Exploring the National Parks & Reducing (Car)bon Emissions Sarah Knapp began OutdoorFest in 2013 with the vision of connecting city slickers to the great outdoors, sustainably. She’s brought together hundreds of New Yorkers through Festivals, “Mappy Hours” and online resources like the Get Outside Guide. Most recently, she… Continue reading “Exploring the National Parks & Reducing (Car)bon Emissions”
Shading Losses for PV Systems, and Techniques to Mitigate Them This article was originally published on Aurora Solar’s Blog Since PV systems generate electricity based on the amount of sunlight they are receiving, it makes sense that when a shadow is cast on a panel, from either a passing cloud… Continue reading “Shading Losses for PV Systems, and Techniques to Mitigate Them”
Solar O&M: Tips for Contractors, The Future of Solar & Workforce Development The solar industry is booming, and there’s a lot to keep track of. From system configuration to energy storage, O&M (Operations and Maintenance) and beyond, the job of Franklin Beach Energy’s Managing Director Carter Wall is never really done. Sustainable woman Carter… Continue reading “Solar O&M: Tips for Contractors, The Future of Solar & Workforce Development”
Infrared Imaging & The Future of Solar PV: A 30 Year Industry Veteran Reflects Dr. James rand is a 30-year solar veteran, president of Core Energy Works, a HeatSpring expert instructor AND a Sustainable Scholar. He spoke with us about his professional journey, how the industry has changed, his HeatSpring courses and the future of… Continue reading “Infrared Imaging & The Future of Solar PV: A 30 Year Industry Veteran Reflects”
Developing Your Solar Project: Research, Permits & Market Opportunities Chris Lord and Keith Cronin discuss property records, attractive solar markets and permitting processes on the Solar Executive MBA Training discussion board. Takeaways: It’s often helpful to work with a county clerk when determining which property records you’ll need Solar market… Continue reading “Developing Your Solar Project: Research, Permits & Market Opportunities”
Solar + Storage Battery Considerations: Chemistry, Design & Charge Expert instructor Wes Kennedy answers 3 battery consideration questions in his Advanced Solar + Storage course discussion board… Student 1: One of the biggest hurdles we deal with on the commercial side of storage is the Authority Having Jurisdiction, or AHJ.… Continue reading “Solar + Storage Battery Considerations: Chemistry, Design & Charge”
Megawatt Systems: 3 Design Considerations On the Megawatt Design discussion board, Ryan Mayfield answers student questions about designing systems. He discusses surge protection, tilted arrays, and “levelized cost of energy.” Student 1: Do any of you specify surge or lightning-protective devices for your systems? Either on the… Continue reading “Megawatt Systems: 3 Design Considerations”
Women in Energy: POWERing Growth & Profit If gender-diverse companies financially outperform their less inclusive counterparts, then why do women make up only 24% of the solar industry? Why does this discrepancy exist and how can we work to eradicate it? Kaitlin Borstelmann of Portland Oregon Women in… Continue reading “Women in Energy: POWERing Growth & Profit”
Access the Tools, Network & Knowledge You Need to Advance Your Solar Career Here are the powerhouse solar courses you don’t want to miss: Megawatt Design – Master large-scale solar project design, learn how to get your projects permitted and installed faster and cheaper. Access valuable tools and resources, while advancing your career and the… Continue reading “Access the Tools, Network & Knowledge You Need to Advance Your Solar Career”
Installers: Put the Solar Breaker on the Opposite Side of the Main Breaker – Here’s Why In this discussion board thread, Sean White explains why installers need to put the solar breaker on the opposite side of the main breaker. Please share your experience in the comments section below. Student: Could you please explain the reasoning… Continue reading “Installers: Put the Solar Breaker on the Opposite Side of the Main Breaker – Here’s Why”
Fill in Your Knowledge Gaps – October HVAC Trainings Sharpen and grow your skillset via a technical, online course about heating, ventilation, cooling and air conditioning systems: Integrated HVAC Engineering – Master the complex interaction of room air temperature, humidity, mean radiant temperature, ventilation rate, lighting, sound, and even odors… Continue reading “Fill in Your Knowledge Gaps – October HVAC Trainings”
Building & Powering an Award-Winning Net Zero Energy Home Can a home be beautiful, powered entirely by solar energy, use sustainable heating and cooling systems and save it’s owners roughly $3,500 a year? Why, yes it can. Just ask Joanne Coons, who built her award winning, single-family, Net Zero Energy… Continue reading “Building & Powering an Award-Winning Net Zero Energy Home”
PPA Deal with 3 Investors: Questions to Ask to Model and Structure the PPA When you’re working on a PPA deal with multiple investors you need to know each investor’s end goal and then structure the PPA accordingly. Do you need to consider a Partnership Flip or the Unstructured model returns? Here’s a discussion from our… Continue reading “PPA Deal with 3 Investors: Questions to Ask to Model and Structure the PPA”
The Best Way to Sell Solar, According to a Nobel Prize Winning Economist “So Myron, have you installed solar panels on your house?” I asked. The answer was no: “I have these magnificent redwood trees, so that gives me trouble”… THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON BLOG.AURORASOLAR.COM ON 9/3/2016 …Indeed, we performed a shading analysis… Continue reading “The Best Way to Sell Solar, According to a Nobel Prize Winning Economist”
Climate Change: Global Crisis + A Wealth-Creating Opportunity? Boosting our economy – both nationally and globally – and solving humanity’s shared climate change challenge are not mutually exclusive endeavors. In fact, many of today’s brightest minds say they go hand in hand, and even make the case that climate change… Continue reading “Climate Change: Global Crisis + A Wealth-Creating Opportunity?”
Grow Your Green Building Skillset Online — From Design to Retrofits From building science to retrofits, energy modeling, smart homes, and beyond, HeatSpring offers a comprehensive marketplace of green building courses. Join your expert instructors for weeks of top notch technical training. Deep Energy Retrofits – Upgrade existing residential and commercial buildings… Continue reading “Grow Your Green Building Skillset Online — From Design to Retrofits”
Get Charged: Stylish Solar Bags Gaining Traction Solar is cool. Well… at least BirkSun’s new Boost Sports Collection is. Designed to be lightweight, durable, and waterproof, these bags were made for the active, youthful, and adventurous. Just under $250 and rechargeable via the sun or a wall outlet, Boost… Continue reading “Get Charged: Stylish Solar Bags Gaining Traction”
Meet NABCEP! By now, all solar professionals have heard of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) certifications. But, what does it mean to be NABCEP certified, and how can you get certified? How is the new Associate Program different from… Continue reading “Meet NABCEP!”
Key Microgrid Application Case Studies: Rural Electrification & Telecom Towers Microgrids are an emerging technology with few real-world examples to study. This new short course, taught by Dr. Andy Skumanich, covers two real-world examples of microgrid solutions for major application segments: rural electrification and off-grid telecom tower power. These two segments… Continue reading “Key Microgrid Application Case Studies: Rural Electrification & Telecom Towers”
The SunEdison Collapse & Today’s Solar Market It’s ugly out there. The folding of SunEdison has been a disaster for the industry. With the recent SolarCity announcement of Elon and the Rive Brothers using their cashed-in stock options to create a short term bond, what does this mean for an… Continue reading “The SunEdison Collapse & Today’s Solar Market”