I recently test-drove a very fun, but quite unnecessary EV, from a small car manufacturer based in Canada. [Location: Los Angeles near Studio City, Electra Meccanica USA dealership.] Now, ignoring for the moment just how funky-looking and insanely exhilarating the ride in this #SOLOcar was, it made me almost forget that it's entirely 100% electric. Completely clean, no exhaust, 100% plug-in. It is clear the future is already here. And c'mon, this freaking thing practically looks like a space pod!
Which brings me to my actual topic at hand. Electric Vehicles. Teslas. Prius. Leaf. You know the brands. I want to know if any of my readers already own a plug-in vehicle. Please let me know below, because I am very curious, what was the process in getting a car charger placed into your home? Did you deal with any contractors? Work with any qualified electricians? Or are you a DIY kind of person, and was able to install a Level 1 or even Level 2 charger in your garage without any outside help. I want to know if having to charge your car versus filling up the gas tank has affected your driving habits, either positively or negatively. And in case you like to know more about Electra Meccanica, I can recommend the salesperson that helped set me up for test-drive. Cheers, have a Happy 4th, and always, live clean and sustainably. So I have been behind the curve a bit. Just created my UpWork account. For those interested, UpWork specializes in hiring the right consultants and freelancers, and payment is made automatically via the UpWork website, and no payments exchanges are made between myself and my clients. If you have any questions regarding the process, feel free to leave a comment or send me a direct email: [email protected] My UpWork account profile can be found here: https://www.upwork.com/o/profiles/users/_~018000ea1dca7c5c97/ Enjoy and stay sunny. #upwork #consultants #freelance #consulting Time of Use - What is it?
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[This article was originally published on the blog.aurorasolar.com/how-time-of-use-rates-work/Aurora Solar blog ." March 21, 2017]
What do the prices of movie tickets to Hollywood’s latest blockbuster and the cost of energy in California have in common? First, in most theaters, you will find that ticket prices change based on the time of day you want to see your show. This is similar to energy rates in California, where the cost of electricity varies based on the time of day it is consumed (an approach known as Time of Use, or TOU, rates). Second, even for a specific time (take a matinee for example), movie tickets often cost less for different types of consumers. Students and seniors, who generally have less income than regular moviegoers, pay less for their tickets than others do. We see a similar phenomenon in California where for a given time period, consumers who use less than a baseline amount of energy, will pay less than those who use more than the baseline amount of energy, even if it is for the exact same time of day. The illustration below shows how California’s Pacific Gas and Electric utility varies the cost of energy based on time of day and cumulative consumption. For this article, let us focus on the first of these energy rate factors, where the cost of energy varies according to the time of day it is consumed. In subsequent articles, we will at look how rates vary based on level of energy consumption, and eventually look at how utility rate changes will change the returns for solar customers (and how you can optimize your designs to take advantage of it). Figure 1: E-TOU rates option A during the summertime. Source: www.pge.com. While California is among the first states to make this type of utility rate structure mandatory for residential customers, it is not alone: in 2015, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities adopted default Time of Use rates for residential customers, and the Tennessee Valley Authority (the nation’s largest federally-owned electric utility which serves nine million customers in Tennessee and other southern states) has also proposed transitioning to TOU rates. Time-variable rate programs are already offered on a voluntary basis in nearly every state. Although participation in these opt-in programs has been low to date, as many states consider efforts to modernize the electrical grid and reduce peak energy consumption, TOU rates (and other related time-based rate structures) are expected to become increasingly prevalent. There are multiple approaches that utilities take when it comes to time-varying energy costs, but Time of Use (TOU) rates, in which customers are charged higher rates for the energy they use during specified peak demand times, are one of the most common. According to Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), TOU rates help consumers save money by making the cost of energy low during the time when demand