Monday, August 1st, 2011
SolarTown has moved to its new offices in Washington, D.C. and we will be celebrating with an open house on August 10, 2011. We are very pleased that SolarTown is now part of historic Columbia Heights community. This gentrifying area is a testament to urban renewal. If you lived in Washington, D.C. ten years ago, Columbia Heights is not one of the areas that would spring to mind if you wanted to go shopping. Many would not even hazard to walk in Columbia Heights. That has now all changed for the better. We hope that you will be able to join us for our open house. Weather permitting, we may be baking some cookies in our solar oven and open our doors to those who want to see our new abode.
Tags: columbia heights community, hubzone, Solar Energy Products, Solar Oven, solar panels, solar powered lights, solar street
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Friday, June 17th, 2011
We are pleased that we have another summer class of interns to learn about solar energy at SolarTown. Our interns this summer come from the University of Alabama, George Mason University and the University of North Carolina. Continuing an annual tradition established two years ago, SolarTown interns met with White House correspondent and creator of the “West Wing Report” radio segment Paul Brandus. This year, we met at the ornate Hotel Sofitel, in the shadows of the White House.
Posted in SolarTown Current Affairs | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 16th, 2011
Today in Washington, DC, the U.S. House of Representatives hosted the 14th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The EXPO brought together nearly 60 unique businesses, trade associations, government agencies, and policy research analysts to speak on the potential the renewable energy industry and related energy efficient technologies. The expo showcased 57 exhibits, presentations by members of Congress, by Executive Branch officials, and by the exhibitors themselves. The Caucus Room was abuzz with activity as interested spectators and viewers walked amongst the various booths and displays. All forms of renewable energy were well represented at the convention, including biofuels, biomass, geothermal, water, wind, and good representation from the solar energy industry.
Tags: energy efficiency, Reneable Energy Expo, renewable energy industry, Solar Energy Industry
Posted in Solar Events, SolarTown Current Affairs | 2 Comments »
Friday, December 17th, 2010
These are some of the highlights of the year gone by and an outlook of things to come for 2011. The solar industry has waited to find out what would be the fate of the Treasury Grant program. If you haven’t tuned in for this debate, this development is very good news for the renewable energy industry. The solar industry had another stellar growth year. A recent report predicted that the industry will grow as much as 22% in 2010, when all of the numbers (modules) have been counted. The one gnawing issue is that the solar industry is quickly becoming a Chinese industry, as even today the Chinese own 66% of world production. It was a better year to put home solar panels on your roof than investing in solar stocks. Morningstar says that solar investors “could be in for a rude awakening come 2011.” The biggest change in the industry came with the micro-inverter. Sure, solar panel efficiencies improved, which means more output for the buck, and the price of PV came down, but the biggest change in the industry came with the industry acceptance for residential PV installation of the micro-inverter. Enphase is no doubt the market leader, but there are many, many wanabees and the competition for micro-inverters will heat up in 2011. The other major shift we saw in the industry is that regardless of whether the homeowner gets a micro-inverter, the homeowner almost invariably wants to get monitoring of the solar energy system.
Tags: Discount Solar Panels, Financing Solar Energy Systems, grant program, home solar panels, pace programs, renewable energy industry, solar energy, Solar Energy Systems, solar industry, solar installations, Solar Leasing, Solar Loan Program, Treasury Grant Program
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Thursday, October 28th, 2010
You are a plumber, an electrician or possibly a roofer and you increasingly hear from your customers that they are in the market to install a solar energy system to reduce their energy costs. We understand that you want to serve this rapidly expanding solar market, and there is no reason that you shouldn’t. Some of our most loyal customers are contractors who are making the transition to solar energy installations. If you are a quality contractor, you already have many of the requisite skills that are easily transferable to installing solar energy systems. We want to be able to continue to reach out to contractors who are just getting into the field. SolarTown has become a featured solar and green energy resource for plumbers, roofers and electrical contractors.
