Academy
Our guides, put in the order that builds. Start at the top and by the end you will know your own system better than the person trying to sell you one.
How this works.
No tuition, no login, no drip email. Read a track front to back, or jump to the part you need.
Read in order
Each lesson assumes the one before it. Skip ahead if you already know a piece, the links go both ways.
Quizzes are optional
Five questions at the end of a lesson, four right to pass. Skip every one of them and nothing gets locked.
Progress stays on your machine
Checkmarks live in your browser, not in an account. Nothing to sign up for, and we never see them.
Read every lesson in a track and pass its quizzes and the track gets a badge. That badge is a checkmark for you. It is not a certificate, it is not a license, and it does not qualify anyone to do licensed electrical work.
The tracks.
Easiest first. Foundations is where to start if solar is new to you.
Foundations
0 of 10 read · 0 of 7 quizzesWatts, bills, and how sunlight becomes power. The ground everything else stands on.
- Solar 101: the ten-minute version4 min
- Volts, amps, watts, and ohms: the four numbers behind every spec sheet4 min
- Power vs energy: the one bill number that sizes a solar system5 min
- Watts, kilowatts, and kilowatt-hours: what each one measures7 min
- Reading your electric bill for solar: the one number that matters6 min
- Series vs parallel: what adds, what stays put, and why the inverter cares5 min
- Sun hours: why panels rarely make the number on the label5 min
- How to read a solar panel datasheet6 min
- What a 25-year panel warranty actually covers6 min
- Who is allowed to install solar: licenses, EPCs, and the owner-builder exemption6 min
Know the gear
0 of 21 read · 0 of 11 quizzesPanels, inverters, batteries, and the boxes between them. What each part does and how to judge one.
- What comes in an Ape Solar kit8 min
- Panel types: mono, N-type, bifacial, and what is just marketing5 min
- String, micro, hybrid, off-grid: the four inverter families5 min
- The EG4 inverter lineup, explained9 min
- Which EG4 inverter should I choose?7 min
- Inside a hybrid inverter: MPPTs, charge paths, and pass-through5 min
- EG4 FlexBOSS vs 18kPV: the hybrid choice7 min
- EG4 6000XP vs 12000XP: which one fits your build7 min
- Cells, BMS, and cycle ratings: how to read a battery spec sheet6 min
- LiFePO4 batteries, explained7 min
- Battery runtime math that survives a real house4 min
- How long will a battery run my house?7 min
- MPPT vs PWM charge controllers, and when you need neither4 min
- Racking: the chain that holds your array to the roof4 min
- Balance of system: everything that is not a panel, inverter, or battery4 min
- The GridBOSS, port by port5 min
- What GridBOSS does, and when you actually need it7 min
- Adding a generator to a battery system: transfer, charging, sizing6 min
- Generator plus battery: when you want both8 min
- How we test used solar gear, and how you can too6 min
- New vs used solar gear: what's safe to buy used7 min
Design your system
0 of 8 readSize it, pick the topology, and know what it should cost before anyone quotes you.
- How big a system do you need?3 min
- Grid-tied, hybrid, or off-grid?3 min
- Critical loads vs whole-home backup: how much do you need?7 min
- What solar can and can't power in an outage7 min
- The best backup setup for hurricane season8 min
- What solar actually costs in 2026, from real quotes7 min
- What net metering actually does to your bill4 min
- Can I add batteries to my existing solar?7 min
Make it happen
0 of 2 readDIY or pro install, and what to check the day the pallet shows up.
Looking for one answer, not a course?
Every lesson here is also a standalone guide. The library has all of them in one place, filtered by topic.
Browse all guides →Reading is good. Building is better.
The builder walks you through every choice as you make it, with the parts and the price updating as you go.
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