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One of the first questions many homeowners have when initially looking into solar power is – how long do solar panels last?

The question of solar panel lifespan is a reasonable one. After all, everything degrades in time and solar panel systems are no exception to this rule. The comforting answer to this question is that every major solar panel manufacturer guarantees that their solar panels will be producing energy at 80 percent efficiency or greater by the 25 year mark. Although warranties guarantee that panels will be producing at 80 percent by year 25 , they will most likely be producing at closer to 85 percent as efficiency degrades about 0.5 percent per year (Panels lose about 3 percent the first year).

Another great thing about solar panel systems is that many homeowners will be able to add panels to their systems as needed. After 20 or 30 years, if their systems are not producing as much energy as required due to efficiency loss, or if general energy usage increases, more panels can be added. This should further minimize concerns about how long a solar panel system lasts.

The life expectancy of solar panels are, in fact, quite a bit longer than 25 years. There are solar cells that are still producing power that are now more than 40 years old. Beside efficiency levels, the panels themselves are very durable. There are no moving parts or anything liable to break with continued use. The one exception here is the inverter – the device that transforms the D.C. energy to A.C. energy. Traditional string inverters need to be replace approximately every 10 years. However, many installers are choosing to use micro-inverters which can carry 25 year warranties and be priced comparably with string inverters.

What about that whole cost thing?

Having to add a panel or two or replace an inverter does not have a significant affect on the total cost of solar. The massive savings over conventional energy will still be there. Since the payback for a solar panel system is now much shorter than 10 years, on average, a small part of the long term savings can be utilized to add an additional panel or two. As solar panel systems last for decades, it will be common place to see them being passed down to the next generation in many households.

While a very high percentage of residential solar installations have occurred in the past ten years, there have been enough prior installations for solar technology to have proven itself. Of course, in the next 15 to 20 years, hundreds of thousands of homeowners will be reaping the long term rewards of going solar.

These solar panel brands all produce exceptional panels with long term warranties to back them up. The long term warranties are simply a testament to how durable and trustworthy the technology is. This should be no surprise as solar engineers have been working on this tech for decades now. It’s easy to imagine how much of the process has been further refined and improved over the years.

Comparing a solar panel system to other things in life that are commonly used makes them look even better. How often do people replace their cars? Refrigerators? Air conditioning units? Hot water heaters?…Etc. Solar panel systems will outlast many of the things we use. Now that’s something that can be called a great investment.

We’re most of the way through 2015 and solar panel direction is still a debatable topic. This is because the question – “which direction should solar panels face?” – is still a viable one.

With the help of analysis done by a big data provider for utilities, Opower, we’ll look into some numbers. Opower develops software that allows utilities to reduce energy usage and helps their customers save money.

The company’s study revealed what may be a growing trend in certain parts of the country. While south-facing panels are able to generate the most electricity throughout the year, western facing solar panel installations may be just as attractive for homeowners in certain areas of the United States. While we could see many more homes with western facing solar installations, the fact remains that a very high percentage are southern facing as the following image reveals.

There are a few reasons why a western facing installation can be advantageous. First of all, home energy usage begins to peak around 3 pm, when people begin to arrive home from work, and continues through the early evening hours. Western facing solar panel systems generate 23 percent more electricity in the late afternoons compared to southern facing system. In certain parts of the country where utilities charge a time of usage fee, western facing systems can produce electricity that can be sold back to their utility at considerable rates. It’s possible that the monetary advantages of a western facing installation can offset the additional energy output gained from a southern facing installation.

On the other hand, southern facing systems reach peak output at 12pm, while western facing systems peak at 2pm and continue producing more than southern systems until sundown.

Although west facing panels produce 10-20 percent less energy in total than southern facing systems, western facing systems do a better job of producing power when utilities need it, as can be seen below.

Of course, for a very high percentage of residential solar panel installations, there isn’t necessarily much choice in this matter. The direction that a homeowner’s roof faces will determine the direction that the solar panels will face. For example, if a particular home has a roof in which one side faces north-west and the other south-east, the panels must be put on the south-east side as northern facing roofs receive very little sunlight.

