The Reason We All Decided to Go Solar after Halloween (Bonus Episode)

10/26/23 • 13 min

On the next Probably True Solar Stories, twenty homes on the same cul de sac decide to go solar on the day after a Halloween night blackout. It’s a simple story, but when a young reporter looks into it, he gets the Halloween scoop of his short lifetime.

True Solar Takeaways

Going solar is "contagious." That is, several studies have shown that when one person in a neighborhood goes solar, nearby homes follow.
Blackouts often happen during a heatwave when energy-intensive air conditioning overwhelms the grid.
In 2023, most solar homes need to add batteries to be cost-effective and to get a payback in 7 to 10 years.
Whole-home backup is expensive and rare. Most of the time, solar + storage systems are tied to batteries with a critical loads panel.
This critical loads subpanel will automatically switch on when there's a blackout. This panel is designed to keep on lights, the internet, the refrigerator, and other critical loads during a grid outage.
When switching from off-grid to on-grid power--or visa-versa-- there may be a brief interruption of service. Most of the time, the switch is seamless.
Turning on air conditioning, EV charging, and other high-intensity appliances will quickly drain a home battery's capacity. That's why air conditioners are rarely included in the critical loads panel.
Listen to last year's Halloween story called, "We didn't know our solar house was haunted until we got a text from the ghost.

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Support the show by visiting the merch store and buying a tee shirt!
Learn how sponsors can be a part of Probably True Solar Stories and tell their own creative stories.
Follow @SolarFred and/or @ProbTrueSolar on Twitter to discuss episodes
Don't forget to:
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True Solar Takeaways

Going solar is "contagious." That is, several studies have shown that when one person in a neighborhood goes solar, nearby homes follow.
Blackouts often happen during a heatwave when energy-intensive air conditioning overwhelms the grid.
In 2023, most solar homes need to add batteries to be cost-effective and to get a payback in 7 to 10 years.
Whole-home backup is expensive and rare. Most of the time, solar + storage systems are tied to batteries with a critical loads panel.
This critical loads subpanel will automatically switch on when there's a blackout. This panel is designed to keep on lights, the internet, the refrigerator, and other critical loads during a grid outage.
When switching from off-grid to on-grid power--or visa-versa-- there may be a brief interruption of service. Most of the time, the switch is seamless.
Turning on air conditioning, EV charging, and other high-intensity appliances will quickly drain a home battery's capacity. That's why air conditioners are rarely included in the critical loads panel.
Listen to last year's Halloween story called, "We didn't know our solar house was haunted until we got a text from the ghost.

-----

Visit ProbablyTrueSolar.com to sign up for the newsletter to learn about new episodes and live solar storytelling events.
Support the show by visiting the merch store and buying a tee shirt!
Learn how sponsors can be a part of Probably True Solar Stories and tell their own creative stories.
Follow @SolarFred and/or @ProbTrueSolar on Twitter to discuss episodes
Don't forget to:
- Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast streaming service
- Rate
- Review, and
- Share!

Previous Episode

The Solar Heist, or How I Got into the Solar Business, Parts 1-6

For those solar fiction fans who prefer the longer formats, we've combined all six episodes of "The Solar Heist" into a single two-hour version, including chapter headings.
Two neighbors meet unexpectedly at an Oakland, California coffee shop specializing in dark, rich coffee. Mazz owns a trucking business by day and is a thief at night. Charlie is a solar project developer by day and a guy with an international solar problem that can only be solved by Mazz. As the two grow to be friends, Mazz realizes that Charlie may also have a dangerous side gig that jeopardizes their friendship and their lives...
True Solar Takeaways

The solar installation industry is made up of residential, commercial, and utility-scale installers.
There's a U.S. law against importing solar panels made with forced labor.
Some solar developers hire quality assurance companies to monitor the supply chains and factories.
All solar installations, regardless of size, can now receive a U.S. 30% tax credit. Big developers can also receive other tax incentives.
Chinese solar panels still have import tariffs, as of 2022.
"Procurement" means sourcing, purchasing, and delivering equipment.
Generally, large solar asset owners hire an experienced solar developer to take care of building the product. The solar developer may in turn hire an "EPC," which stands for engineering, procurement, and construction.
Large-scale developers typically only buy solar panels that are on a "Tier 1" list that's sold by Bloomberg. Even if the Tier 1 solar manufacturer is financially sound and honors the warranty, if you have a huge project, the replacement time and cost will be huge.
With the passage of the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act of 2022), all solar projects, regardless of size, receive a 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) if they pay prevailing wages.
Solar projects that are built on landfills, brownfields, and EPA superfund sites can get bonus ITCs.
AHJ (Authorities Having Jurisdiction) are the permitting authorities that review and approve the building of solar projects
See all The True Solar Takeaways in the show notes of the original episodes:

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Visit ProbablyTrueSolar.com to sign up for the newsletter to learn about new episodes and live solar storytelling events.
Support the show by visiting the merch store and buying a tee shirt!
Learn how sponsors can be a part of Probably True Solar Stories and tell their own creative stories.
Follow @SolarFred and/or @ProbTrueSolar on Twitter to discuss episodes
Don't forget to:
- Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast streaming service
- Rate
- Review, and
- Share!

Next Episode

Season 3 Preview: The Energy Deep State

Welcome, solar fiction fans to the Season 3 preview of Probably True Solar Stories!
Last season's theme was "Solar Noir." For Season 3, it's a presidential election year, so our stories are going to explore politics and the #EnergyDeepState. Listen to this episode to hear about the next ten solar stories.

Note: The first five episodes will mark the conclusion of "The Solar Heist, or How I Got Into The Solar Business."
Listen to The Solar Heist, Part 6 to refresh your memory about last season's cliffhanger.
If you're brand new to the podcast, listen to The Solar Heist, Parts 1-6 here to get caught up and ready for Part 7. You'll enjoy the twists and turns.

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Visit ProbablyTrueSolar.com to sign up for the newsletter to learn about new episodes and live solar storytelling events.
Support the show by visiting the merch store and buying a tee shirt!
Learn how sponsors can be a part of Probably True Solar Stories and tell their own creative stories.
Follow @SolarFred and/or @ProbTrueSolar on Twitter to discuss episodes
Don't forget to:
- Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast streaming service
- Rate
- Review, and
- Share!