Latest news with #EnergySage
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers use innovative new tool to reveal urgent crisis along coastlines: 'We've seen massive changes'
A groundbreaking new tool is helping people in the United Kingdom better understand one of the most visible effects of our overheating planet, and what it reveals is both shocking and urgent. Researchers at Ulster University in Northern Ireland have launched a publicly accessible tool that maps shoreline changes around the nation's coast, the BBC reported. With 200 years of coastal data, the tool lets users zoom in on over 7,500 miles of coastline and view in plain language how far inland or seaward the coast has moved over time. "We've seen massive changes that we didn't realise actually took place," professor Derek Jackson, a coastal geographer, said. In some areas, the coast has grown outward. Other locations have experienced dramatic erosion. Magilligan in County Londonderry, for example, has seen severe retreat, while parts of County Down have expanded. Coastlines are always changing, but the difference now is how quickly those changes are happening. Human pollution from burning dirty energy such as coal and gas traps heat in the atmosphere, increasing global temperatures and causing sea levels to rise. When water levels rise, erosion speeds up, putting homes, ecosystems, and infrastructure at risk. In Northern Ireland, some coastal areas have been partially protected due to land rebounding from the last ice age, but experts say that advantage is quickly running out. Do you think EVs will dominate our roads in 15 years? No way Absolutely yes Only in some areas I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "We probably should not be building on dynamic coasts because they're so mobile," Jackson added in the BBC interview. Scientists agree that while extreme weather has always existed, human-induced overheating supercharges climate events, making them stronger and more frequent. The new mapping tool not only helps residents see how their local coastline is changing but also provides vital context for policymakers and city planners. That information can support better decisions around coastal development and infrastructure for the future. In Turkey, plasma-powered tech is helping farmers fight drought by boosting crop growth and using water more efficiently. Scientists are also leveraging artificial intelligence-powered tools such as BeeMachine to monitor bee populations in Kansas, enhancing ecosystem resilience. For individuals, switching to clean energy is one of the most impactful steps to reduce heat-trapping pollution. Installing solar panels with a battery system can make your home more resilient during extreme weather events with grid outages while cutting your energy costs to or near $0. EnergySage makes it easy to compare vetted local installers and save up to $10,000 on solar installations. Buying panels can be challenging due to the high upfront cost, but leasing programs such as Palmetto's LightReach can be a great alternative, offering no money down and fixed, low energy rates. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Homeowners with solar panels share firsthand advice with cautious shoppers: 'Haven't paid more than 20 dollars for a bill in 5 years'
Thinking about going solar but unsure if it's worth it? One homeowner's experience offered a clear answer and sparked plenty of online conversation. Their simple setup helped slash energy bills while cutting back on the use of dirty energy sources such as gas, coal, and oil. With rising utility rates and frequent extreme weather events, homeowners are looking for smarter ways to power their homes. Redditors may have found the ultimate home energy hack: solar panels combined with battery storage. One Redditor said they "haven't paid more than 20 dollars for a bill in 5 years" thanks to their setup. This type of system not only powers homes but also charges batteries to offset usage during non-sunny hours or high-rate periods. "Batteries can help manage the gap between your solar production and usage and most utilities offer generous rebates in exchange for grid stabilization," another user explained. While upfront costs can be a concern for some, tools such as EnergySage's solar calculator can quickly estimate personalized savings and compare vetted installers in your area. Its mapping tool also shows average installation costs in each state and provides details on statewide incentives. For the Redditor, the most immediate benefit was financial. With monthly energy bills consistently under $20, the system likely paid for itself or is well on its way to doing so. "I'm on hourly pricing too! Solar powers everything during the day including high energy demand. And I get cheap night electric rates. Best of both worlds," they added. But solar's impact isn't just economic. Generating clean energy from the sun helps reduce dependence on gas, coal, and oil and can lower a household's impact on the climate. It's a smart upgrade that pays off financially while benefiting the planet. According to EnergySage, homeowners can save 20% to 30% or more with federal and state incentives. However, a potential shift in U.S. energy policy could change that. Lawmakers have hinted at rolling back the current 30% investment tax credit as early as this year, according to Solar Builder. That means homeowners may need to act quickly to secure thousands in savings. Fellow Redditors jumped in with questions and encouragement. Some praised the results and asked for setup details, while others raised concerns about initial costs or regional restrictions. Still, many shared similar experiences, especially those with battery systems. For those exploring solar, this hack proves its potential. Pairing solar panels with batteries for energy storage can help more families cut costs and build toward a cooler, cleaner future. If you were to install home solar panels, which of these factors would be your primary motivation? Energy independence Lower power bills Helping the planet No chance I ever go solar Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists develop game-changing method to generate energy from gentle breeze: 'What excites us most is the simplicity'
