All posts tagged: home solar

We talk home batteries with Franklin WH CEO Gary Lam

We talk home batteries with Franklin WH CEO Gary Lam

Published by skeptic

On today’s charged up episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got Franklin WH co-founder and CEO Gary Lam here to talk us through some of the benefits of a home battery system, and what it takes to make the most of one – with, or even without a home solar panel system. We published an article last week explaining how home battery systems could be used to reduce energy bills, add lasting value to your home, and more – and it got the attention of Franklin WH’s Gary Lam, who helped with some updates and generously offered to take the time to answer some of my questions on today’s episode. Enjoy! Source Links Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series. Advertisement – scroll for more …

will pain at the pump drive the switch to EV?

will pain at the pump drive the switch to EV?

Published by skeptic

For the last few weeks, we’ve been running a sidebar survey about how much Electrek readers think gas would need to cost to convince the most dedicated anti-EV hysterics to switch to a plug-in car. After receiving over 2,800 responses, here’s what you told us. In case you missed the survey, the question read, “As gas and diesel prices rise, more and more Americans are shopping for new and used EVs and hybrids. Think of the most stubborn anti-EV hysteric you know – how much would a gallon of gas or diesel have to cost for them to make the switch?” After seven days and over 2,800 responses, the numbers seem to indicate that Electrek readers don’t have much faith in their ICE-loving neighbors – but a second look may reveal something more nuanced. By the numbers Numbers by Electrek readers; image made with AI. The most surprising result was that almost half of respondents think there’s simply no price high enough to reach some drivers. Our readers believe these drivers are simply too far gone, lost down …

Tesla owner uses emergency solar to trickle charge after running out of battery in desert

Tesla owner uses emergency solar to trickle charge after running out of battery in desert

Published by skeptic

Screenshot A YouTuber driving a Tesla Model X the entire length of the Americas ran out of battery in Chile’s Atacama Desert — the driest place on Earth — and had to deploy emergency solar panels on the side of the highway to survive. The whole ordeal, captured on video, is a fascinating look at both the promise and the very real challenges of long-distance EV travel in regions where charging infrastructure remains sparse. Overlanding the Americas in a Tesla Model X Sandro van Kuijck, an Oregon-based creator who runs the YouTube channel EverydaySandro, has spent the past three years driving his Tesla Model X — nicknamed “Beluga” — from the northern terminus of the Pan-American Highway in Tuktoyuktuk, Canada, toward the southern tip in Ushuaia, Argentina. Chile marked country number 14 on his solo expedition. Beluga is no ordinary Model X. Van Kuijck converted the electric SUV into a full-time overlanding rig with a custom slide-out kitchen, induction cooktop, running water, a refrigerator, and a sleeping setup — all while keeping the exterior mostly …

We talk home batteries with Franklin WH CEO Gary Lam

Backup power is the LEAST interesting home battery application

Published by skeptic

Image via Franklin WH. Almost everyone positions home solar panel systems with home batteries as backup grid power insurance – and while that can be vitally important in a whole host of “what if” scenarios, keeping the lights on is the LEAST interesting thing your home battery can do. Home backup battery. It’s written right there on the tin, after all – but while keeping the lights on, the water running, and the insulin between 36 and 46° F can be critically important, more and more home solar + battery customers are looking at their systems as a tool to help them understand how they use and consume energy. And that little bit of understanding can lead to some big savings. A hedge against rising energy costs Image by JustSolutions; created with Datawrapper. When we talk about the cost of electricity, we often think of it in terms of price per kWh (example: $0.20/kWh). As more and more people move towards time-of-use rates, however, they’re starting to see huge swings in pricing, with the same kWh costing …

Iran war pushes up gas prices and makes the case for home solar

Iran war pushes up gas prices and makes the case for home solar

Published by skeptic

On today’s independent episode of Quick Charge, we take a look at refining and distributing our own fuel supply with home solar as America’s war in Iran rages on, shooting gas prices (and EV sales) into the stratosphere. As diesel prices cross $8/gal. in parts of California, more and more Americans are shopping for EVs and hybrids, and that’s driving record sales of electrified vehicles for brands like Toyota and Hyundai. It’s also brought the ability to generate your own “electric fuel” with a home solar panel system back into the limelight, whether you qualify for a tax credit or not! Source Links Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series. Advertisement – scroll for more content Got news? Let us know!Drop us …

Iran war pushes up gas prices and makes the case for home solar

What does a home solar + battery + EV setup look like in real life?

