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Post-California solar mandate: Two blind spots contractors need to avoid
Effective January 2020 the state of California has mandated that all new residential construction (both single-family and multifamily, three stories or less) will require some level of photovoltaic...
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The allure of energy storage in today’s wildfire-ravaged climate
Part IV of Solar Builder’s excellent Countdown to 2020 series about California’s new home solar mandate included this statement: “Speakers at the California Solar Power Expo… expect homebuilders to...
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Bullet dodged or delayed? California’s new home solar mandate still on track...
Live shot of CEC commissioners during the vote. Not sure if you noticed, but California’s new home solar mandate is almost here (we’ve only written like 20,000 words on it so far, with more coming this...
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Countdown to 2020, part VI: Time’s Up, California
This final article in our Countdown to 2020 series originally appeared in the November/December 2019 issue of Solar Builder. Subscribe here for free if you haven’t already. The launch of...
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Vivint Solar promotes new PPA rate for residential solar + storage in California
Full-service residential solar provider Vivint Solar has a new power purchase agreement (PPA) option that includes one simple rate for both solar and battery storage in California. Vivint Solar’s new...
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Energy Toolbase adds residential solar + storage modeling with SolarEdge...
SolarEdge’s StorEdge inverter is now incorporated into the Energy Toolbase platform. This means Toolbase users can run residential storage dispatch simulations and savings analysis that are...
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California new-build solar mandate crash course
2020 – the dawn of the Solar+ Decade – kicks off with the official launch of California’s much heralded (and controversial) Building Energy Efficiency Standards Title 24 mandate that all new...
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The 19 best Solar Builder articles from 2019
Looking back at 2019, if I had to pick a pun moniker for the solar industry (and I do), it wasn’t so much a ‘solar-coaster’ as it was a ‘solar derby.’ Established companies, technologies and ideas...
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S2A Modular has an exclusive graphene solar PV technology to power its green...
S2A Modular – creator of an electrically self-sustaining smart-connected luxury residence, the #GreenLuxHome (which we profiled in our Countdown to 2020 series)– is the only modular...
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California might mandate solar + storage for new multifamily, commercial...
The California Energy Commission (CEC) sent the 2022 California Energy Code to the California Building Standards Commission with a requirement that new California buildings be equipped with solar and...
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Countdown to California 2020 part II: Constructing a new solar pathway
We wrapped our arms around California’s new Building Energy Efficiency standards in Installment I of the Countdown to 2020. In this installment, we take a closer look at how these 80,000 annual...
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Solar’s effect on real estate market: Home buyers are interested and willing...
As our Countdown to California 2020 continues — the year in which all new homes in California will be required to include solar energy — home buyers and realtors across the country are reporting...
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Countdown to California 2020, part III: Would you like solar with that?
As we hit the halfway point in our Countdown to 2020, the residential solar market in the here and now is showing signs of stability. The residential solar market grew 7 percent in 2018 following a 15...
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You down with BIPV? Here’s a rundown of today’s solar shingle contenders
Example of 10-kW rooftop of Sun2 Sunflare panels that are simply stuck to the roof using industrial strength sticky-back tape. Total cost including standing seam metal roof was approximately $28,000....
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California senators call for solar + storage to be included in comprehensive...
Our reporting on California’s solar + storage market for our Countdown to 2020 news series has revealed both big opportunities and obstacles, which are largely illustrated by its Self-Generation...
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Countdown to 2020, part IV: How California is both boosting and undermining...
California has a vision for a widespread residential solar + storage market that would ultimately supplant PV-only systems in both effectiveness and return on investment and is currently assembling...
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California CCA MCE has paid out over $2.8 million to rooftop solar customers...
Editor’s Note: the figure in this post has been updated. MCE is issuing cash outs totaling over $2.8 million to rooftop solar customers when they have produced more electricity than they used...
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Sunnova teams up with PetersenDean Roofing and Solar to serve California...
Sunnova Energy International Inc. and PetersenDean Roofing & Solar announced a new strategic partnership that could shift the balance of power in the California new-build solar market....
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Countdown to California 2020, Part V: Can the solar sector and grid planners...
With solar power coming to every new home, the solar sector and grid planners in California try to meet in the middle. The Countdown to 2020 series is sponsored by QuickBolt. When it comes to driving...
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Sunrun partners with Citadel Roofing to serve California’s new-build home...
Citadel Roofing & Solar, one of California’s largest and most experienced roofing and solar installers, announced its official partnership with Sunrun to offer solar-as-a-service and solar...
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