Installing solar panels on your house is a great way to cut down on energy expenses and help the environment. Solar panels have gained momentum in recent years, and countless homeowners are now turning to them as an alternate source…
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Are you looking for an eco-friendly and cost-efficient way to power your electronics? Building your own portable solar generator is a great way to do just that!
Solar Queen Amy Beaudet was an outstanding communicator and educator. She made videos that helped both DIY solar enthusiasts and professional solar installers understand a range of solar energy concepts from the broad to the specific. Over the years, based…
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Solar Queen Amy Beaudet was best known to the world as a great educator through her DIY solar power YouTube videos for altE. But those of us who knew her personally knew that her passion for and understanding of solar…
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Solar Queen Amy Beaudet educated and inspired millions of viewers in the 11 years she was making YouTube videos. From researching and shooting to editing, publishing, and engaging in the comments, she was a one-woman show and a fountain of…
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Note that unless otherwise noted, this article focuses on solar panels utilizing crystalline silicon (c-Si) cells – by far the most common type of cell currently used in solar panel manufacturing. It’s no surprise that as solar PV has become…
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Solar panels are so durable and work for such a long time that you may never have considered what to do with them when one breaks or the array finally stops producing power. But nothing lasts forever – and if…
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There are two versions of the Federal Solar Tax Credit: the Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit (a personal tax credit) and the Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (corporate tax credit). This article pertains to the residential version. Updated 8/25/22 –…
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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…
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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…
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