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On the next Probably True Solar Stories, we're going rogue for a midseason bonus episode! Instead of the strange and wonderful fictional solar stories that we usually tell, we're going to share some strange and wonderful REALLY True Solar Stories from actual solar workers and solar industry leaders.

There are around 279,000 solar industry workers today. And about 40,000 of those came to the RE+ conference in Anaheim, California in September 2024. And about 100 of those attendees came to my annual Social Views & Brews Happy Hour that I host with the support of the generous and beautiful people who run RE+.

After a few beers, I gave people three prompts to boost their REALLY True Solar Story memories. In alphabetical order, you'll hear stories from:

• Gwen Brown
• Tom Cheney
• Ian Hoffbeck
• Nico Johnson
• Peter Kelly
• Ryan Mayfield
• Spenser Meeks
• Jigar Shaw and Jeff Wolfe (told together)
• Greg Smith
• Jeff Spies
• Sean White
• Jim Wood
• Ben Zientara

After all those stories, I'll tell you my personal story about the solar mentor that I'll always remember and appreciate.

You can also watch this episode on the Probably True Solar YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/DSqi-MQinAE

I hope you enjoy these REALLY true solar stories. If you've never heard our fictional solar stories, explore the last three seasons at ProbablyTrueSolar.com or on your favorite podcast app.

Season Four is coming up this summer!

True Solar Takeaways

• IREC stands for the Interstate Renewable Energy Council
• NABCEP stands for the The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
• Listen to Nico Johnson's Suncast podcast here or on your favorite podcast streaming service.
• Listen to Jigar Shah, Katherine Hamilton, and Stephen Lacey on the Open Circuit podcast.
• Brands mentioned in people's stories were Aurora Solar, Trina Solar, and SEG Solar, Planet Plan Sets, and Solar Reviews.
• Solar publications mentioned in this episode included PV Tech, Solar Power World, and Renewable Energy World (aka Factor This).

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On the next encore episode of Probably True Solar Stories, a semi-sweet retired teacher gets inspired by Greta Thunberg to advocate for solar energy. But when her neighbors make excuses for not getting a solar quote, she starts a radical social media campaign that almost gets her arrested by the local Sheriff.

True Solar Takeaways

• This story is fiction, but Greta Thunberg is very real and a true climate action activist. You can follow her on Twitter and on Instagram, and you can follow her campaign here.
• Here's a link to her "How Dare You" speech.
• Here's a link to her "Blah, blah, blah" speech, which includes "words that sound great, but led to no action."
• It's very, very simple to get a solar quote today. You can search the web for solar installers in your area, but please compare prices. Get three estimates and compare online reviews. As The Naked Solar Lady says in this story, if solar doesn't make financial sense for you, don't do it. At least you now know what it costs today and you'll be able to benchmark for another set of solar quotes in another year or two. It just takes an hour of your time. And if it does work, what are you waiting for?
• There are also several websites that will compare three online quotes for you after inputting some information about your home and energy usage.
• While it's true that solar does not work by itself at night, that's okay. Almost every solar home remains connected to the local grid to keep the lights and fridge on at night.
• Despite some recent blackouts and brownouts in California and Texas, the grid rarely goes down. In 2018, the latest data available, the entire U.S. grid was up and running 94% of the time, but that's in specific areas. Your utility may be more stable than others. If you're concerned about being without power for a few hours or, at most, a day or two, then you can install batteries with your solar panels.
• Batteries have other advantages besides rarely used backup power. In certain places like California, Hawaii, and other states, batteries can be used to save more money by storing your extra solar power for use later when evening and nighttime utility rates are higher. As mentioned earlier, get three solar+battery quotes from three qualified and well-reviewed installers. They'll let you know if installing a battery makes financial sense for you. Perhaps it makes sense to only install a small battery that will be programmed for energy savings and not backup power.

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• Support the show by visiting the merch store and buying a tee shirt!
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On the next Probably True Solar Stories, we conclude "A Murder of Solar Crows." Four thieves have tried to strip two solar farms of their expensive copper wires, solar panels, and other equipment. But a brown tabby cat and her animal friends keep getting in their way. Will the gang finally beat her on their third and final job?

True Solar Takeaways

• Listen to Part 1 here: https://www.probablytruesolar.com/murder-crows/
• A line of crows on a tree limb or electrical wire is called "A murder of crows."
• Kelptovoltaics is the term for the act of stealing solar equipment from a solar project.
• Theft of solar modules, inverters, copper cabling, and other valuable equipment from solar installations is a real phenomenon.
• Sinovoltaics, a global solar quality assurance company, wrote an article about Kleptovoltaics in 2020, which discussed security methods for preventing solar projects from theft. The article cited several kleptovoltaic news reports from around the world, so it's probably more common than what's reported in city and national crime statistics.
• Instead of traditional mowing equipment, solar project owners often hire ranchers with sheep, goats, and other grazing animals to naturally mow the project's ground cover. None have attacked humans at a solar project, as far as I know.
• Local mammals, reptiles, and insects are always present at solar projects. These include mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, foxes, deer, snakes, wasps, and even stray cats. Birds can also fly over projects and poop on the panels.

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• Visit ProbablyTrueSolar.com to sign up for the newsletter to learn about new episodes and live solar storytelling events.
• Support the show by visiting the merch store and buying a tee shirt!
• Learn how sponsors can be a part of Probably True Solar Stories and tell their own creative stories.
• Follow @SolarFred and/or @ProbTrueSolar on Twitter to discuss episodes
• Don't forget to:
  • Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast streaming service
  • Rate
  • Review, and
  • Share!