically to protect your solar system from the natural hazards discussed above.

[Read more…] about Natural Threats to Your Residential Solar System and How to Combat Them

With the Long Island hurricane season right around the corner, the threat of power outages is a growing concern. And keeping power outages in mind, many homeowners considering solar ask the question, “Will my solar system produce energy when there is a power outage?” With a standard solar system, the classical response to this question is no. However, new technology is making powering your home with solar during a power outage more possible. Traditionally if you have solar when the power goes out, your system will shut down in order to protect both your equipment, as well as the utility workers servicing the power grid during an outage.

[Read more…] about When the Lights Go Out Does Solar Stay On?