Tag Archives: solar

Guest post by New England Clean Energy Customer Carl Howe Since my solar energy system was installed in Dec. 2013, and turned on in Jan. 2014, I’ve had a lot of questions from friends and neighbors about the process. Here is a summary of how I went solar through the Stow Solar Challenge in Stow,…  Read the entire post »

Guest Post by New England Clean Energy Customer Eric Richard   “You cannot manage what you cannot measure… and what gets measured gets done.” – Bill Hewlett Mark likes to say his customers become more energy-efficient after installing solar in an effort to zero out their electric bills. That definitely happened to us when New…  Read the entire post »

I’m back from our holiday break, with lots to write about, and more guest posts from our customers coming your way. Today, I ask you: Are you obsessed with monitoring your solar electric panels’ performance online, on a daily, hourly or even more frequent basis? It’s a common affliction with many solar owners, particularly new…  Read the entire post »

Despite the traction achieved by the solar industry in the past few years, naysayers still rear their ugly heads sometimes, raising bizarre and unsubstantiated claims about why solar is a bad idea. I remember reading an article a while ago that said solar systems were “failing” because dirt was collecting on the panels and reducing…  Read the entire post »

Often, people are crushed to learn their roofs aren’t solar-friendly — the neighbor’s towering pines cast too much shade, or the roof faces the wrong way to capture sunlight and convert it to electricity for your home. The good news is, more and more, home-owners, architects and builders are thinking solar before they design new…  Read the entire post »

Guest post by Roy Van Cleef, New England Clean Energy Technical Sales I generally tell customers that regular rain showers in New England keep solar panels clear of dust and pollen. But after a recent, particularly heavy accumulation of pollen on every exposed outdoor surface, I was curious as to the specific effect of the…  Read the entire post »

(This fourth and final post about shady solar workmanship offers tips on protecting yourself from unethical or incompetent installers.) Competition generally results in choices and lower prices. It can also create confusion and make it easy for shady solar installers to take advantage of people. In 7 years, I’ve seen my share of shoddy workmanship,…  Read the entire post »

(Third  in a series about shady solar workmanship, how to tell the difference between a good and bad solar installation, and how to protect yourself from unethical or incompetent installers. Thanks to Jonathan Williams, my partner and VP of Installation & Service, for contributing stories “from the trenches” for this series.) So we’re midway through…  Read the entire post »

(Second  in a series about shady solar workmanship, how to tell the difference between a good and bad solar installation, and how to protect yourself from unethical or incompetent installers. Thanks to Jonathan Williams, my partner and VP of Installation & Service, for contributing stories “from the trenches” for this series.) Most people think to…  Read the entire post »

(First in a series about shady solar workmanship, how to tell the difference between a good and bad solar installation, and how to protect yourself from unethical or incompetent installers. Thanks to Jonathan Williams, my partner and VP of Installation & Service, for contributing stories “from the trenches” for this series. ) Solar electric (photovoltaic)…  Read the entire post »