Published by skeptic

You’ve finally got the full trifecta – a rooftop solar panel system feeding a home backup battery that charges your EV. Heck, you’ve even got a bidirectional EV that can send power back to the house when you need it. Now the real question: are you actually saving any money? Last week, microgrid expert and GM Energy employee Jim Reilly took to LinkedIn to share his personal experience with a whole home electrification setup that includes both a GM Energy home backup battery and a GMC Sierra EV powered by electrons generated by his rooftop solar array – and he’s coming out way ahead. “Lots of discussions on how tensions in Iran threaten a gas price surge,” writes Reilly, in his original “Energy Dominance” post. “The cost of a ‘full tank’ of gas is unpredictable. Here’s my math on a ‘full tank’ so I can check in on this in a few months, to see if these numbers spread even further, driving more people to an electric vehicle.” ⛽ Gas (24 gal at $4/gal): $96 per fill-up.🔌 Public …

Does solar work in winter? One Canadian shares their experience

Does solar work in winter? One Canadian shares their experience

Published by skeptic

Does adding a new home solar panel system makes sense in northern climates? This Canadian homeowner did just that – and after a cold, dark, and dreary winter collecting data, they’re sharing their real-world results online! Earlier this week, a Redditor landed on the r/solar sub and presented what had to be one of the worst-case rooftop solar scenarios above ground. “We live in the foggiest, cloudiest city in Canada,” writes spenney09, setting the dreary scene rather nicely. “We are at 47° N latitude. Our 130 year old house has a flat roof: 0° incline. We have (an) 8.1 kW solar system on that roof.” Despite dealing with factors like the northern latitude, fog, and flat roof working against them, spenney09 also had to deal with some pretty extreme weather, too – including nearly two feet of snowfall in a single day! Advertisement – scroll for more content “Yesterday, we had a late March snow storm: 51 cm (~20 inches) of snow,” they write. “During the storm, very little (not none) power was produced from solar. …

Vermont utility makes it easier than ever to add a home battery

Vermont utility makes it easier than ever to add a home battery

Published by skeptic

Vermont utility Green Mountain Power is expanding one of the country’s most exciting virtual power plant programs, adding a new battery lease program to its menu of home energy offerings that lets customers add backup power at little to no upfront cost. Green Mountain Power (GMP) has already built a successful home battery program around Tesla’s industry-leading Powerwall – but despite the Powerwall’s excellent reputation, Tesla’s CEO has spent the last few years going out of his way to make himself a polarizing political figure, and a lot of people just don’t want to see their hard-earned money going to support Elon’s causes. GMP gets it, and they’ve expanded the program to include Enphase’s fourth-generation IQ Battery lineup, giving customers more freedom of choice about how they add backup power at home. “Enphase is a great company,” explains Alexander Mintz, owner and operator of Power Guru, a GMP certified backup battery installer. “(Enphase has been in business for over 20 years), they partnered with GMP to make it affordable for folks to install batteries for backup …

Generac home battery system wins 2025 GOOD DESIGN award

Generac home battery system wins 2025 GOOD DESIGN award

Published by skeptic

The new PWRcell 2 Energy Storage System from Generac has earned the prestigious 2025 GOOD DESIGN Award, recognizing the brand’s home battery products for their stand out design, functionality, and sustainability. While Generac is one of the best-known names in the backup generator business, it’s important to note that but they’re not taking the electric revolution lying down – and they don’t see this as a major focus-shift, either. The company has built its reputation on keeping the lights on when the grid goes down, and that’s exactly what they’re doing now. With batteries. “The Generac PWRcell pairs well with solar panel systems, especially if your utility has reduced or removed net metering, introduced time-of-use rates, or instituted demand charges,” says EnergySage Director of Insights, Emily Walker. “Installing a storage solution like the Generac PWRcell with a solar energy system allows you to maintain a sustained power supply during the day or night as long as you store enough power from your solar panels when the sun is shining.” Generac’s latest PWRcell 2 energy storage system is a compact, easily scalable home …

Batteries become the new home solar as energy prices soar

Batteries become the new home solar as energy prices soar

Published by skeptic

Net metering — the ability to sell excess electricity back to the grid for fun and profit — has helped make rooftop solar panels the centerpiece of the home energy transition for more than a decade. But, as net metering rules change and electricity prices keep climbing, the value proposition isn’t as clear as it once was. Instead of sending extra power back to the grid, homeowners are increasingly deciding that it makes more sense to hold on to that excess power for themselves. Despite rising energy costs, changes to regulations like California Net Energy Metering 3.0 (NEM3.0) have dramatically reduced the value of exporting rooftop solar power to the grid, so the math no longer maths. What does often math, though, is the ability to store free solar-generated electricity and cheap, off-peak power in a battery, then use it yourself during peak demand hours when energy is most expensive. One of our commenters, perhaps, explained it best: Another reason is that batteries function as energy arbitrage devices. They can charge when electricity is cheap …