So what’s the best direction for solar panels to face? As one can see, it really does depend on where the homeowner lives. Some utilities have various ways to compensate solar customers who help them meet their peak energy demands, which can make western facing installs look very attractive.

What about homes with south-western facing roofs? Well those homes are obviously idea for solar as they can offer the best of both western and southern facing solar installs.

Looking towards a future in which home energy storage becomes economical, southern facing installs win this debate as, again, they produce the most amount of energy throughout the day. In this case, total energy stored matters more than time of day peak energy demand.

The good news is that a vast majority of homeowners can go solar because western, southern, and even eastern facing rooftops can allow solar panel systems to generate all the power that’s needed.

A recent solar industry report predicts that there will be 1 million American residences with a solar panel system on their rooftops by February of 2016. The report, from EnergySage, details the amazing growth of solar in the United States over the past decade.

There were only approximately 30,000 homes that were utilizing solar power in 2006. This relatively low number is not surprising considering the fact that the cost of solar back then was a considerable $9 per watt. Prices are now much closer to $3 per watt with an affordable installer.

The solar power industry is now worth $7 billion and growing. The word is quickly spreading about this now very cost effective and emission free energy source. In fact, it is estimated that there are currently about 6 million people shopping for solar. More than 300,000 will eventually purchase a solar panel system this year.

This growth trend will continue in the coming years. It’s predicted that there will be at least 3.8 million homes that have gone solar by the year 2020. We could easily see much more than 4 million if growth rates continue.

Growth rates are also spurred by the very many ways that a solar power system can be financed. Expensive, long term leases can now be avoided now that solar panels systems are viewed as low risk for banks and other lending institutions. Government sponsored green energy loan programs are now also widely available. There are now no more concerns about having to come up with the cost of a system upfront. A very high percentage of homeowners now choose to acquire a loan rather than pay cash or sign up for a lease.

It’s fair to say that the 1 million home mark is just the beginning for residential solar power. The reason for this is that solar still only provides a very small percentage of the country’s energy usage. However, there is nothing to stop solar from eventually becoming a major source of energy for the country. In fact, it the current trends continue, this is exactly what will happen.

So here’s to an early 1 million solar homes celebration. We’ll see the next million after that before too long.

Speaking at The Griffith Observatory this past Wednesday, October 7th 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown announced his further support for renewable energy measures.

He has set the goal for his state to be generating 50 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources, mainly wind and solar power, by 2030.

In addition to world wide climate goals, he has also mention the very important fact that renewable energy can improve the health of the citizens of California. “We are talking about the big world of avoiding climate catastrophe, but we are talking about the immediate world of people living in Riverside, Los Angeles, and other places”. The Governor is specifically referencing air pollution, which continues to be a significant problem for many cities in California.

Another bill just signed – AB 693 – makes affordable solar power much more accessible to lower income communities. The bill assigns $100 million for solar to be installed at 215,000 multifamily housing units over the next 10 years.

Energy efficiency is also a very important part of the Brown’s clean energy initiatives. In order to meet its overall goals, energy efficiency must be doubled in homes, offices, and factories across the state.

While the governor’s third proposal, to cut the state’s gas usage, didn’t make it to the bill there will still be implementation of more electric vehicle charging stations. State Senate Leader, Kevin de Leon, wants to make charging stations “as ubiquitous as gas stations are.” Brown has stated that he will continue working on this issue even though it wasn’t added to the bill.

The utilities know that they must be completely on board with these measures to meet or beat the proposed timelines. The president of electric operations at Pacific Gas & Electric, Geisha Williams, has stated – “We have no doubt that we’ll be able to get there. We have a real opportunity to create a model that other states and nations can follow.”

The Governor is also likely to expand the Air Resources Board so that that communities that experience high levels of air pollution can get on a path to cleaner air.

It should go without saying that it is immensely important that California continues to lead the way in our transition to a clean energy society. The state has a considerable economic and cultural impact on the nation and the rest of the world as well. The Governor knows that he must do the right thing in terms of environmental protection.