Tags: green energy, home solar panels, nabcep, solar electric systems, solar energy installations, Solar Energy Products, Solar Energy System, Solar Energy Systems, solar living, solar pv, Solar Water Heater
Posted in Solar Home Panels, SolarTown Current Affairs | Comments Off
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
The choices for home solar panels are dizzying. If you are an installer or a DIYer, you may simply look at the price. And many of our customers are only interested in the bottom line: what is the lowest cost per watt? But there are some other critical specs that may affect your decision of which panel to purchase. We want to make your decision easier and are offering a new feature on SolarTown: Solar Module Comparison.
Tags: compare solar panels, Discount Solar Panels, DIY Solar Installation, home solar panels, nameplate, panel description, panel wattage, PTC rating, solar module comparison, solar modules, solar panel comparison, solar panel efficiency
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Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
We have had increased interest from those wanting to manage their solar installations. Some of those who have contacted SolarTown are handy around the house and fashion themselves as DIY solar installer. Some are simply taking an active role in managing their solar installations. They are not the type to get on a roof, but they are ready to hire a roofer and electrician. And then there are plumbers or electricians who are making the transition to the solar installation business and need our assistance. All of these folks are people who now make up the SolarTown community. They are interested in working with SolarTown to choose solar energy systems. If you fall within one of these categories, we can help you, too. We have a lot of online resources to assist you. We also have technical customer assistance to guide you through the process of installing your own solar energy system. In this blog entry, we want to demystify the process of how SolarTown can help you succeed with your solar energy project.
Tags: Discount Solar Panels, DIY Solar Installation, home solar panel, home solar panels, Installing Solar Panels, Solar Energy Products, solar energy project, Solar Energy System, Solar Energy Systems, solar installations, Solar Loan Program, solar module
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Thursday, July 15th, 2010
Ever since we created the SolarTown community, our customers have complained that the financial burden of going solar was simply too great for them to embark on the journey. Starting today, we are offering our customers some relief: a solar loan program with one year of no payments and no interest. If you are a DIYer, you now have this solar loan program as an option so that you have time to receive your economic incentives and you don’t have to go out and get a home loan or put the entire purchase on your credit card. If you are an installer who has in the past had to advance the cost of the equipment for your customers, you can now have your customer place an order for a solar energy system with SolarTown. You will of course still do the installation—but without having to come out of pocket for the solar energy equipment.
Tags: DIY Solar Installation, economic incentives, home solar panels, solar energy equipment, Solar Energy Products, Solar Energy System, Solar Energy Systems, Solar Financing, Solar Loan Program, Solar Water Pump Systems
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Thursday, July 15th, 2010
SolarTown met with Mr. Paul Brandus, a White House correspondent with a huge interest in green issues. Brandus is a strong advocate of renewable energy, relating a story on how he personally asked President Obama when solar panels would be installed on the White House, on three separate occasions. Although no solar modules have yet to grace the President’s residence, Brandus expressed his desire to see the 132 rooms of the White House heated by the rays of the sun and the power of the wind, calling the act a great symbolic value to the nation. Incorporating solar and other forms of alternative energy into the lives of Americans is still a major challenge. Interest in environmental-related topics is only illustrated when major catastrophes such as the BP oil spill occurs. After the disaster dies down, the interest responds accordingly. Brandus believes that it will take awhile for solar and renewable energy to fully assimilate into everyone’s lives.
Tags: renewable energy, solar energy, solar modules, solar panels, White House solar panels
Posted in Solar Policy & Incentives, SolarTown Current Affairs | 1 Comment »
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Financing of solar energy systems has been a major concern to us at SolarTown since we launched this store and community. The average cost of a typical solar installation is north of $30,000. This amount is substantially reduced with the federal tax credit and some state or local rebates thrown in. But you have to wait months, sometimes many months, to take advantage of the incentives. There are currently alternatives available, but none very appealing. SolarTown has been working on a solution to financing of solar energy systems and we hope to be able to announce the program shortly.
Tags: federal tax credit, Financing Solar Energy Products, Financing Solar Energy Systems, Installing Solar Panels, Loan for Solar Energy Products, Loan for Solar Energy Systems, PACE, Solar Energy Products, Solar Financing, solar installation, Solar Leasing, Solar Loan, Solar Loan Program
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