Fostering the creation of local communities of people interested in solar is a big part of 1BOG’s mission. Our community outreach department is one of the hardest working groups in the company – each day they work the phones, tweet, email, Facebook (is that a verb yet?), and conduct old-fashioned personal community outreach, all in an attempt to rally people across the country to spread the solar message! In the course of these community-building efforts, we’ve been impressed by the enthusiasm many Christian leaders have for advancing the clean energy revolution in the United States.

Particularly among Christian evangelical groups, support for renewable energy is impressive. This support has its roots in recent history – way back in 2006, over 100 prominent Christian leaders from across the country created the Evangelical Climate Initiative (ECI). ECI calls for immediate action on human-induced climate change and recognizes the pressing need to convert to renewable energy. Supporters of this initiative include high-powered evangelical Christian pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Orange County, CA (more details about 1BOG’s Orange County solar group discount). And just this month, four conservative Christian leaders urged the passage of federal legislation that would help move America more rapidly toward electric vehicle adoption.

Here at One Block Off the Grid, we’re excited to partner with all types of religious groups to spread the word about solar because we recognize that these organizations are essential hubs in their communities and sources of both inspiration and information to their members.

Would you like to share information about solar energy with your church, synagogue, YMCA, workplace, or other community group?  Send an email to community [at] 1BOG.org and we will provide you with resources, suggestions, and support.

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Can solar panels work in the fog?

The short answer: YES, solar panels do work when it’s foggy. Fog and clouds, unlike shade, allow some sunlight to reach your roof. The amount of power you’ll generate depends on the thickness of the fog; if the cloud cover is at its worst, your panels might produce only 5-10% of the energy they normally do, but a thin layer of fog has much less impact on solar energy output. Even if you live in an area with lots of foggy days, what really matters is how much sunshine your roof receives over the course of a whole year, not on a given day. Your utility company will look at the yearly data in order to calculate how much power you’ve generated overall.

To see how this works, take a look at the famously foggy city of San Francisco.

Solar power in San Francisco

Because it’s surrounded by water on three sides, inland heat tends to draw cool ocean air across San Francisco, often enveloping it in fog. There’s actually an advantage to the relatively cool weather in SF: solar panels work their best when they don’t get too hot. Read the rest of this entry »

Ten Countries with the Most Installed Solar Energy (in MW*)

We hear a lot about how Germany and Spain have increased solar energy greatly in recent years with supportive government policies. We also hear a lot about China’s big clean energy push. And, despite trouble getting the US federal government to do much for solar energy, we know that the US is still continuously moving forward on this front. But have you ever wondered which countries in the world have the most installed solar energy?

Below are the top ten countries in the world according to installed photovoltaic (PV) solar energy capacity. Think you know the order? You might be surprised…see if you can name all ten countries in the right order before continuing on. Read the rest of this entry »

A big part of our mission at One Block Off the Grid is to educate people on the ins and outs of going solar. This is a tough challenge, because it is easy for the average homeowner to get confused by the all of the conflicting information and technical jargon that is flying around in today’s market. Some solar installers have even used this confusion to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers…

Here at 1BOG, it’s our role to cut through that confusion, so we’ve compiled a list of ten brand new articles we published at 1BOG’s Solar University that our members have found extremely helpful.

1. The Pro’s and Con’s of Solar Energy – Curious about why solar is such a good idea for homeowners and the environment? This article lays out some important points to consider.
2. Feed-in Tariffs (”FiTs“) – What homeowners need to know about this hot new topic. Europe’s been doing it successfully for years…and it’s already landed in the US. Learn more about Oregon’s Feed in Tariff program. Read the rest of this entry »

1BOG’s Long Island campaign is just over a month old and it is already shaping up to be one of the most successful campaigns in 1BOG history! Recently, our solar advisor team noticed an interesting trend in the overwhelming interest we have received from Long Islanders – south shore homeowners in towns such as Babylon, Freeport, Massapequa, and more have realized that their rooftops are prime locations for solar energy.