Researchers from India are demonstrating that harnessing wind power only requires a flutter. It's a stark contrast to the "world's largest" turbine accomplishments in China and elsewhere. "Yet, there is a quieter, more compact option: a slender strip of material fluttering in the breeze, capable of converting ambient airflow into usable electrical energy," the experts from the Indian Institutes of Technology wrote in a summary published by Tech Xplore. And while the small-scale breeze catchers won't be powering cities, the team said they could energize sensors and lights in remote settings and hard-to-reach areas. The key is slim polymer sheets that are used as piezoelectric materials. They can convert flutters, or vibrations from ambient air, into electricity. The team's blueprint isn't overly complicated, per the report. "Our work focuses on a simple idea: attach a flexible plate with a piezoelectric sheet to the downstream side of a cylinder and expose it to wind. As wind flows past the cylinder, it causes the attached plate to flutter — much like a flag," they wrote. Experts around the world are working on ways to harness unique energy sources. Students in France built turnstiles in a metro station that generated electricity from everyday human movement, powering nearby TV screens as people passed through. An international research team is studying how to generate voltage as low winds pass over water droplets. The team did some tweaking to the sheets to improve the device, generating more energy. It's thanks to "a resonance phenomenon where the oscillation frequency of the plate synchronizes with the frequency of vortex shedding," the experts said. The device was able to light 20 LEDs continuously, and 40 momentarily, with stored charge. The inventive energy generation is part of the overall shift to a cleaner future without reliance on heat-trapping fossil fuels. NASA has linked the fumes those energy sources produce to increased risks for severe weather — blackout-causing storms that are more damaging and frequent. Should the government be paying us to upgrade our homes? Definitely Depends on how much it costs Depends on what it's for No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Anyone can participate in the switch at home by investing in solar panel tech. It's a move that provides the average American household around $700 in annual savings, after expenses, according to a government study. EnergySage, a free online tool, is a reliable ally that can make sure you secure all the incentives and find the right installer, saving up to $10,000 on the installation. In the end, you can reduce or eliminate your power bill. Community solar is an option to tap the sun's power from a nearby solar farm via a subscription plan. You can save up to $150 a year on your utility bill without installing tech at home. In India, the researchers said they still have some improvements to make to the low-speed wind setup to prepare it for practical use. "What excites us most is the simplicity and scalability of this approach. Unlike traditional turbines, these harvesters have no rotating parts, minimal maintenance needs, and can be easily integrated into urban or natural environments. As the world seeks smarter, smaller, and cleaner ways to generate energy, this flutter-powered harvester may just have the wind at its back," the team wrote. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
California's war on rooftop solar: A new bill could dim homeowners' energy freedom
California has long been a leader in solar adoption in the U.S., but a new bill gutting the state's net metering policy would deal a sharp blow to solar homeowners in the Golden state. With the help of favorable government policies and incentives spurring the expansion of solar deployment, California became a solar-friendly state for homeowners looking to save money while living more sustainably. But now, the state is poised to renege on its commitment to solar customers with the potential passage of Assembly Bill 942, a bill that would repeal net metering rules that had previously grandfathered in homeowners who had already gone solar years earlier. This May, the California State Assembly Commission passed an amended bill, known as AB 942, that proposes to sunset existing net metering contracts beginning in July 2026. Net metering is a policy that allows homeowners to send the excess electricity produced by their solar panels back to the grid and receive a credit for that energy on their utility bill. This practice is designed to return excess output to the grid, which in turn benefits local economies and reduces homeowners energy bills. Stay informed on the latest industry news—delivered to your inbox each month. Sign up for EnergySage's newsletter. All told, NEM programs have proved wildly successful at spurring solar adoption, with over 2 million households installing solar panels —, totaling 17 gigawatts. According to one industry study from a solar and storage trade group, those installations have produced $1.5 billion in cumulative savings for all customers. Net metering was first made available to Californians 30 years ago, and in subsequent years and revisions to the program, the state uncapped net energy metering (NEM) to allow new systems to produce more than a previously mandated limit of 1,000kW. While some of the other benefits of NEM were rolled back over the past few years, the program still greatly benefited solar homeowners. If AB 942 passes it will be a different story: Existing net metering contracts (under NEM versions 1.0 and 2.0) would be voided once a home is sold or its deed is transferred. That home and its system would then be regulated under the most recent version, NEM 3.0. According to the bill's author, Assemblyperson Lisa Calderon, AB 942's purpose is to address the financial shortfall of grid maintenance costs that are being covered largely by non-solar customers. 'Our energy bills are becoming increasingly unaffordable, and we must address this ratepayer inequity,' Calderon said in a recent press release. The environmental imperative of renewable energy aside, a key motivation for homeowners who want to go solar is to save course, lower utility bills piques anyone's interest, and is one of the reasons reason net metering has become so popular in one state after the next – it helps homeowners conserve energy and money at the same time. But according to critics, California had already strayed from its original mission. With the introduction of NEM 3.0 in April 2023, California swapped out net metering for a net billing tariff program (aka net billing), an arguably inferior system that substantially reduces the credits customers receive for sending excess energy to the grid, averaging about 5 to 6 cents per kilowatt hour. This is because the energy offsets are now valued based on the avoided costs to the utility company. In previous versions of NEM, the credits' value was equal to those deducted whenever energy had to be imported from the grid; a simple 1:1 exchange rate. Should AB 942 become law, homebuyers would be unable to inherit the benefits of existing contracts under NEM 1.0 or 2.0. (Under these versions, net metering contracts have a 20-year term and are tied to the installations, not homeowners.) Instead, those contracts would automatically shift to NEM 3.0. 