Blog

Mar
13

Harnessing the power of sunlight. How do solar panels work?












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Jacksonville, Florida homeowner laying down on his solar panel system


Solar panels are a popular way to generate clean, renewable energy from the sun. But how do they work? In this blog, we'll break down the basics of how solar panels work in layman's terms.


Solar panels are made up of photovoltaic (PV) cells, which are typically made of silicon. When sunlight hits the PV cells, it creates an electric field that causes electrons to flow, generating direct current (DC) electricity. This electricity can then be used to power your home, business, or stored in a battery for later use.


But how do PV cells turn sunlight into electricity? The process starts with the sun's rays, which contain particle...


Nov
23

A more complete solution to the energy opportunity we face


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Check out the latest episode of the Green Business Podcast Show by Eric Dye as he interviews our CEO and they discuss why EnLight.Energy decided to not just be another solar only installer, the impact of a Trump presidency on the renewable energy industry in America, our work with developing communities around the world, and why we chose a local energy franchise model.





ERIC: Today we are speaking with Julio Daniel Hernandez, CEO, and Founder of EnLight.Energy, a national company that helps home and business owners explore ways to drastically lower and eliminate their energy bills. Happy to have you back on the show Julio. How are you?


JULIO DANIEL: Doing great Eric thanks for having me.


ERI...


Sep
07

Benefits of Solar Storage


Texas produces more electricity than any other state, so Texans were stunned last February when Winter Storm Uri suddenly shut down most of the state’s power grid. Texas’ power producers had not adequately weatherized natural gas plants, wind turbines and other energy-production sites to withstand the bitterly cold temperatures. Many of them stopped working, requiring rolling blackouts in some areas and leaving others without power for days.

But Texas’ “big freeze” was just the latest widespread blackout to hit the United States. Wildfires, hurricanes, heatwaves and high winds have also caused rolling blackouts, or as many California residents and PG&E customers ...


Aug
31

How Does Solar Storage Work?


Storage helps complete a typical household solar system, which uses solar panels to collect energy from the sun and turn it into electrical energy. An inverter then turns that energy into the right kind of current to power a home.



Many people think that most solar-powered homes are independent of the electrical grid. Actually, the majority work in partnership with the local utility. When solar panels produce more energy than a home needs – as on a bright, sunny day – the excess electricity is fed back to the utility. Moreover, when the panels produce less – like on dark overcast days – a solar home pulls in the electricity it needs from the utility.



This arrangement g...


Nov
13

What's so great about zero energy, anyway?


I first became interested in zero energy buildings in 2003. There were several things that pulled me into the concept, and probably the most compelling aspect was the scale of the change. At the time, I was managing a municipal green building program and we were struggling to convince developers to make relatively minor incremental changes like using Low-E windows or high-efficiency furnaces. The notion of zero energy was such a radical leap forward. The other big thing that was intriguing to me, let’s face it, was that it was cool.

Zero energy as an aspiration, on-the-ground reality, and the climate solution movement intersection is at an interesting point in its history. Zero energy i...


Sep
02

How Tennessee's Taken the Politics Out of Renewable Energy


Its big and small, Democratic and Republican cities are going green. Other states want to know how.

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Energy costs are one of the highest expenses schools face today. To offset them, some Tennessee schools are installing solar arrays and geothermal heating and cooling systems. (AP)

When it comes to a particular renewable energy program in Tennessee, it doesn’t matter whether you believe in climate change or not, are a Republican or Democrat, live in a big city or small rural town. The program in question is even neutral on specific technologies, which means it’s up to you whether you install solar arrays or develop biodiesel or put in geothermal at your schools. The only thing you h...

May
03

Sold! Why Understanding Home Energy Performance Will Become a Key to Real Estate Success


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Real estate professionals play a pivotal role in the U.S. residential real estate market. Overseeing from start to finish the multiple steps and piles of paperwork involved with property transactions, they support both sellers moving forward with the next stage of their lives and buyers looking for a new place to call home. They provide trusted and influential guidance that affects the largest investment that most of us will ever make: our homes.

Home energy performance is too often overlooked by buyers and sellers during property transactions, and buyers seldom have easy access to energy performance information. Even though U.S. homeowners spend on average about $2,200 per year on energy b...


Mar
03

Smart career choices in shifting economy


Saving energy has become a major driving force in job growth worldwide. A recent report from the US Department of Energy (DOE) called the 2017 Energy and Jobs Report shows that employment numbers are five times higher in the energy efficiency, solar, and wind industries than it is in coal, gas, and petroleum. Because the amount of electricity coming from renewables has been growing far faster than that coming from older, fossil-fuel plants, it stands to reason that employment in these declining sectors would be weaker than in the more robust emerging sectors. Growth industries create more jobs, and these are good-paying, family-wage jobs.

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The Efficiency Sector


Clean energy jobs fall into se...