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As we reported in our August E-news, the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) is in process of making regulatory decisions that will determine whether solar energy will continue to be a financially viable alternative for homeowners. We encouraged consumers to voice support for

Note: This letter was recently submitted to the Editor of our local newspapers, by Maggie Watson, Co-Owner of Mendocino Solar Service Photo from: www.votesolar.org Dear Editor, California has the most solar systems in the country. Our State Senator Mike McGuire’s district is home to o

Net metering is under attack in California and elsewhere around the country. In California, critical regulatory decisions will be made soon that will determine whether solar energy will continue to be a financially viable alternative for homeowners. We encourage consumers to voice sup

Recently the US Government, under the administration of President Barack Obama, installed solar energy panels on the White House. But this is not the first time the White House has been solar-powered. President Carter had solar panels installed during his term, only to have President

Most people have heard that solar energy, as a green, renewable, nonpolluting energy source, can help reduce our ‘climate footprint.’ But it is not as widely known that solar energy is also a huge water saver! Solar energy production does not rely on water, unlike nonrenew

Under a law set to expire 2016, customers who install a new home solar system receive a 30% Federal Tax Credit. There is no upper limit on the credit (the more you invest in your system, the bigger the credit). Tax credits are also available for businesses. If the credit is not extend

As Go Solar California explains: “The California Solar Rights Act was created in 1978 (AB 3250, 1978), and it created a legal framework for solar access. The law includes protections to allow consumers access to sunlight (and prevent shading of systems) and to limit the ability

Solar energy is not produced by the sun’s heat, but by the physics of how the semiconductor cells work. They actually work better the colder they are. So those hot inland solar energy systems are actually losing some output on hot summer days, compared to their cool coastal cousins. W

One fact that often surprises people is that the most commonly installed residential solar energy systems do not have batteries. These “on-grid” or “grid-tied” systems are connected to the home’s electrical service, and feed any excess power being produced, beyond wh

  Scientific American reports: “The solar-powered airplane [which flew] over the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Hawaii, has set a slew of new world records, logging the farthest and longest flights made so far in a solar-powered aircraft. The Solar Impulse 2 plane set the new