Amy Beaudet was in the solar industry at the altE Store from 2007 until her untimely passing in 2021. She was a sales rep, instructor, and an all-around solar evangelist, sharing her passion for solar around the world. When whe wasn't at work, she enjoyed sailing and skiing - but odds were good she was still talking about solar on the boat or on the slopes. See more of Amy Beaudet's blog posts.
bluShift Aerospace launched the Stardust 1.0 prototype sounding rocket from the Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone, Maine, marking Maine’s first commercial rocket launch and the world’s first commercial rocket launch powered by bio-derived fuel. On January 31, 2021, just as…
Read more
Update: Terrific news came recently. As part of the recent spending package signed on Dec. 28, 2020, the Solar ITC federal tax credit stepdown has been delayed until 2023. That means all applicable solar systems installed in 2021 and 2022…
Read more
It’s time. Your RV or boat’s lead acid battery bank had a good run, but just isn’t able to hold a charge anymore – so what should you do? Using battery desulphators could help squeeze some more life out of…
Read more
Rapid Shutdown Recap When last we met, we discussed NEC 690.12 Rapid Shutdown requirements for inverters. For Part 2 of this topic, we are going to discuss options for Rapid Shutdown (RSD) for charge controllers. As there were initially very…
Read more
Rapid Shut Down In 2014, the National Electrical Code included a new requirement, 690.12(1) through (5). It was a short requirement – only six sentences. PV system circuits installed on or in buildings shall include a rapid shutdown function that…
Read more
A Long History of Solar SolarWorld has been manufacturing solar panels in the USA since 1975. Back then, the price of oil was $13 dollars a barrel, and gas was $0.44 a gallon at the pump. Gerald Ford was president…
Read more
The 120% Rule and Your Main Breaker Panel’s Limitations The altE Store started designing and selling grid-tied solar systems way back around the year 2000. Back then, a typical solar system was about 5000W. Nowadays as the price of solar…
Read more
Six months later in Puerto Rico It has been 6 long, hot months since Hurricane Maria decimated the island of Puerto Rico, and other islands in the Caribbean. While some progress has been made, a tremendous amount of work remains….
Read more
How do you solve a problem like Maria? Wednesday, September 20, 2017 was a day that changed Puerto Rico forever. Hurricane Maria tore across the island, destroying almost everything in her path. Puerto Rico’s infrastructure was damaged beyond recognition. Homes, roads,…
Read more
Solar Power International 2017 SPI is the largest solar trade show on the planet. How did we start each day? Well, to our pleasant surprise, each day started out with a smile, as every morning (and throughout the days of the show)….
Read more