is low. In Figure 1, you can see that the cost of energy is higher between 3pm - 8pm on weekdays than during any other time. During a weekday in summertime, as of March 1st, 2017, rates range from $.317/kWh, to $.393/kWh (for now we are ignoring “baseline” quantities, we will explore that in Part 2 of this series). That is almost a 25% variation between the lowest and highest cost energy! Let us use Aurora to look at a case study where we compare two households to fully capture how this can affect their monthly utility bill. Household A lives in Bakersfield, CA. We used Aurora’s Consumption Profile to automatically pull up the typical hourly summertime energy consumption for a house in Bakersfield. According to US Climate Data, Bakersfield temperatures range between 64 and 97 degrees in the summertime. Consequently, Aurora by default generated a load profile where air conditioning was a large portion of Household A’s energy consumption (see Figure 2). Unfortunately for this household, about 43% of their summertime energy consumption is going to occur during the time when electricity is most expensive. Figure 2: Load profile for a house (“Household A”) in Bakersfield, CA generated automatically in Aurora. Let us now consider Household B, also located in Bakersfield, CA. In this case, instead of using Aurora to automatically generate a typical load profile, we obtained actual measured interval data for a house in Bakersfield from PG&E. We uploaded this into Aurora, which generated the plot below. To make the case more interesting, we assumed that the homeowner has an Electric Vehicle (a Tesla) which they drive about 20 miles per day. This type of homeowner is only spending about 10% of their energy consumption during the peak 3pm - 8pm time zone. Figure 3: Load profile for a house (“Household B”) in Bakersfield, CA generated in Aurora, based on uploaded energy use data. If you have been following along, your intuition would suggest that for the same energy consumption, Household A should have a higher electricity bill than Household B, because they are consuming energy during the high-cost period. Before we evaluate the financial implications of Time of Use Rates, let us recap the two households’ information: Household AHousehold B LocationBakersfield, CABakersfield, CA Utility RatePG&E, E-TOU A- Residential TOU Region WPG&E, E-TOU A- Residential TOU Region W Energy Consumption (July)1,873 kWh1,873 kWh % of weekday consumption during peak hours (3pm-8pm)43%10%Running Aurora’s utility bill calculator, we find that Household A (high peak consumption) had a bill of $591 for the month of July. We find that Household B (low peak consumption) had a July bill of $561. So despite consuming the exact same amount of electricity, Household A’s bill was about 5.5% higher in July than Household B. Figure 4: Household A’s July electric bill is $591. Figure 5: Household B’s July electric bill is $561. Does this make sense? Mathematically we can get a rough estimate of how much of a difference TOU rates should make in electricity bills with a simple formula: TOU Bill Difference = (DaysTOU/7) * (ConsumptionpeakA- ConsumptionpeakB) * (URpeak - URoffpeak) / URoffpeak Equation 1: Rough estimate of the TOU effect on energy bills. Let us plug some numbers into Equation 1. TermDefinitionValue Days TOUDays of the week that TOU values apply5* Consumption_peakAEnergy consumption (kWh) during peak hours for household A43% Consumption_peakBEnergy consumption (kWh) during peak hours for household B10% UtilityRate_peakPeak period utility rate **$.393/kWh UtilityRate_offpeakOff peak period utility rate**$.317/kWh*TOU rates in this region only apply to weekdays ** For simplicity we are assuming that this is for the above baseline energy consumption TOU Bill Difference = (5/7) * (43%-10%) * (.393- .317) / .317= 5.64% You can see our quick estimate came pretty close to the actual difference between Household A’s (high peak consumption) and Household B’s (low peak consumption) energy bills. In Part 2 of this series, we will extend this case study to consider how increasing the total amount of energy consumed affects energy bills. Key Takeaways:
How have TOU rates impacted the finances of your solar installation? Have you used Aurora's modeling software to take TOU rates into account when estimating the value of the energy your design will produce? Join the conversation on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook with the hashtag #TimeofUse and share your insights! |
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I cannot reveal all the details just yet (project still ongoing and waiting for Testimonial) but currently helping ISPP (International School of Phnom Penh) upgrade their current 200 KW Solar PV system with an additional 800 KW system! Very exciting news indeed, and very thankful I can be involved and assist ISPP as their independent solar consultant!
