Category Archives: Solar Education & Tips

We get many enthusiastic calls and emails from people ready to get solar installed on their roofs. Their enthusiasm is exceeded only by their disappointment if we tell them that their projected return isn’t that good because their roof is far less than ideal. How would we know? How could you know? Here are some…  Read the entire post »

Recent polling shows that 89% of Americans support solar power. So when a chance comes up to mention solar, you can pretty much assume you’re on solid “no conflict” ground regardless of all parties political affiliations. But it’s also true that it is usually best to get right down to the key details. Here’s our current list:…  Read the entire post »

SMART Highlights  The Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program, which pays homeowners and businesses in Massachusetts to generate solar energy, is finally here with the official start date of November 26, 2018. If you haven’t yet gone solar the time to sign up is now. And the SMART program is aptly named. The three best…  Read the entire post »

Well, this was an unexpected honor. New England Clean Energy has been named Best of the Best for solar by eight-time Emmy award winning investigative journalist Rich Noonan. As Noonan says in his news story, he did not tell anyone here at Clean Energy that he was researching our company. We knew nothing about this…  Read the entire post »

Taxes may be a dry topic, but if you want to save money with solar, this is a very important post. Please read on. I’ll start at the beginning. Jump ahead if you don’t need answers to the first few questions. And see the glossary of tax terms at the bottom of this post if…  Read the entire post »

Every year, trade magazine Solar Power World compiles a list of the top solar contractors in the country. New England Clean Energy ranks very high nationally for a small, regional player. And we’re #14 in Massachusetts based on megawatts installed in 2017, among all solar installers including huge developers. But truth be told, that’s not what I care…  Read the entire post »

I do not believe in bad-mouthing other solar companies. I do believe in helping homeowners make good choices. (Sorry to sound like the mother in Freaky Friday for fans of the film). That means talking to you about some of the bad practices we see in the industry. Earlier this summer, our solar consultant Todd…  Read the entire post »

The MassSolar website has an intriguing analysis on its blog today about the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, where new units are under construction. A higher than anticipated cost for the project has just been announced, pushing the total price to $18.4 billion. Our friends at MassSolar ask: “How much electricity could you generate…  Read the entire post »

Skeptics scoff when told that solar electric systems pay for themselves. I understand the skepticism because very few purchases in life truly pay you back. But most people do get the concept of a purchase that saves money, like LED light bulbs or a more efficient water heater. Solar is like that, but better. You…  Read the entire post »

If the extremely hot July we’re having has you cursing the sun, think again. Because solar energy systems in New England, powered of course by the sun, are having a real, measurable and positive impact on electricity prices and the planet in this oppressive heat wave. The evidence of this will turn you from a…  Read the entire post »