The Energy Show

You don’t have to be a Boomer to remember the days of simple DC wire connections to string inverters. For the most part, these times are long gone. Since 2010, module-level power electronics (MLPE) have taken over — and now, with batteries and advanced load control, solar systems have evolved into the energy focal point for homes. This Energy Show podcast highlights new capabilities from SolarEdge, broken up into two segments. Today’s podcast, the first SolarEdge segment, is focused on interests and needs for homeowners. We saved the geekier deep dive for installers in the second segment, which will be released in a few weeks. Joining us on these two SolarEdge podcast segments are Bertrand Vandeweile, SolarEdge’s new GM for North America, and John Ahlman, their Chief Marketing Officer. We dive into the benefits of optimized string inverters, batteries, and load control of multiple home devices. Discover why homeowners should care about lifetime system “energy harvest,” as well as the tradeoffs between open versus closed home energy ecosystems. Please listen to this first of two Energy Show podcasts with SolarEdge on www.EnergyShow.biz

Discover the benefits of switching to a heat pump when your AC breaks down, offering both heating and cooling with significant savings and improved comfort. Learn about the high efficiency of new heat pump models, individual room heating/cooling options, and how federal tax credits and state rebates can make installation more affordable. Find out why heat pumps are the smart choice for year-round comfort and cost savings.

Consider the poor photons! If your panels are dirty you are causing trillions of premature photonic deaths when they collide with dirt molecules. Please give those photons the chance to knock an electron loose from an eager semi-conductor. Instead of being converted to heat and banished to quantum hell. Save The Photons. Clean Your Solar Panels After just a week, your panels might look slightly dusty. But a light coating of dust doesn’t significantly block sunlight. However, severe grime, especially on low-tilt panels, can slash your output by over 25%! You can’t save all the photons all the time, but by watching your solar monitoring system you can tell mathematically — as well as visually — when your panels should be cleaned. If you have a larger system in an area with high electric rates and a dry climate, the economics of cleaning become more favorable. When it comes to cleaning solar panels there’s lots of bad advice on the internet…and even from manufacturers. On this week’s podcast we address WHEN you should clean your solar panels, as well as HOW. Please listen to the full “Save The Photons” podcast on The Energy Show at www.energyshow.biz. And keep these three things in mind: safety, the type of water, and the best cleaning agents.

Are you sick of all the heat pump hype? Skeptical about why you should buy one right away? Don’t mind paying huge bills to your utility for methane (natural gas)? Even heat pump enthusiasts like us agree with you — they are definitely NOT for everyone. Here are five reasons why heat pumps may not be the right thing for your house: 1. You don’t believe in global warming and prefer to burn fossil fuels 2. Heat pumps are too expensive 3. It's too complicated to install a HPWH or HP HVAC 4. You rent your house or plan to move 5. Your existing HVAC and water heater works fine With all the tax credits, rebates and financing options, heat pumps are more affordable than ever. They deliver significant energy savings, offer better comfort and provide superior indoor air quality — even for complicated installations. With efficiencies over 300%, heat pumps are almost always less expensive to operate over the long term, and can be installed in almost all existing homes. On the other hand, from an economic standpoint it often makes sense to wait until your existing heating equipment dies before replacing it with heat pumps. If you don’t believe in the science of global warming, maybe saving money with a heat pump will change your mind. For the full scoop and a heat pump reality check, please tune in to the full podcast at EnergyShow.Biz.

Jon Semingson, an expert in the clean energy industry, discusses the contrasting fortunes of the industry, highlighting a surge in demand alongside challenges like scarcity of skilled labor and financing uncertainties. The podcast delves into the urgency of addressing grid issues, policy setbacks, and the role of utility-scale solar in meeting escalating electricity demands driven by electric vehicles, AI, and heating needs.

The podcast discusses Elon Musk's decision to fire the SuperCharger team, highlighting the challenges of operating a fast charging network. It explores the high installation costs, permitting delays, and the financial struggles of EV charging sites. The episode also delves into the impact of utility monopolies on electricity prices at charging stations and proposes solar-powered solutions for cost-effective charging infrastructure.

10 years in the solar and storage industry qualifies most industry veterans as a solar old timer. But there is one person who stands out as a beacon of leadership, longevity and success. Ed Murray has been heating water molecules (solar thermal), converting photons to electrons (solar PV) and saving customers money since 1978. That’s 322 dog years! Ed Murray, CEO of Aztec Solar in Sacramento, knows solar thermal, PV and storage technology like the back of his hand. He’s managed to run his successful solar business in spite of the “solar coaster” craziness. But what impresses me the most about Ed is his industry leadership. Ed has been on the Board of Directors of the California Solar and Storage Association for 40 years, has been serving as its president since 2016, has been on the Board of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners for 14 years, and served on the Board of the Solar Energy Industries Association for 14 years. For a detailed dive into what it takes to be successful in the solar and storage industry for the long term, you don’t want to miss this episode of the Energy Show at www.energyshow.biz

It’s not a flippant comment or a classic jazz solo — but an existential question about the devastating trend our civilization is on due to climate change. The history of Earth Day shows how the worldwide environmental movement has evolved from concerns about in-your-face air and water pollution … to a focus on the invisible hazard of rising CO2 emissions. To a large degree we’ve cleaned up the worst of the visible air pollution, contaminated water, and toxic wastes hiding under a few feet of topsoil. In the first few decades of Earth Day, consumers, companies and governments were all pulling in the same direction to right these environmental wrongs. But something insidious happened due to the profits that can be reaped by polluting the Earth. Economists call it a Negative Externality (the imposition of a cost to one group of people as an indirect effect of the actions of another group of people). To fossil fuel companies, the negative externality they cause by producing oil and gas — which when burned pollutes the Earth with CO2 — is just a side effect to their record profits. For decades fossil fuel companies have been fighting and concealing this unprofitable truth. There is hope amidst this grim reality. The history of Earth Day shows how public opinion can indeed change this trajectory — especially as the effects of CO2 pollution impact all of us with flooded shores, burning homes and unlivable cities. For insights into our progress amidst this grim reality, please Listen Up to this week’s Energy Show.

Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Scott Sullivan, my friend and one of the best networked executives in the industry. Earthquake excitement has diminished in the New Jersey area, but seismic changes in solar continue around the country. In Part 1 we discussed what happens in the solar and storage industry — really every industry — when company profits decline. It’s a tough adjustment to make, and many companies have not yet recovered from this high interest rate environment. Nevertheless, the majority of companies have figured out the formula, and the topics that Scott and I discussed are summarized below: * What are the characteristics of a great solar and storage contractor? * What should potential customers look for in a contractor? * Have you seen any changes with the solar panels offered by contractors? * Have you seen any changes with the inverters and batteries offered by contractors? * Is solar financing recovering yet from high interest rates? * Are Virtual Power Plants (VPP) and Vehicle To Grid (V2G) technologies getting much traction? * And last but not least, what do you do for fun? If you missed any of Part 1 or Part 2 of our podcasts with Scott Sullivan, please visit ENERGYSHOW.BIZ and listen to the full podcasts.

The podcast discusses seismic changes in the solar and storage industry post California regulations. Topics include rising electric rates, declining equipment costs, AI impact, and challenges faced by solar installers. Guest Scott Sullivan highlights customer service, local company advantage, and adapting to industry changes.