As our world relies increasingly on renewable energy, we’re facing a new challenge: the way we generate and distribute that energy. Our current system is based on a model of inefficient centralized generation, or the large-scale generation of electricity at centralized facilities, a model that is built around fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. As we move towards a clean energy future, we need to change that model and build a system based on distributed energy resources (DER), a variety of technologies that generate electricity at or near where it will be used.

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Topics: Future of Solar, Advantages of Solar Power, Consumer, Dealers

In his classic book, Diffusion of Innovation, Everett Rogers defined the Innovation Adoption Cycle.  When a new product or service is introduced, it is first purchased by a small segment of the population he called Innovators. This is followed by Early Adopters, then Early Majority, Late Majority and, finally, Laggards. When a product hits the Early Majority Stage it starts to enter the mainstream market and reach a broader audience.

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Topics: Future of Solar, Selling Solar, Green Companies, Solar Industry, Consumer, Dealers

Return on investment is key for any solar project, but especially small commercial solar. In these projects, every dollar matters. As a result, savvy investors and installers today are focusing more attention on the production capacity of a system and the dollar-per-kilowatt-hour generated, rather than simply the installed cost of a system, to ascertain a more accurate picture of the project's long-term value.

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Topics: Future of Solar, Types of Solar, Small Commercial Solar, Power Production, Solar System Design, Maximizing Power Production, Consumer, Dealers

We live in a finite world. Fossil fuels--oil, coal, and natural gas--are our number one energy source. Oil, being the biggest, drives almost everything we do. And we're rapidly reaching the limits of how much of it the world can supply.

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Topics: Future of Solar, Climate Change, Environmental Issues, Renewable Revolutionaries, Peak Oil, Consumer, Dealers

From design/build schools to breweries and social entrepreneurs, AllEarth Renewables is proud to have helped innovative businesses and individuals across the northeast generate their own power from the sun. Our Renewable Revolutionaries video series goes behind the scenes to profile iconic brands and people that are pioneering a sustainable future for us all.

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Topics: Future of Solar, Renewable Energy, Renewable Revolutionaries, Consumer, Dealers