We are aiming for 4-6 years ROI! Amazing right? Saving the school $100,000-150,000 a year in electric costs.
Look for update shortly, starting out the new 2017 year out with a bang in solar!
Got any exciting projects you are currently working on? Are you an admin or manager for your school, and thought about solar? Comment below!
We are aiming for 4-6 years ROI! Amazing right? Saving the school $100,000-150,000 a year in electric costs.
Look for update shortly, starting out the new 2017 year out with a bang in solar!
Got any exciting projects you are currently working on? Are you an admin or manager for your school, and thought about solar? Comment below!
One of the most frequently asked questions that come up in the solar industry are homeowner's fascination with Batteries.
"I want to install solar back-up batteries at my house."
"I want to have battery back-up power so I can turn on my TV and charge my laptop during Blackouts."
Well let me just stop you right there. When I first came into the industry back in 2009, there were indeed homes that I helped consult and design (mostly in Marin County or Northern California) that had designed in it dozens of kWh storage. But guess what? These systems (along with 10-20kW worth of solar panels) easily cost well over $100,000 to install. Of course these were multi-million dollar homes with clients that felt a $2,000 diesel-powered generator was just not "sexy" enough.
Another more practical application of solar powered battery back-up systems (or off-grid systems if you prefer the more technical term) works well for applications where the electric grid was either unreliable (i.e. Cuba, Iraq, third world countries, etc.), or non-existent (as was the case in many parts of Kenya). In these instances, the option of having stored electrical power versus having no source of electricity clearly had its advantage.
"I want to install solar back-up batteries at my house."
"I want to have battery back-up power so I can turn on my TV and charge my laptop during Blackouts."
Well let me just stop you right there. When I first came into the industry back in 2009, there were indeed homes that I helped consult and design (mostly in Marin County or Northern California) that had designed in it dozens of kWh storage. But guess what? These systems (along with 10-20kW worth of solar panels) easily cost well over $100,000 to install. Of course these were multi-million dollar homes with clients that felt a $2,000 diesel-powered generator was just not "sexy" enough.
Another more practical application of solar powered battery back-up systems (or off-grid systems if you prefer the more technical term) works well for applications where the electric grid was either unreliable (i.e. Cuba, Iraq, third world countries, etc.), or non-existent (as was the case in many parts of Kenya). In these instances, the option of having stored electrical power versus having no source of electricity clearly had its advantage.
In fact, my first project for solar came during my senior year at UCSD working with the student chapter of EWB-SD (Engineers Without Borders - San Diego). In this project our goal was to power a Technology Center in Mbita, Kenya, complete with laptops and books, but most importantly lighting at night. (For more information see here.) |
_So where do homeowners in the US come into play? Assuming $100,000 solar battery systems are out of range of most homeowners (circa 2003 or so), how about new and improved battery technology?
Well I have good news, ok news, and some more good news!
First piece of good news: Battery systems no longer need cost $100,000! In fact, case in point, anyone following technology and the very Wall Street friendly Elon Musk-backed Tesla Motors can attest to, Tesla has launched a new line of Home Battery systems. And the larger of the 2 Powerwall systems only cost $3,500 (10 kWh). Darn nearly a steal!
However, a quick back of the napkin calculation tells me that for $3,500, you would need to cycle through about 23,300 kWh's in order to break even (with the assumption that you are offsetting peak loads of about $.30 / kWh (Tier 3 loads) to a more manageable $.15 / kWh (Tier 1 loads). Assuming a typical household uses on average 7,000 kWh / year, with roughly half of these coming in Tier 3 or higher, you could get a break-even in around 6 years. Which is pretty good considering these battery technology is slated to last around 10 years (warranties at 10 years), the average homeowner can take advantage of savings for almost 4 years!
However, as an impartial clean-tech enthusiast, I have to go back to solar technology. Why install these batteries, which in fact does not help you turn on the lights during blackouts, and does not provide the best returns on your investment?