It’s also fair to say that these decisions are easier to make now that the costs of wind and solar power are now on par or even cheaper than conventional sources of power. Moving forward, the real transition to renewable energy will happen when the costs of energy storage drop just a bit more. When the costs of solar plus battery storage is economical, and we’re real close, then we’ll start to see an even quicker adoption of renewable energy. We’ll finally be able to rely completely on clean energy at that point.

Hopefully more states and nations will take note of what California is doing. Only if we all work together on this task will we be able to reach our vitally important goals in the coming decades.

Utilities may be slow to enter the residential solar industry, but their foray into grid scale solar power is substantial. This is primarily due to the fact that solar power is cheaper than natural gas at this level.

Data from a recent report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that electricity from less expensive solar plants will be sold by 2021. While the plants and the power might not be sold for a few years, the pricing is set. Power from solar plants will be sold at $42.1 per megawatt hour. On the other hand, natural gas costs $48.1 per megawatt hour. These costs, from the wholesale residential solar perspective, translates to about 4 cents per kilowatt hour.

Utility-scale solar has come a long way in the past 10 years. There is now 31 times more installed solar then there was a decade ago. As astonishing as this may initially sound, the fact remains that the solar industry is still in its very early stages of growth.

What’s special about this particular point in time is that it is concerned with a concept called grid parity. At the utility scale, solar has finally achieved (and surpassed) grid parity with fossil fuels. This means that the cost of solar has equaled and is now cheaper than coal and natural gas. The implications of this is that we can expect an explosion of solar power growth in the coming years.

The big picture here is that we still need further massive solar growth at all levels – utility, commercial, and residential. It’s encouraging to know that solar is now less expensive than other sources of energy at every scale.

It’s been written many times and in many places on this site that, as of 2015 the price for affordable residential solar power is approximately 8 cents per kilowatt hour. Earlier in this article, 4 cents per kilowatt hour was mentioned for utility scale solar. Why twice as much for residential solar? This is mainly due to the cost advantages of the economies of scale – as the size of the solar project increases, the costs decrease to a certain extent.

Unfortunately, there are still many homeowners who end up paying four times as much as the cost of utility-scale solar, or twice as much as the true cost of residential solar power. This is the price that solar leasing companies charge their customers. Not only are they paying way too much, but they remain renters of electricity instead of owners.

Power companies should be obligated to pursue investments in solar at every scale. In addition to investing in grid-scale power purchase agreements, they need to also offer commercial and residential solutions. However, smart homeowners will continue to opt for ownership as the benefits far outweigh leasing from a utility or other large solar company.

So here’s to the continued solar power revolution in all of its various forms. Eventually the scales will be tipped far enough in favor of solar to even dissuade fossil fuel interests from continuing with business as usual.

It’s looking like a solar powered future from here.

Power utilities across the country are beginning to consider entering the residential solar power market.

Major power companies in Texas, Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan are looking to jump into the rooftop solar game. It could be argued that this move was inevitable as residential solar power has been spreading at considerable rates.

Utilities are starting to realize that they should offer their own solar power solution rather than witness a continued degradation in the amount of power that they sell to the residential market. Raiford Smith, a vice president of CPS Energy in San Antonio, Texas, said it best – “The whole theory is you need to serve your customer or someone will serve them for you.”

The preceding quote really sums up what is going on with emerging trends in the energy industry. Solar technology is changing the landscape very quickly. Utilities are becoming aware that they no longer have a monopoly on how electricity is generated and used.

While many utilities across the country have been waging wars against residential solar power, it’s becoming quite clear that solar is here to stay. The bottom line is that solar represents a new technology which has multiple benefits and must be allowed to compete in the marketplace. The arguments against solar from power companies has been and will continue to be quite weak. More utilities will finally realize this and decide to offer solar as well in the coming years.

As utilities enter the rooftop solar market, homeowners are now presented with three unique options for their solar panel systems; The large solar leasing companies, local solar installers, and the utilities.

So what will likely happen in a marketplace served by three unique types of entities?

