Basics
What a battery actually does
Why storage, not just panels, is what gives you power you actually own.
6 min readSolar 101
Learn
Solar in plain English. Know what every part does and what it costs before anyone tries to sell you one.
Start here.
New to solar? Read these three in order and the rest of the site makes sense.
01
Solar 101: the ten-minute version
New to all of this? Start here. The whole picture, plain and quick, no jargon.
Read it →02
How big a system do you need?
The first real question. Read your power bill, do the simple math, land on a number.
Read it →03
Grid-tied, hybrid, or off-grid?
Three ways to set up a system. Which one fits your home and your goals.
Read it →All guides.
Dig into the part you need. More added as we write them.
Basics
Net metering, explained
How the utility credits your bill for the power your panels send back.
5 min readBasics
Reading your power bill
Find the one number that tells you how big a system to build.
4 min readBuying
N-Type vs P-Type panels, plain English
Every panel listing now reads either N-Type TOPCon or Mono PERC. Here is what the trade is and which one belongs on your roof.
6 min readBuying
Picking the right inverter
Hybrid, off-grid, or grid-tie. Match the inverter to what you want it to do.
8 min readBuying
Sizing a battery bank
How much storage you need to run the loads that matter through the night.
7 min readHow-to
Roof mount vs ground mount
The plain trade-offs, so you put the panels where they belong.
7 min readReading is good. Building is better.
The builder walks you through every choice as you make it. The best Solar 101 there is.
Build a System →Prefer to watch? See the videos →