So I will end this entry on going back to the good news. It is great that there is new battery technology out there that hopefully will continue lowering prices while Tesla mass produces them, existing solar technology already offers amazing ROI and energy savings that is guaranteed for decades!
Some food for thought.
-Solar Luis
Well I have good news, ok news, and some more good news!
First piece of good news: Battery systems no longer need cost $100,000! In fact, case in point, anyone following technology and the very Wall Street friendly Elon Musk-backed Tesla Motors can attest to, Tesla has launched a new line of Home Battery systems. And the larger of the 2 Powerwall systems only cost $3,500 (10 kWh). Darn nearly a steal!
However, a quick back of the napkin calculation tells me that for $3,500, you would need to cycle through about 23,300 kWh's in order to break even (with the assumption that you are offsetting peak loads of about $.30 / kWh (Tier 3 loads) to a more manageable $.15 / kWh (Tier 1 loads). Assuming a typical household uses on average 7,000 kWh / year, with roughly half of these coming in Tier 3 or higher, you could get a break-even in around 6 years. Which is pretty good considering these battery technology is slated to last around 10 years (warranties at 10 years), the average homeowner can take advantage of savings for almost 4 years!
However, as an impartial clean-tech enthusiast, I have to go back to solar technology. Why install these batteries, which in fact does not help you turn on the lights during blackouts, and does not provide the best returns on your investment?
So I will end this entry on going back to the good news. It is great that there is new battery technology out there that hopefully will continue lowering prices while Tesla mass produces them, existing solar technology already offers amazing ROI and energy savings that is guaranteed for decades!
Some food for thought.
-Solar Luis
Came across a recent entry titled "What the Solar Industry Can Teach You About Social Selling" posted on SocialTimes, part of the Adweek Blog Network covering the latest in the media industry. (Sidenote: anyone who is a News Media geek should check out their sister site TVNewer, a must-read).
My biggest takeaway from the article: "But while many businesses struggle to turn recommendations into sales, the solar industry seems to have mastered the art of word-of-mouth marketing...50 percent of all residential solar sales are derived from referrals. That’s almost four times the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s estimated market average of 13 percent."
So my questions for my loyal solar readers are:
1. Did you rely on word-of-mouth when making the decision to go solar?
2. How important is word-of-mouth for going solar?
My biggest takeaway from the article: "But while many businesses struggle to turn recommendations into sales, the solar industry seems to have mastered the art of word-of-mouth marketing...50 percent of all residential solar sales are derived from referrals. That’s almost four times the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s estimated market average of 13 percent."
So my questions for my loyal solar readers are:
1. Did you rely on word-of-mouth when making the decision to go solar?
2. How important is word-of-mouth for going solar?
Fascinating things are happening already in 2015 in the solar world.
First bit of news come from the Sunshine State. Florida Power and Light (FPL), Florida's largest utility servicing 6.8 million customers, recently announced a reboot on their Solar Rebate program. Offering a very generous rebate of up to $20,000 for residential customers and $50,000 for commercial customers, it was expected to have a high demand once rebate registrations were opened up January 14. Solar Power World tells us what happened next:
After about a month of preparation, the highly anticipated solar rebate offered by Florida Power and Light (FPL) was opened for application yesterday morning (January 14, 2015). After a “sneak” opening of a minute or so around the 8:23 AM mark, the rebate portal was officially live at 8:30 AM. Residential solar rebate funds were all claimed or allocated within the first 30 seconds. Business solar rebates followed suit and were completely claimed in the next 3 minutes.
This news should not come as no surprise to customers who have been keeping track of solar rebate news. For those in the Golden State, the California Solar Initiative (CSI) Program's solar rebates have all been exhausted for PG&E and SCE customers, and all . [You can see the most current CSI Tracker here]. Of course, this was a program that first started shortly before I graduated college and before I got into the solar industry. In its infancy, the CSI program offered as high as $2.50 / W rebates, meaning customers with a 5 kW system received $12,500 back in rebates!!! Of course, solar prices were a lot higher back in the day, and the CSI program has accomplished its original intent, which was to help drive down solar prices.
