Currently, residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, as well as batteries and energy storage on a residential scale, are not affordable for the average person. Batteries and solar PV will become more affordable (as shown above) over time with ever-improving technology and decreases cost as the market for energy storage and residential solar PV installation matures becoming…
Category: Solar
Quick Facts on Solar Affordability: The cost of a solar panel lease is about $700 a year The Federal government reimburses up to 30% of installation costs South Carolina has tax incentives up to 25% $18k in “profit” for SC residents in 15 years by adding tax credits and electricity savings over this period Costs…
According to The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification (LEED), “In the US, buildings account for 38 percent of all CO2 emissions.” LEED works to reduce environmental and societal impact of current buildings by reducing energy use, water use, and improving air quality through proper planning. Certification is aimed at new and innovative…
Passive solar design uses the natural energy from the sun for heating and cooling living spaces. Key aspects of passive solar include properly oriented windows, thermal mass, distribution mechanisms, and control strategies. Windows are used to collect solar energy and should face southwards for maximum solar input during the winter months and minimum input during…
People are getting interested in solar. They are interested in producing their own energy, reducing the energy bill, and taking another step in reclaiming self-sustainability. According to a 2015 article in Fortune, the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) reported, “[m]ore solar panels were installed on U.S. home rooftops in the first quarter of [the] year than ever…
1.2 billion people,17 percent of the global population, in the world presently live without electricity. In developing nations where incomes are low and jobs are difficult to find, there tends to be lower education achievement. A large part of has to do with lack of electricity; when the sun goes down, the books have to close. There are…
Conventional solar panels are sometimes regarded as an eyesore, but there are new forms for rooftop solar. Solar shingles are building-integrated photovoltaics that are integrated into the existing design of a conventionally-shingled rooftop. Solar shingles were introduced in 2005 and have since been making ground mostly in Colorado. Household solar shingles have the ability to cut…
As the world modernizes and realizes the urgency for cleaner energy sources, countries are writing policies to introduce more renewables onto their grids. Germany is a leader in this movement and has developed a policy that expedites this process. Energiewende is Germany’s energy policy enacted in 2011 to introduce a significant increase in the use of…
The Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana was one of the hardest hit areas in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Located adjacent to the Industrial Canal levy, the neighborhood flooded with over 20 feet of water. However, after this devastating blow, a conglomeration of humanitarian aid and philanthropic deeds, the community began…