'People made huge financial decisions to put solar on their roofs, with guaranteed paybacks because of these agreements,' Jeremy Nicholson, CEO of Sunergy, a California-based solar installer, told EnergySage. 'Changing that midstream would be a huge disservice. It completely erodes consumer confidence. Whatever agreements you have in place, you need to ride out to the finish line.' A key feature of those older agreements is the guarantee that one homeowner can pass savings onto the next. That alone is a huge selling point for buyers in a state like California where electricity rates seem to increase exponentially. Assemblyperson Calderon, a democrat representing California's predominantly suburban 56th State Assembly district, claims AB 942 is a question of economic equity. Her office cites a recent study conducted by the state's Public Advocates Office, which claims that in 2024 alone net metering shifted excess costs totaling $8.5 billion to non-solar ratepayers. 'Without modifications, the cost shift will continue to escalate as retail rates for electricity increase,' according to the study. It's also worth noting that Calderon herself is a former long-time employee of Southern California Edison, a large investor-owned utility and understands how they operate. While it is true that electricity rates in California are well above the national average—30 cents/kWh versus 19 cents nationally—the data for these figures comes directly from the utility companies themselves—an obvious conflict of interest. Other reports found different results: A 2021 counter study conducted by Solar United Neighbors denies the claim that cost shifting is hurting regular Californians. 'The utility's cost shift claim is false,' the Solar United report says 'Research on the issue concludes that rooftop solar more often provides a net benefit to all ratepayers.' 'Utility companies are forced monopolies, and what they're trying to do is get rid of the competition,' Nicholson says. 'An apt analogy is the U.S. Post Office versus FedEx, it's utility companies versus solar. We are the industry disruptor. And even with that competition, even with all the solar in California, rates have gone up over 50% in the last seven years.' Large utilities have made the case that increased rates are needed to help offset the costs of upgrading the U.S.'s aging electrical grid. But that,too, has been called into question, given that transmission and distribution spending on the part of California's three largest utilities has increased exponentially in recent years while electricity usage has remained relatively steady. The conclusion many critics have drawn is that, as investor-owned businesses, the utilities are motivated more by profit margins and keeping shareholders happy than providing value to their customers. 'The claim here is people who went solar are placing an undue burden on the rest of consumers, but that's not a fluid argument,' Nicholson told EnergySage. 'It may have held water if consumption remained the same across the nation and across utilities, but demand has only increased … people say you can't see the future, but I disagree. Solar takes strain off the grid and gives resiliency to customers. It's not even an ROI or cost-saving argument anymore. This is insurance.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fed up homeowner takes legal action after HOA demands solar panel removal two years after installation: 'Check your state laws'
One Illinois homeowner considered drastic action when their homeowners association demanded that they remove the expensive and useful solar panels they had already installed. They posted about their experience in an anti-HOA subreddit. "My HOA in IL is requiring that I remove my solar panels that have been installed for 2 years from the street side of my house," the frustrated homeowner explained. "They say I can put them on the side roof like other neighbors have… But I have a gable roof not a hip roof and they could not figure out why I don't have a side roof." Though this demand is nonsensical, it's also not surprising. Many HOAs are against solar panels, or at least against visible ones. Despite the money they save homeowners and the way they protect the planet by generating clean energy, many associations restrict or prohibit solar panel installation. That's a pity because solar panels really are the best way to generate cost-effective and non-polluting energy for your home long-term. They pay for themselves over time in energy savings and can even be used to make your home independent from the grid. It's simple to get access to those benefits; to get the best deal possible, a great first step is to check out EnergySage's free online marketplace to find vetted providers near you and compare quotes. EnergySage can also help to navigate tax credits of around $10,000, depending on the size of the project. Those tax credits may only last through 2025, depending on what Congress does with the "Big Beautiful Bill" under consideration, so it's worth exploring sooner rather than later if you're considering panels of your own. The original poster wanted to hang on to their solar benefits and was willing to fight a legal battle to keep them. "I am trying to contact a lawyer right now," they commented. "You will want to check state laws and your hoa bylaws, master deed, and use and building restrictions for the neighborhood. If none of these mention that you can't have the panels then you can," advised a commenter. "I don't think an HOA can legally make you remove solar panels; check your state laws," another user agreed. Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden? Yes Only if it impacts your neighbors Depends on what you're growing Heck no Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