So is now the best time for solar? Absolutely! Solar prices have been declining steadily the last 2-3 years, and has most likely bottomed out. And with utility prices expected to keep climbing [PG&E implemented a 5.9% increase already in effect Jan 2015].
While solar rebates are (for the most part) a thing of the past, there are still the 30% federal tax credit (expiring in 2016!), historically low solar prices, a myriad of solar options (solar ppa's, solar financing, and solar lease), and endless utility rate increases, why not go Solar in 2015?
Leave me a message in the comment section below!
Tell me how much your utility has increased your rates. How much are you currently paying for electricity? And feel free to see my section on How to Choose Solar. And like always, feel free to leave me an email [email protected].
First bit of news come from the Sunshine State. Florida Power and Light (FPL), Florida's largest utility servicing 6.8 million customers, recently announced a reboot on their Solar Rebate program. Offering a very generous rebate of up to $20,000 for residential customers and $50,000 for commercial customers, it was expected to have a high demand once rebate registrations were opened up January 14. Solar Power World tells us what happened next:
After about a month of preparation, the highly anticipated solar rebate offered by Florida Power and Light (FPL) was opened for application yesterday morning (January 14, 2015). After a “sneak” opening of a minute or so around the 8:23 AM mark, the rebate portal was officially live at 8:30 AM. Residential solar rebate funds were all claimed or allocated within the first 30 seconds. Business solar rebates followed suit and were completely claimed in the next 3 minutes.
This news should not come as no surprise to customers who have been keeping track of solar rebate news. For those in the Golden State, the California Solar Initiative (CSI) Program's solar rebates have all been exhausted for PG&E and SCE customers, and all . [You can see the most current CSI Tracker here]. Of course, this was a program that first started shortly before I graduated college and before I got into the solar industry. In its infancy, the CSI program offered as high as $2.50 / W rebates, meaning customers with a 5 kW system received $12,500 back in rebates!!! Of course, solar prices were a lot higher back in the day, and the CSI program has accomplished its original intent, which was to help drive down solar prices.
So is now the best time for solar? Absolutely! Solar prices have been declining steadily the last 2-3 years, and has most likely bottomed out. And with utility prices expected to keep climbing [PG&E implemented a 5.9% increase already in effect Jan 2015].
While solar rebates are (for the most part) a thing of the past, there are still the 30% federal tax credit (expiring in 2016!), historically low solar prices, a myriad of solar options (solar ppa's, solar financing, and solar lease), and endless utility rate increases, why not go Solar in 2015?
Leave me a message in the comment section below!
Tell me how much your utility has increased your rates. How much are you currently paying for electricity? And feel free to see my section on How to Choose Solar. And like always, feel free to leave me an email [email protected].
As many of you have already realized, although Winter does not officially begin for another few days, many parts of the country have already experienced Mother Nature's full force, and with extreme weather warnings looming in the horizon for this wintry season (as predicted by climate change scientists...ahem…ok back to non-preachy mode.) So with the snowy conditions anticipated in many parts of the United States (except right here in Sunny California 8-)), I have seen blog posts from several solar companies addressing this very issue, and feel compelled to share my two cents with my own solar post, winter edition!
For those looking for the short answer: no, you have nothing to worry about, your solar system will operate as normal, and are designed to handle any of the elements. Any reputable solar designer/contractor would have designed a system to fit your needs. And that means sizing-up to meet your annual production needs, not per your solar demands within a short duration (say December or "last weekend when it snowed"). The rule of thumb (without fancy ROI calculations or detailed modeling based on your smart-metered electrical usage) is to eliminate 80% of your electric demand usage with solar energy as your best "bang for your buck." Therefore, the weather that we can predict for the wintertime are normalized and accounted for on an annual basis. [For more info on this, the industry standard is NREL's (National Renewable Energy Laboratory's) TMY3 data sets, which is derived from decades worth of weather station information, used to determine a "typical meteorological year," valuable when sizing-up your solar energy production within a year's timeframe).]
