For the non-engineers out there who are interested in learning as much as possible about how solar panels work, here’s a brief overview of micro-inverters and what they can add to a solar installation.

Solar panels need (micro)inverters to convert the electricity they produce to a type that can be used at home. Solar photovoltaic panels [...]

Rebates available in Tucson Electric Power’s service area make residential solar hot water systems very affordable. The payback period for this technology in Southern Arizona is 7 years.

This prime solar state offers an enticing return on investment for solar hot water. First, being smack dab in the middle of the Sunbelt means that owners of solar hot water systems will benefit from some of the world’s most consistent sunlight as well as relatively high temperatures. The high outdoor temperatures are especially helpful, [...]

How do you allocate roof space for both a solar PV system and a solar hot water system? True solar enthusiasts occasionally run into this type of dilemma. It’s most common to see one or the other on an individual roof, but the space requirements for these complementary [...]

Now Butte College is set to become the first grid positive campus in the United States, meaning the school will produce more clean energy than it needs. The $17 million solar project is spread out across several roofs and open ground areas throughout the campus. The entire installation is not yet complete, and is not expected to be fully installed until May 2011.

We’re going back to basics here. Those of us who follow solar often get most excited about creative ways to apply the technology– like solar phones to serve rural India. However, understanding the potential for solar within the good old United States means we sometimes need to refresh our memories on how, exactly, those PV [...]

A disturbing trend has taken shape in New Bedford, Massachusetts — one that the city’s mayor, Scott Lang, and a team of retired military men and women who started Welcome Home Veterans Housing (WHVH) are working to change.
The majority of homeless people in New Bedford  are military veterans. And for the last nine years, WHVH has been [...]

What better place, thought the heads of KH Homes – a national homebuilding company – and BYD – a battery technology developer – to construct the home that has the potential to become the prototype for future eco-homes around the country?

TEP has requested that the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) slash the rebate from $3 to $2.25 per watt beginning with rebate applications received after July 7.

Played by actor Larry Hagman, the cut-throat Texas oilman played a central role in the series, appearing in all 357 episodes. Now, it seems this former T.V. petroleum pusher is ready to reveal a greener side.