As any owner of solar panels will tell you, it’s a pretty cool moment when you see your electric meter running backwards for the first time. Not only is it fun to witness your solar home energy system in action; after all those years of paying the utility, it feels good to sit there and [...]

California Raises Solar Net Metering Cap In a nearly unanimous decision yesterday, the California Assembly passed a bill that would allow a greater number of people in the state who produce their own solar power to sell the excess electricity to their utility company. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/18/financial/f162749S55.DTL&type=business) Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) bill, AB 510, raises the Golden [...]

A joint venture of solar panel manufacturer Suniva and storage developer GS Battery aims to bring battery back-up (but still grid-tied) solar into the limelight once again. Inefficient battery storage has encouraged small-scale solar generation to rely entirely on the grid for auxiliary power. Battery systems can cost nearly twice as much as straight grid-tied [...]

Yesterday saw a surprisingly positive new chapter in California’s net metering saga roll out. PG&E is voluntarily expanding its net metering program in the absence of new legislation that would mandate such a move. PG&E customers can continue to explore solar as a valuable investment for some time to come now–without this move, many were [...]

California’s Bill AB-920 would change the way state utilities treat Net Excess Generation by requiring the utilities to allow NEG rollover year to year, or by providing compensation to the user.

Most of us, I reckon, don’t give much thought to electricity bills. We don’t lie awake in bed dissecting our monthly energy use down to the watt-hour. Nor do we chat with co-workers about the wondrous world of weatherstripping (it saves so many kWhs in winter!). We certainly don’t subscribe to Electric Light & Power [...]

In order to make an educated purchase of a solar electric system, you need to understand all the elements. People often come to us thinking that net metering is the primary incentive for going solar. While that’s not true, net metering is a big piece of the picture. Learn more about the truth behind net [...]