So back to the blog postings from several of the largest solar companies. Sunrun offers up several entries on solar in the winter. One in particular reminds their customers that there will be shorter days, and as a safety pre-caution to not remove the snow physically from roofs. Good info for sure, but maybe we can delve into a bit more detail. Solarcity, on the other hand, offers a bit more insight with their post of "How Snow Affects Your Solar Power System."
Similarly, the post echoes calls for safety and setting up correct (imho) solar expectations for the wintertime. But then it goes into research areas that made me perk up and take notice. Solarcity claims that "You may actually see an increase in production after the snow clears from your system. Solar panels perform better on cold sunny days than hot ones, and in some cases snow cover might even help production by reflecting sunlight." They link an article from a CleanTechnica website which references research from Michigan Technical University (there are others obviously) on a common solar phenomenon called the "albedo effect." Without getting overly technical, albedo influences the amount of solar sunlight that a given surface will encounter, in this case the albedo of snow having an effect on the solar production of module panels.
Although technically true, I recognize that solar production could be increased with the presence of snow; the key difference is that the research studies the effects of snow on the ground for "huge commercial solar farms." It would be fairly easy for me to argue that the presence of the snow and its albedo will have an entirely different effect on solar modules mounted up high on rooftops. In any case, it would seem interesting that Solarcity would bring up this topic when their main business is residential solar rooftops, and definitely not solar farms. It seems intellectually lazy at
best, and intentionally deceiving at worst. I would definitely not have made such claims.
At any rate, main takeaway for my readers is that we (of the solar industry) understand full-well that energy production will take a hit in performance during the winter months; the industry designs a system with the entire year’s production in mind. Snow can fall and accumulate on the panels. As long as the panels are not at a flat 0 deg tilt (highly not recommended), the snow will melt and come right off the panels.
Feel free to contact me directly with any questions or clarifications.
Cheers
-Solar Luis
For those looking for the short answer: no, you have nothing to worry about, your solar system will operate as normal, and are designed to handle any of the elements. Any reputable solar designer/contractor would have designed a system to fit your needs. And that means sizing-up to meet your annual production needs, not per your solar demands within a short duration (say December or "last weekend when it snowed"). The rule of thumb (without fancy ROI calculations or detailed modeling based on your smart-metered electrical usage) is to eliminate 80% of your electric demand usage with solar energy as your best "bang for your buck." Therefore, the weather that we can predict for the wintertime are normalized and accounted for on an annual basis. [For more info on this, the industry standard is NREL's (National Renewable Energy Laboratory's) TMY3 data sets, which is derived from decades worth of weather station information, used to determine a "typical meteorological year," valuable when sizing-up your solar energy production within a year's timeframe).]
So back to the blog postings from several of the largest solar companies. Sunrun offers up several entries on solar in the winter. One in particular reminds their customers that there will be shorter days, and as a safety pre-caution to not remove the snow physically from roofs. Good info for sure, but maybe we can delve into a bit more detail. Solarcity, on the other hand, offers a bit more insight with their post of "How Snow Affects Your Solar Power System."
Similarly, the post echoes calls for safety and setting up correct (imho) solar expectations for the wintertime. But then it goes into research areas that made me perk up and take notice. Solarcity claims that "You may actually see an increase in production after the snow clears from your system. Solar panels perform better on cold sunny days than hot ones, and in some cases snow cover might even help production by reflecting sunlight." They link an article from a CleanTechnica website which references research from Michigan Technical University (there are others obviously) on a common solar phenomenon called the "albedo effect." Without getting overly technical, albedo influences the amount of solar sunlight that a given surface will encounter, in this case the albedo of snow having an effect on the solar production of module panels.
