The solar and energy storage market is constantly evolving. It can sometimes feel overwhelming trying to keep up with the never-ending changes happening in policy, technology, incentives, and regulations that are affecting our industry. So how do we keep up?
Solar and energy storage industry blogs have been a great way for us to stay current on the latest changes and trends affecting the market. There are a number of industry blogs that we regularly follow, which provide good insights, tips, tricks and best practices, especially targeted at the developer community. Our newsroom at Energy Toolbase provides a variety of content, from policy updates, to resource guides, to webinars and blogs. We strive to publish content that is accurate, objective, educational, and non-salesy in nature. We value and respect other industry blogs that take a similar approach. Here are a few of our favorite industry blogs that we think are worth reading:
- SolarPowerRocks: this blog is a one-stop-shop for industry-related content, dubbed the “#1 place to learn about home solar panel installation”. We love the fact that their content is conveniently broken down by state, giving an in-depth guide into each state’s policy grade, average yearly savings, incentives, average prices, etc. They regularly publish pieces on current, relevant industry topics, and do a good job of objectively covering a story, like their recent article Who pays for grid upgrades when big solar developers force out the little guy?
- Solar Reviews: Solar Reviews is primarily a solar panel comparison website for homeowners who are considering going solar, but it also has a solid blog that publishes applicable content aimed towards residential and commercial solar installers. Their blog does a good job of highlighting recent rule changes and new policies, and discusses how they will impact project development. They cover markets all over the country, like their recent post on How much can you save with the new Oregon solar incentive program?
- EnergySage: If you regularly Google topics relating to solar & storage (like we do), chances are you’ve seen articles from EnergySage in your results. Their blog touches on all types of topics related to solar and energy storage, tailored mostly for a residential homeowner audience. We We appreciate that they publish concise, to the point, and easy to digest articles on a variety of topics, like their recent Solar Rebates 101 post.
- SEIA & SEPA: The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) are the two big national trade associations of the energy industry. They jointly produce the biggest trade-show of the year: Solar Power International, and both upkeep great newsrooms/blog sites that cover a wide variety of topics affecting the industry. They are both influential organizations that represent member companies that promote, manufacture, install and support the development of solar. These are must-read blogs for issues affecting our industry.
- Wholesale Solar: Wholesale Solar is a family-owned supplier of complete solar and energy storage systems that was founded in 1992. They upkeep an insightful blog that provides thought leadership pieces, targeted mostly for the developer community, like their recent Why You Should Oversize Your PV Array by 10-20% blog post. A fun fact about this company is that in 2012, the employees bought the company from its original owners, becoming co-owners of the company. Now, Wholesale Solar is owned and operated by its more than 50 employees.
Honorable mentions for other great solar industry blogs we like: CivicSolar/CED Greentech, SunPower, and Sunrun Solar.