Only one of these groups are truly looking out for homeowners’ best financial interests – the local solar installers. On the other hand, the large solar leasing companies and power companies will simply try to discover what is the highest amount they can reasonably charge their customers. One thing is for sure, it won’t be anywhere close to a fair price for solar power.

For example, solar leasing companies in high priced electricity markets will typically sell their service by saying – “You’re currently paying $0.20/kilowatt hour on average. Sign with us and we’ll lock in your lower solar power rate at $0.17/kilowatt hour. You’ll save thousands over the long term.” Utilities are likely to do something similar – “Go solar with us and you’ll save money right away”.

Again, the local installers have a huge price advantage by offering solar power solutions at about half the cost of the prices just mentioned. The main difference is that they do not want to become the new power companies. They want their customers to become their own mini power companies.

This is the true opportunity with solar power – you own your home, you can now own the power that you need.

The smaller, local solar panel installers are simply looking for a one time fee for their service before they go on to help another homeowner go solar. Unlike the leasing companies and power companies, they are not looking to make as much as they can from their neighbors. They’re trying to do the right thing.

One optimistic outcome here is that successful local installers should put some downward pressure on the pricing of their larger competitors. The assumption here is, of course, that solar remains a fair and equal playing field. All solar organizations should be allowed to compete and homeowners should be given all choices available.

If residential solar ownership eventually becomes the norm, we would essentially be witnessing a complete transformation of an entire industry. As power corporations lose their massive profits, the masses will benefit by the democratization of electricity. At the same time, the green energy lending business would flourish. Solar power loans would become a staple at banks and credit unions alike.

It will be interesting to see if power companies have enough foresight to offer reasonable rates for their rooftop solar solutions. They could easily stand to continue to lose many more customers if they don’t.

Engineers from the University of Stanford have created a transparent, silica material that increases the efficiency of solar cells.

This very thin, patterned silica material is able to help dissipate a significant amount of heat that is captured by solar panels. Solar pv cells convert light photons into electricity, not any available heat.

A common misconception about solar power is that hot locales are perfect for solar power. In actuality, extreme heat reduces the overall efficiency of solar cells.

This new solar application can reduce temperatures by about 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This increases cell efficiency by 1 percent. One percent may not sound like much, but for large scale utility applications, this is considerable.

Another perspective for this 1 percent figure is to realize that solar cell engineers are constantly working on improving solar efficiency percentages. Improvements are typically in the range of tenths of a percent, so a whole percent increase is actually quite substantial.

From the residential solar point of view, this development may not be as noticeable. For the average homeowner, additional long term savings may only be in the hundreds of dollars. This application should hopefully be available to installers, in the near future, for a very small additional increase in the cost of solar panels. If the cost is significant at all, the added efficiency benefits will not be worth it.

It may actually be quite awhile before this technology is taken to market. One reason is that this silica overlay is “suited for clear and dry environments”. Even desert climates experience their fair share of rain, so if this material can’t hold up to a little moisture then their potential real world solar application potential may be limited.

It’s fair to say that we can look forward to more potential solar power breakthroughs that will make an already viable industry look that much more appealing. The big picture is that the time for solar power expansion is now. Any further improvements in solar cell technology will only increase its rapid adoption rates.

While not necessarily a new concept, the idea of “solar suburbs” is looking much more likely to be commonplace in the near future.

A solar suburb is not just a neighborhood in which every home has a solar panel system on its rooftop. It actually refers to a completely new way in which we will generate and use electricity. In addition to residential solar power systems, every homeowner will also have an electric vehicle and a home energy storage system.

This new way in which we will generate and use electricity has the homeowner as the central focus, instead of monopolistic power utilities. It’s all part of the democratization of society. How it will work is fairly simple. Home solar systems generate electricity. That electricity will be used to power household appliances, power electric vehicles, and charge home battery systems. Will there be enough power from solar pv systems to do all of this? Of course. As more homeowners in a given neighborhood go solar, there will be plenty of shared energy to go around.

As many of these suburban dwellers drive their electric cars downtown to work, they are actually taking some of their electricity with them. While they’re working, their plugged in electric cars will help alleviate some of the peak power demand in the city. This is just one of the many benefits of distributed energy.

