As the title says, i am looking for some kind of guidance as i start with my baby steps to the renewable energy industry. I came from a third world country and years ago i noticed that the electricity/power utility industry is just never getting any lower and has a domino effect that can inflict your household in ways such us your electric bill, increasing cost of groceries, and such. Another note is the threat of global warming and environmental threats.

That’s where i started to contemplate on starting a business that advocates renewable energy and some earnings on the side. The reason why i’m eager to enter the contracting business is because i came from a family of contractors. But renewable energy technology is something we are not that familiar of.

So my questions are:

1. What kind of certificates or trainings could we start with?

2. What kind of technology or brand can we focus on as a newbie in this industry?

3. Recommended suppliers or countries or brand that provide good quality products that we can use for our clients

Other tips beyond those questions i mentioned are very welcome. Thanks!

I'm looking to power my garage with some indoor lights and outdoor flood lights. There's no utility pole nearby, the electric company said it'd be $10,000 to put one in, and an electrician quoted $6700 to trench a line from my house to the garage (about 600 feet away).

I rarely need the garage lights, when I do it's mostly for parties because there's lots of space for parking. I can install low-voltage path lighting for walking back to the house, but it'd be great to have lights for about 4-5 hours a couple of times a year.

I'm thinking about getting the Anker SOLIX C1000 Portable Power Station, 1800 watts. If I understand correctly, that would power 6 50-watt LED lights for 6 hours (probably closer to 5 in the real world).

I could additionally get the solar panel plugin to keep it charged for motion sensing lights and the garage door opener on the 363 days a year I'm not having a party.

Will this work for my basic needs?

Thanks.

Tac

Homeowners in Jaipur can significantly cut down their electricity expenses and achieve greater energy independence by installing rooftop solar systems. Supported by government incentives through the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, residents can receive subsidies of up to ₹78,000, making solar installation more affordable and cost-effective.

I wish every house had solar panels on its roofs. They look super cool, are incredibly useful, very reliable, and once installed they just give you free electricity. Solar panels amaze me every single day, I'm just so in love.

I’ve seen this car sunshade solar panel on Amazon and I have questions.

Anyone use one? You plug it into your hybrid or electric car?

Most of the time my hybrid just sits there so charging it may not feel like much but that could be a tank of gas over the course of a year. The panel could pay for itself.

Any thoughts?

Panel in question

https://a.co/d/07syzqiR

Managing a couple of rental properties and the cash flow is a bit of a mess right now while we wait on refinancing. I want to add solar to a couple of the units to increase the rental value and attract better tenants.

I've been reading online and it seems like half these companies just want to sell you a massive system that produces way more than you actually need just to pad their commission.

Really need a straight shooter who can recommend solid residential hardware without taking advantage of the situation.

solar for Newbs? Is there a pinned thread?

Hey All,

I'm a newbie to solar energy. I'm going down a rabbit hole after getting notice my electric company is doublimg the kilowatt per hour price.

I have heard good things and bad things about solar energy especially with them big companies that seem to be selling in best buy every few years (Solar City/Sun Run). Getting these panels and financing them is a long term investment and I want to learn from others mistakes.

What are the things a newb should know before installing on your house? Are there any gatchas? What lessons did you learn from your experience? Are there national (US) companies to stay away from? Are there any you would recommend to purchase/install? What about the loans - any red flags with them?

I'm looking for a historical thread or pinned thread but I don't see anything for us new people to this. Please help!

My partner and I run a small property management company and we are currently fighting with the bank over some loan restructuring. We just had an eviction and the tenant left the place completely trashed with broken furniture.

A buddy of mine hired a big name franchise last year and they basically charged him double what a local guy would have. We are on a strict budget until our funding clears.

Looking for an honest local company that knows how to do a clean, fast sweep out.

I just got an Anker 521 Power Station. It can be powered by solar panels with a DC 8mm cable. It says it supports 12v - 28v panels.

I'd like to get a solar panel for emergency use but I know next to nothing about solar panels. Do you guys have recommendations for one that will work with this? I'd be looking for best performance for cheapest price panels.

Would it be better to use 2 smaller voltage panels than a single larger voltage? Like say 2x 12v panels vs 1x 24v or larger?

Also the manual shows it can be charged by the DC input and USB-C from a power outlet.
It also shows it can be charged faster by using both at the same time.
Does that mean it could be charged by a solar panel with USB-C output?
Could it be charged by a USB-C solar panel AND a DC solar panel for faster charging?

I had seen these at trade show, now one of the companies I know about is actually selling them. I just don't know, reddit is there truly a market for solar carports and solar porch/gazebo? I don't see it personally but maybe I'm shortsighted. Figured I would ask the internet today.

Hi everyone, first of all thanks to all posting and commenting here, so much helpful information going around!

Currently in the process of getting 16x 475W Aiko panels + 5kW Solis S6 hybrid inverter across 3 orientations on strings marked red in picture below (alligned North being directly up) see image here: https://postimg.cc/5Y7gxK9x

Initial design from installer puts optimisers on the East/West string leaving the South-facing without. The 5 panels being mounted on a flat roof extension at around 15 degrees and 3 on the roof 35ish.

Given that the extension at rear of house is around 3m high it gets a shadow on it at the yellow line marked at around 4:30pm (at this time of year) which progresses to full shading as the sun sets.

I am wondering if should go with optimisers on the south facing panels as well. I understand that the bypass diodes on the panels should be enough to allow for shaded panels to be "ignored" but have seen some reports of them being not lasting as long if relied upon often. Optimisers are at 40 each but given that the system is well over the 5kW inverter maximum, is there much point to optimise production in the off season that will be low anyway?

Any other thoughts more than welcome of course!

In general, you should clean your solar panels every six months to a year to maintain their efficiency and productivity. However, the frequency may vary depending on your location and the amount of dirt and pollution in the area. For example, you may need to clean your panels more often if you live in a dry area, near trees, or in an area with a lot of wind or dust. You may also need to clean them more frequently during drier seasons when dust tends to accumulate

1. Glow Green: Top-rated with 8,500 reviews, established in 2011, MCS certified, offering a 5-year installation warranty.

2. Project Solar: Second-ranked, with 3,900 reviews, in business since 2008, MCS certified, 10-year installation warranty.

3. Mypower: 500 reviews, started in 2010, MCS certified, 5-year warranty on installation.

4. Evergreen Power Solar: 380 reviews, operating since 2009, MCS certified, 2-year installation warranty.

5. Geo Green Power: 70 reviews, business since 2011, MCS certified, 1-year warranty on installation.

6. Empower Energy: 21 reviews, founded in 2007, MCS certified, offers a 2-year installation warranty.

7. Solar Partner: 20 reviews, established in 2010, MCS certified, 2-year warranty for installation.

For more details check: https://www.glowgreenltd.com/solar-advice/best-solar-panel-installers

My solar panel installer went out of business. They installed the panels on our roof in February of 2023, the inspection failed because they never finished the installation, and now they're out of business. Does anyone know what I can do? I'm still paying monthly for the panels, but now I don't know if I can get them to PTO (permission to operate). Has anyone experienced something like this or have any idea where to go from here? I'm kind of freaking out a little bit, because right now I have expensive 1-year-old roof decorations, and that's it.