While this probably won’t surprise residents of these sunny spots (I mean, locals have known all along that these towns are some of the sunniest on the island), this is the first time we have seen such a pronounced geographic trend emerge in one of our local campaigns. With the most heavily discounted 1BOG price in the nation (a flat $4.67 per watt installed) and 18-month interest free financing available through Mercury, 1BOG’s Long Island solar campaign is one of the most amazing deals for solar we have ever seen. Read the rest of this entry »

By now we all have heard that solar power has huge advantages over traditional, fossil-fuel based energy sources; see our article on the pros and cons of solar energy for more information. Here, we’ve checked out how solar energy stacks up against other forms of renewable energy.

Solar vs. Wind

• Wind turbines can take a lot of space and be noisy, so they’re better suited for rural rather than urban locations.
• Wind energy works best in windy places, not surprisingly. Solar power is versatile– Germany is currently the largest market for solar panels, even though it’s not known as a particularly sunny place. In other words: it’s more important to live in a windy place if you want to use wind turbines than it is to live in a sunny place if you want to use solar panels.
• Wind turbines require maintenance, and solar is virtually maintenance-free.
• Wind power can be less expensive to produce initially. On the other hand, the federal tax credit, state and local incentives, and SRECs are making solar power more affordable. 1BOG is also helping by negotiating group discounts for communities. In some places, you can recoup your investment in solar panels really quickly.

Solar vs. Hydropower

Read the rest of this entry »

As especially webby specimens of solar nerds, we at 1BOG of course have our Google alerts set to hair trigger. When this post about 1BOG recently popped up in an online Nissan Leaf forum, we were anxious to hear what this group of particularly tech savvy early adopters would have to say about our approach. The thread started off pretty skeptical and actually ended up with one of the commenters getting a home evaluation through 1BOG. Here’s what he had to say:

The 1BOG/Heliopower guy impressed me. He did a preliminary survey my roof
the way I would have wanted to see it done and seemed more interested in creating
a system I wanted rather than what he had to sell. However, he also explained why
what he had to sell was the right choice for me, and I went away comfortable that
I would get a system I could be happy with.

The “other guy” (whose name and affiliation shall not be revealed, except maybe
privately) was all about the hard-sell and only interested in closing a deal. He did
not provide me with any of the knowledge a person would need to make an
educated decision. In fact, I was quite turned off by the whole experience. Therefore,
he and the company he works for are no longer under consideration. Not at any price.

(See the whole 1BOG Nissan Leaf post thread for yourself)

Read the rest of this entry »

Philadelphia, welcome to the clean energy revolution!

As featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer today, One Block Off the Grid is excited to announce the start of the first Philadelphia solar group discount in the city of brotherly love. With up-front, published solar panel pricing of $5.09 per watt depending on system size, going solar has never been more affordable for Philadelphia homeowners.

In fact, 1BOG’s price is 15% better than other published prices, meaning that you could cut your solar payback time by several years! For this campaign, 1BOG has chosen one of the best solar installers in the Philly area, Mercury Solar Systems. We were impressed by Mercury’s attention to detail and professionalism when we paid them a visit back in the spring, and with over 1,000 solar installations to-date Mercury is one of the most experienced installation companies in the mid-Atlantic.

Here’s what you need to know about the advantages of getting solar for your home with 1BOG in Philadelphia:

Read the rest of this entry »

Ahoy frugal and eco-conscious women! You’re invited to a free webinar on how easy and affordable it is to take your household solar these days.  Save big money and preserve the environment for future generations by learning how to tap into this free, clean source of energy. Jeanine Cotter of Luminalt will be in the house, and you really don’t want to miss it. She’s funny, knowledgeable, and well-known as a solar hero at large!

What you’ll learn:

–The basic steps of going solar
–How to determine if solar is right for your home
–How to calculate your energy savings
–Solar rebates available from the government
–Newer, more attractive styles of solar panels
–Answers to your specific questions

Register here for this free webinar. It’s happening at 7PM Pacific on Thursday, July 29th.

1BOG Member Roger W.’s solar installation was activated in late October 2009, and he reports that “the savings started showing up immediately.” Roger is on level billing with Entergy, his utility company in New Orleans, which means that his bills are based on the previous 12 months’ worth of energy usage, so his average cost per month is dropping gradually as his new, much lower level of grid reliance is factored in. In April, he had his first electricity credit of 42 kilowatt hours for the month and even without the AC cranked up yet, his solar panels were already saving him about $250 in electricity costs. He says, “the months of June and July should be very interesting.”