Although technically true, I recognize that solar production could be increased with the presence of snow; the key difference is that the research studies the effects of snow on the ground for "huge commercial solar farms." It would be fairly easy for me to argue that the presence of the snow and its albedo will have an entirely different effect on solar modules mounted up high on rooftops. In any case, it would seem interesting that Solarcity would bring up this topic when their main business is residential solar rooftops, and definitely not solar farms. It seems intellectually lazy at
best, and intentionally deceiving at worst. I would definitely not have made such claims.
At any rate, main takeaway for my readers is that we (of the solar industry) understand full-well that energy production will take a hit in performance during the winter months; the industry designs a system with the entire year’s production in mind. Snow can fall and accumulate on the panels. As long as the panels are not at a flat 0 deg tilt (highly not recommended), the snow will melt and come right off the panels.
Feel free to contact me directly with any questions or clarifications.
Cheers
-Solar Luis
Welcome to my site and welcome to my blog!
So now that the turkey has been fully (or more likely only partially devoured) and the dressing stuffed and the cranberry sauce all gobbled up (you see what I did there…), I cannot think of a better time for my first blog entry to allow me to discuss how thankful I am to be working in this wonderful industry.
When I was still in high school, while most of my friends were still thinking about trivial things like getting dates and watching the latest movies and what-not, one thought was always close to my mind. What I wanted to do professionally. Not what I wanted to study for college mind you. Nor what jobs I wanted fresh out of college. But my actual career that I see myself undertaking for the next 10-50 years (dependent on how well my secret get-rich-quick plan works out…)
And my answer was pretty simple. Renewable energy! What better way to harness power and generate energy, than to harness the most powerful never-ending object in our solar system!
Just coming out of college with my brand new spanking degrees, I had the best of fortune to land an internship with Siliken Renewable Energy (a Spanish manufacturer of solar modules in San Diego, now unfortunately out of business). And that began my 5+ and ongoing years in this wonderful solar industry.
I am extremely thankful (and more than grateful) for all the great people I met along with way.
From all the supportive managers I have had the luck to work for, whom always took the time to give guidance to a young fledgling professional - to all the great colleagues and industry business partners that shared a common goal; deliver solar power to the masses, save energy, save on electric bills, save money, and hopefully save the planet in our small little way.
Thank you all! I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving in which to enjoy the company of friends of family, enjoy great foods (and drinks!), and to be thankful for how solar has become such a great resource for so many families!
Cheers
-Solar Luis
So now that the turkey has been fully (or more likely only partially devoured) and the dressing stuffed and the cranberry sauce all gobbled up (you see what I did there…), I cannot think of a better time for my first blog entry to allow me to discuss how thankful I am to be working in this wonderful industry.
When I was still in high school, while most of my friends were still thinking about trivial things like getting dates and watching the latest movies and what-not, one thought was always close to my mind. What I wanted to do professionally. Not what I wanted to study for college mind you. Nor what jobs I wanted fresh out of college. But my actual career that I see myself undertaking for the next 10-50 years (dependent on how well my secret get-rich-quick plan works out…)
And my answer was pretty simple. Renewable energy! What better way to harness power and generate energy, than to harness the most powerful never-ending object in our solar system!
Just coming out of college with my brand new spanking degrees, I had the best of fortune to land an internship with Siliken Renewable Energy (a Spanish manufacturer of solar modules in San Diego, now unfortunately out of business). And that began my 5+ and ongoing years in this wonderful solar industry.
I am extremely thankful (and more than grateful) for all the great people I met along with way.
From all the supportive managers I have had the luck to work for, whom always took the time to give guidance to a young fledgling professional - to all the great colleagues and industry business partners that shared a common goal; deliver solar power to the masses, save energy, save on electric bills, save money, and hopefully save the planet in our small little way.
Thank you all! I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving in which to enjoy the company of friends of family, enjoy great foods (and drinks!), and to be thankful for how solar has become such a great resource for so many families!
Cheers
-Solar Luis
Author
Solar Luis is an independent consultant, an advocate, an engineer, a dreamer, and an eternal optimist working in the solar industry.
See my solar experience here.
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