American Solar Energy Society

In this issue of Solar Today, we interviewed five solar influencers to get their thoughts on the pace, opportunities, and challenges of the solar industry. Jay Warmke Jay Warmke About the Influencer Jay Warmke is the author of numerous green technology books and has developed renewable energy curricula for numerous colleges and universities across North …

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Not long ago, DIY solar occupied a fringe part of the renewable energy industry. The typical self-installer was often portrayed as an off-grid enthusiast building a remote cabin, a prepper seeking energy independence, or a hobbyist piecing together equipment from online forums. Installing solar yourself was viewed as an alternative lifestyle rather than a mainstream …

Continue reading "DIY Solar Is Growing Up"

The affordability of solar has still never been properly tested. Solar’s competitiveness with conventional power becomes obvious when on-site energy systems supplant not merely the grid, but also heating and vehicles. In recent years, electric technologies have hit the market that enable modular, interoperable power, heating, hot water, and vehicle systems to be energy independent. …

Continue reading "The Soft Costs of U.S. Rooftop Solar Are Scandalous"

The short-term load demands that will be placed on the electrical grid over the next four years will be unprecedented. After several decades of near zero load demand growth, the system is about to see an energy shock akin to the oil crisis of the 1970s. Unprecedented Load Demand Growth In combination, the added load …

Continue reading "How AI Will Revolutionize the Way We Use Electricity"

In the 1800s, many American families were farmers. Think Little House on the Prairie or some other scenario that is vastly different from your current life. Farm work was all about getting the ground ready for seeds, putting seeds in the ground, and hoping to harvest enough for the winter. If you had a mule …

Continue reading "Solar Sal and the 200th Anniversary of the Erie Canal"

In 2000, the National Academy of Engineering named mass electrification and automobility as the first and second greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century.1 Now, a quarter century later, the two are converging through electric vehicles (EVs). However, many developments have been met with resistance. EVs are giant batteries on wheels. They could smooth out …

Continue reading "EVs and the Grid: Supporting Resilience, or Driving Defection?"

Californians are paying the second-highest residential electricity rates in the Country, and a popular explanation — that rooftop solar customers are shifting costs onto everyone else — has it backwards.1 Bundled average rates in PG&E’s service territory rose from roughly $0.24 per kWh in 2018 to $0.37 per kWh in 2024 in real USD — …

Continue reading "What Is Really Driving California’s Electricity Bills?"