solar

How to Get Free Solar Proposals

There’s no better time to get solar panels installed on your home or building. Despite the drop in gas and oil prices in late 2014, solar is still the future. Get in while it’s hot (pun intended). The founder of PayPal, SpaceX, and Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, is confident that “solar will beat everything, hands down, including natural gas.” Elon is basically our modern day Nostradamus / Ben Franklin.

The only question now is, “where can I get solar panels for myself?” When people ask me, I always recommend that they contact a handful of solar installers in their area and pick the one they trust most. Some people don’t know how to get free solar proposals. It’s as easy as contacting a solar installer. But which solar installer should you contact? I’ve put together a short list of some of the largest and most reputable solar installers that operate nationally (*well, in a bunch of states at least). These are the solar installers I’d recommend to my friends and family, so I might as well recommend them to you too.

Solar Panel Efficiency and Life

So, the Sun shines on Earth and in that sunshine there is energy. Plants convert that energy into mass because energy is mass. E = mc2. Energy equals Mass times a constant (which is not important here). We eat the plants for energy, or we eat animals that eat the plants. That’s how we survive.

Simple Explanation:

Well, solar panels are humans’ attempt at making “plants” that convert the Sun’s energy into energy we use – to heat, chill, or light our homes, to power our TV’s, fridges, computers, etc. Well, it’s not easy converting that sunshine into energy we can use. And as it turns out, most solar panels convert 12-15% of the Sun’s energy that falls on the panel. The Sun dumps ~1,000 W/m2 at sea level on a clear day (source: wikipedia).