Admittedly, this solar suburb idea is still a few years away simply due to the economics of the situation. While net-metered solar power systems are now very cost effective, electric vehicles and battery storage systems need some time to come down price wise. The good news is that this reality is on the way. It’s not a matter of if but a question of when.

Tesla’s Gigafactory will help pave the way for the democratization of electricity. Through economies of scale and an overall further reduction in battery prices, home energy storage systems and electric vehicles will become considerably more affordable in a few short years. As their Gigafactory model proves to be successful, other companies will follow suit.

The end result will be a much lower carbon footprint creating a healthier environment and a much more “powerful” middle class. The mantra – power to the people – now has multiple meanings.

Those who have already gone solar are well on their way to becoming a part of our solar powered future.

All too often, news stories about solar power deal with some major solar panel efficiency breakthrough that will completely change everything about this abundant energy source.

The truth of the matter is that improvements in solar cell and solar module efficiency do not need to occur for the solar power movement to continue growing as quickly as it is. The primary reasons for this are twofold; one concerns price and the other deals with installation space.

Let’s consider price for starters. Public sentiment appears to be that if there is some miraculous breakthrough in efficiency percentage that solar power will finally be cheap and widely available. The main reason why this doesn’t matter is the fact that the price of solar panels only represents about 25 percent of the total cost of going solar. So if some new technology is taken to market tomorrow which doubles the efficiency levels and you only need half as many solar panels, the cost of solar power does not change too dramatically. In this example in which the efficiency level takes a considerable leap and doubles, total savings are only a bit more than 10 percent.

The other consideration, available space, is not an issue either. On a national scale, a very small percentage of the total land mass in America would be needed to supply the whole country with electricity from solar energy. On a scale that matters more to most of us, in a high majority of cases, a homeowner’s rooftop allows for enough space for a solar panel system to supply that home with all of the energy it requires.

There are easily many thousands of scientists and engineers that have been working to improve solar efficiency for many years now. All of this time and expertise has only resulted in incremental improvements. This is not to say that there will not eventually be some major breakthrough in the near future. The point should be that solar power savings are possible right now. Why wait any longer to start saving on electricity bills?

While it is understood that the many news organizations that exist need a constant supply of stories to stay current and relevant, solar panel efficiency breakthrough stories do a disservice to us all by making it seem like the time for solar power is not quite here yet. Homeowners that dig a little deeper will see that now is a great time to invest in solar power as the savings over the long term are massive.

Taking into account the almost 1,400 megawatts of solar capacity added at the end of the second quarter of 2015, the United States now has more than 20 gigawatts of cumulative installed solar. The figure is about 22.7 gigawatts. This is enough energy to power 4.6 million homes.

The solar industry continues to experience accelerated growth. 2015 is on track to see 24 percent more solar installations than the previous year. We’ll end this year with approximately 7.7 gigawatts added.

Quickest growth for solar can be found in the residential sector with a 70 percent increase over last year. The overall industry can now boast more than 150,000 jobs. While five states account for 75 percent of all solar installations, the others are posed to be playing catch up real soon. 21 states now have at least 100 megawatts of installed solar capacity.

Utility scale solar remains the largest contributor to the solar industry by measure of total capacity added. This could potentially change if the residential market continues to grow at its current pace.

As a percentage of new electrical capacity added, solar is significant. The first half of 2015 saw 40 percent of all new capacity coming from solar alone. As long as this trend continues, we’ll eventually see solar finally become a major player in the energy industry.

Is there anything particularly significant about that 20 gigawatts figure? Not especially. It’s just a nice round figure. There are many more gigawatts on the way, and there needs to be if we want solar power to eventually be a major supplier of electricity in America.

Residential solar will continue to grow in pace and overall adoption. Community solar will continue to give non-homeowners access to solar power. Many people will begin to look into solar to take advantage of the federal 30 percent tax break that is set to expire next year. Overall, knowledge of how affordable solar power is now is something that is relatively unknown. As more people become aware of the significant long term savings possible, solar will continue to grow at very high rates.

So here’s to solar’s first 20 and many more to come!