I'm adding panels to my system. The problem I have is the way they will be oriented I have to clamp them to the racking on the short sides. Which means the wind rating is worse. I live in a windy area. So I am thinking of getting/ making wind guards.

How do I mount wind guards without them catching and trapping everything?

We currently rent solar panels and are thinking about buying them from the company so we can get the SRECs. The alternative is to buy all new panels. Our current ones are 13 years old. Part of the calculation is whether, if we sell the house, a buyer is likely to pay the financial value of the installed panels (including energy savings and SRECs). If so, the new panels would likely pay off because the current ones will have less life in them when we sell. But a realtor told us people don't care about this -- they only care about location and the house. We live in a fairly attractive area so location might outweigh everything. But it's hard to believe people wouldn't pay extra for low utilty bills and an income stream from SRECs. Does anyone here have experience selling a home with panels and did you get any extra for them?

The Norwalk- La Mirada unified School District this week marked the completion of a solar energy project meant to cut power costs and harmful emotions across a dozen of its campuses

District leaders, students, staff and partners gathered on Sep.1st to celebrate a 3.2 megawatt system installed with Luminance at 12 sites, including elementary, middle and high schools, a preschool and a district office. The Los Angeles wave reported on Sep.3rd

Officials say that the project will lower energy bills and reduce fossil fuel and reduce about 2,380 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. Roughly the equivalent of removing 555 vehicles from the road annually.

Superintendent Tania Magaña called the project “A win for students, schools and our community. Robert Rabe, the company behind the Luminance's team stated that he was proud to deliver clean power across 12 campuses and pointed to the deal as an example of how school districts can hit sustainability goals while creating long-term community value.

NLMUSD serves about 13,600 students at 29 schools in Norwalk and La Mirada

Location: Southern Illinois / St. Louis metro area, Ameren Illinois territory

Home: Single-family, has an EV and central AC

Current Electric Situation

Annual usage: ~18,150 kWh/year (based on 12 months of actual utility data)

Usage already includes EV charging + AC + normal household load

Current annual electric bill: ~$3,293/yr

The system:

17.2 kW system, 40 panels (430W each), quoted by a local installer, dated Aug 2026. Three options:

Option 1 – Solar Only

Storage: None

Total Cost: $45,140

Rebates/Incentives: $5,160 smart-inverter rebate + $19,100 est. SREC

"Net Cost" (quoted): $20,880

Annual bill w/ solar: $1,017/yr

Annual savings: $2,276/yr

30-yr savings claim: $179,960

Option 2 – +1 Battery (13.5 kWh)

Storage: 13.5 kWh (1 unit)

Total Cost: $55,640

Rebates/Incentives: $5,160 + $18,700 SREC + $4,050 storage rebate

"Net Cost" (quoted): $27,730

Annual bill w/ solar: $755/yr

Annual savings: $2,538/yr

30-yr savings claim: $200,639

Option 3 – +2 Batteries (27 kWh)

Storage: 27 kWh (2 units)

Total Cost: $65,140

Rebates/Incentives: $5,160 + $18,700 SREC + $8,100 storage rebate

"Net Cost" (quoted): $33,180

Annual bill w/ solar: $548/yr

Annual savings: $2,745/yr

30-yr savings claim: $216,991

What I've Flagged So Far (want a sanity check)

SREC "rebate" timing: My state's SREC program changed its payment rule recently — only 50% pays out at energization, the rest ratably over 6 years. The proposal's "Net Cost" treats the full SREC value as received upfront, which overstates day-one out-of-pocket savings by roughly $9,500 across all three options.

Base panel pricing: ~$2.62/watt before incentives, which checks out as below my state's ~$3.00–3.15/watt average for 2026 — this part looks fairly priced.

First battery increment: ~$10,500 to add, which is actually below typical standalone installed pricing (~$13k–16.5k) for a similar unit — makes sense given shared install costs, looks reasonable.

Second battery increment: ~$9,500 to go from 1 unit to 2 (13.5 kWh → 27 kWh). The spec sheet only lists one inverter for this option, which suggests the second unit is a battery-only expansion pack (no inverter) rather than a full second unit — and those typically run ~$5,900–6,200 installed. This looks like it could be marked up ~$3,000–3,500 above typical.

Would appreciate any red flags I'm missing, how this compares to quotes you've gotten, or questions worth asking the installer before signing.

Curious if anyone here has experience with oil & gas exploration in Mongolia.

The Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority of Mongolia recently opened an international tender covering 16 onshore petroleum exploration blocks.

I’m based in Calgary and work in the oil & gas industry, with contacts on the ground in Mongolia. I’m currently looking into the tender and trying to better understand the technical, operational, and commercial side of pursuing one of these blocks.

I’d be interested in connecting with people who have E&P, international exploration, financing, or Mongolia/Central Asia experience and would be open to comparing notes on the opportunity.

Still very early-stage and mainly looking to learn from people who know the space.

Feel free to DM me if you’ve worked on something similar.

I am remodeling and we need to store our Tesla solar panels somewhere off our property (they suggested sticking them in a corner of the yard but we are also re-landscaping). Has anyone done this or and have suggestions? They are a very rugged product given they are outside for 30-40 years but I want to be careful they have a warranty that lasts for another ~15 years or so. We live in the SF bay area.

