In concept, going solar is simple: put solar panels on your roof, lower your utilities bills, and do some good for the planet. Sounds easy enough. But unfortunately it still isn’t that straightforward. I like to think of going solar as similar to buying a car in the 1900s. How do you sell a car to someone who’s not only never had one before, but never driven one and is paying a not-insignificant amount of money on something that’s still relatively new?

One of my customers, Sharon in Texas, introduced me to a great term: “explain-ee-ology.” It was actually coined by her young son who uses it to describe someone that can explain anything. I can’t explain everything, but I can explain what it takes to really help people understand why solar might be a great option for them. Because we’re all in it for the greater good, here are a few things I’ve picked up that I think should be standard practice among those of us on the front lines of solar.

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Democracy’s techno-savvy cousin, crowdsourcing, has reached the hallowed halls of Congress, thanks to California Rep. Henry Waxman and his Carbon Tax Bill. Hey, it worked for Veronica Mars fans so why not, you know, the planet?

So, for anyone who’s ever wished they could write the laws we live by, this is your shot. Of course, Waxman intends the call for action to be directed towards experts and leaders in the environmental realm but given that this is all happening online, we expect (hope) that the internet will once again act as a great equalizer.

The goals of the Carbon Tax Bill are three-fold: First, establish a carbon pollution fee for all types of greenhouse gases. Second, require major carbon polluters to obtain fee-based permits based on how much they pollute. And, finally, the bill would create a program to be jointly run and enforced by the Treasury and the EPA.

Here are the four main questions that Team Waxman is seeking guidance on:

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Teaching the Basics

Want to teach your kids about renewable energy in a way that’s relevant and interesting? If you’re installing a new solar power system for your home, it’s a perfect opportunity to talk about how it works, why it’s important for the environment, and if you’re really motivated, you can throw in some math lessons, too.  Solar power is complicated enough that older children (and adults!) can learn plenty of new information, but it can also be explained in a way that even younger kids can understand.

Solar Energy International has put together well-written FAQs for both younger and older kids. They’ve included everything from ‘what’s so great about the sun?’ to a simple explanation of how solar panels work. The Department of Energy also has a site about renewable energy made for kids, complete with games. Mom and Dad, unless you’re already experts, you’ll probably learn something yourself in the process of looking up how to explain this stuff to your kids.

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Yesterday, we teamed up with the folks at Veterans United to answer all of your questions about home solar with an emphasis on how VA loans can help our veterans save money on their monthly electricity bill. The short version above will give you a taste, but the the full version is worth watching here. If you’re a veteran or know someone who is, this is a must-see.

If there are minimal shadows going across your south (best), west or east facing (ok) roofline, right off the bat you are a candidate for solar. Now if you live in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, or Washington DC you are in an even better position because of state rebates and utility companies that allow solar interconnection with the grid (allows for a credit and debit system for pushing electricity into the grid during the day and pulling from the grid once the sun goes down) with somewhat open arms. Here are some questions to go over with the decision makers in your home.

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Please take the time to help us to help SB-43 pass.  It has the potential to revolutionize the way that solar is sold today, and open up the market to renters, people with wonky roofs, shaded homes, etc.

Summary (from Senator Lois Wolk):

“As proposed to be amended, SB 43 will establish a program that allows all utility customers – local governments, businesses, schools, homeowners, and renters – to access affordable, renewable energy. The bill will allow energy utility customers who are incapable of generating their own renewable energy on site using solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, windmills, or other generation systems to obtain renewable energy from an off-site renewable energy facility. Additionally, the bill will remove obstacles that deter schools and local governments from pursuing off-site solar opportunities. Customers will be able to purchase up to 100% renewable power with no state subsidies or cost shift to non-participating customers, while creating jobs and cleaning our environment.”

By Dave Llorens

A better Solyndra – How to double U.S. solar power for no extra money

Leave Picking Winners and Losers to Venture Capitalists

The Solyndra debacle grabs so much attention because it’s such a sensational example of the government picking winners and losers, and because it’s loudly wielded as a weapon against the Obama administration.  The latter fact is silly considering that the Department of Energy Loan program, what funded Solyndra’s loan guarantee, was actually started by President G.W. Bush. The program’s mission is to “accelerate the domestic commercial deployment of innovative and advanced clean energy,” – and provides loan guarantees to certain companies it chooses to. This means that private banks can fund the companies at low interest rates because, in the event of bankruptcy, Uncle Sam will foot the bill (the program actually set aside $10 billion to cover these losses). So far, including Solyndra, the losses are about half a billion.  Private capital was lost as well, as it’s difficult for investors to sit on the sidelines and not play ball with a company that just got $500MM in effectively free money, regardless of whether it’s a good business or not.

The problem isn’t that the government is encouraging the development of renewable energy – that’s awesome.  The problem is that the government is helping to pick the winners and losers and, well, even venture capitalists aren’t that good at doing it sometimes.  The government definitely isn’t.  Why should one company, like Solyndra, be deemed worthy of below-market loan rates while another company struggles to access capital? If this could be done efficiently, fairly, and most importantly, with a solid return, then it might be one of the tactics to bridge the gap between the incumbent trillion dollar fossil fuel industry which is heavily, heavily subsidized, and the budding, better, and less well capitalized challenger (solar).  Unfortunately, it can’t, so it’s not.

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I went around and asked 18 employees to give me a question that they answer every single day with solar customers. Together as a company we probably answer these questions thousands of times a week, so I figured I’d bang out all the questions in individual helpful videos with straight-shooting answers. Read the rest of this entry »

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