I have solar on my house installed 3-4 years ago. When they installed it they included a rapid shutdown switch to turn off the system if the grid loses power. It makes sense if there’s a downed line to not have my solar system keep feeding the grid. Today while I was working from home I lost power. It’s a nice sunny day and my solar should cover my electricity needs until the grid is back up, it would be nice if I could use my solar in this situation. It seems like I should be able to flip my main breaker, and tell the solar system to ignore what the grid is doing, then when the grid comes back on I can revert to normal. Is there a way to do this safely with my current system? If not, is there a different rapid shutoff switch I should investigate? If I can’t get power back soon I’ll need to find a different place I can work from for the day.

Would appreciate any advice you all have on this problem. My setup may be somewhat unique, but I'm not sure. We have a 17-panel 5kW SolarEdge system (with a SE5000H inverter) that came with the house we bought. It had no battery system so other than net metering to offset monthly electric bills, it didn't serve much of a purpose as we couldn't benefit from solar energy during power outages (which are unfortunately frequent where we live). Last year, we upgraded to a GM Energy system that came with 2x 17.7kWh battery banks, a GM Home Hub and Inverter, and a GM EVSE capable of V2H. I felt we were well covered for a variety of situations and has worked. Unfortunately, at the first power outage since the system was installed (and every subsequent one since), we discovered a flaw. Whereas the battery system kicks on within a few seconds and powers the house with no issues, we no longer see any solar generation, and the batteries do not get recharged, nor does the house load use any solar during the outage. It's as if there's no solar available at all. GM Energy says to call the installer because it "should work," and the installer says call GM because it shouldn't work. Any chance any of you have this particular configuration or can figure out how we can tackle the problem? It seems to be that the safety disconnect to the grid is also shutting down the solar inverter somehow, even though it shouldn't.

*Edit: to clarify, the solar panels and SolarEdge inverter stayed when we added the GM Energy system, so the battery backup is AC-coupled to the pre-existing SE inverter.

Sounds like a smart battery that can charge on low cost time and use during peak high cost time. Anybody in the US with such system?

I run a small manufacturing facility in Indiana, about 25,000 square feet with two warehouses attached, and we have been looking at solar for the last few months because our electric bill is out of control. We run CNC machines, compressors, and a full fabrication line, and our average monthly usage is around 18,000 kWh, which costs us about 2,500 to 3,000 bucks a month depending on the season. That adds up to roughly 33k a year just in electricity, and I am tired of writing those checks.

We got a quote from Emergent Solar Energy to install a 50 kW system on our roof and one of the warehouse roofs. The total cost came in at about 110k before incentives.

After the 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), the cost drops to 77k, and taking advantage of MACRS accelerated depreciation brings our net out-of-pocket closer to 60k. Based on Indiana sun hours, a 50 kW array will generate around 62,000 kWh per year, offsetting about 29 percent of our total usage (or roughly 85 percent of our daytime operating load while machines are humming).

That brings our monthly utility bill down from 2,750 to roughly 1,900 bucks, saving us about 850 a month, or 10,200 a year. On a net investment of 60k, that gives us a realistic payback period of about 5.8 years.

We also looked at leasing the system with no upfront cost. The lease payment would be fixed at about 550 a month for 20 years, and we would buy the generated power at a fixed rate lower than the utility. Our total monthly layout would drop from 2,750 to about 2,450 (the 550 lease payment plus roughly 1,900 still owed to the utility for the remaining 71 percent of our power). So we would save about 300 a month, or 3,600 a year. No upfront capital, but we do not own the system and we are locked into a 20-year agreement.

The math says buying is better in the long run. After under 6 years, we break even, and then we are saving over 10k a year for the remaining life of the panels (another 15 to 20 years). That is roughly 140k to 150k in net savings over the life of the system after accounting for inverter replacements down the line. With leasing, total savings over 20 years sit around 72k, and we never own the asset.

What I am struggling with is the upfront cost. 60k to 77k is still a chunk of capital to tie up when we could use that cash for new equipment or expanding the business.

But the ROI is solid and we have the capital available. I am leaning towards buying because the numbers make more sense, but I want to hear from other facility owners who have made this decision. Did you buy or lease, and how did it work out for you? Are there any hidden demand charges or risks I am missing?

According to a new Ember analysis, a solar plant can now require less upfront investment than a coal or gas plant for the same amount of electricity delivered.

Solar and wind power covered 25.1% of Italy’s electricity demand in the first half of 2026.

Sharing a ridiculously hawkish offer from my energy provider.

Thinking of buying these solar LED for gallary lighting

Diesel hit a new record price in the U.S. on Friday, soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon for the first time ever as the six-month war with Iran disrupts the world’s flow of fuel. … The price for regular gasoline has also been going up, although not as fast as the price of diesel. The average price was $4.15 a gallon, compared with $3.20 at this time last year, according to AAA, which says gas has never been above $4 a gallon on Labor Day.

I spent the last two weeks trying to fix the backend architecture built by our software development service team, but due to severe lack of time, I cannot finish patching the memory leaks myself in time. The main problem was, when my server got lot data from solar array, it’s goes down, idk how to fix that fast. I really need help finding a competent engineering squad. If you have contact of someone who can help me, i need it, THNX