The Energy Show, hosted by Barry Cinnamon, is a weekly 30 minute talk show that runs every Saturday on KDOW Radio AM in San Jose California. Every week Barry provides practical money-saving tips on ways to reduce your home and business energy consumption. Barry Cinnamon heads up Cinnamon Energy Systems (a San Jose residential and commercial solar and energy storage contractor) and Spice Solar (suppliers of built-in solar racking technology). After 10,000+ installations at Akeena Solar and We ...
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California’s clean energy future is on a collision course with profit-oriented monopoly utilities. From the Governor’s office to the California Public Utilities Commission to the Legislature, policies are being implemented that are leading to skyrocketing electric rates and record utility profits — while at the same time crushing California's rooft…
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I bet you didn’t know that the “WH” in FranklinWH stands for "Whole Home." The Jersey Boys from Franklin designed their battery system from the ground up to help people back up their whole home without adding extra batteries or expensive load shedding subpanels. This capability has made Franklin one of the best selling battery systems on the market…
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“SunPower” and “bankruptcy” are two words I never thought I’d see in the same sentence. But we should temper our schadenfreude. The solar industry owes SunPower and their employees tremendous gratitude. Without a doubt, our industry would be much smaller without SunPower’s early and determined leadership.So rather than dance on their potential grav…
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Who would have thunk that you could put a 240 volt split phase inverter on the back of every solar panel? The gurus at Enphase and Akeena did, and I've been a fan ever since their first prototypes in 2008. In fact, I still have Enphase M-190 microinverters on my San Francisco home. Time for an upgrade? Probably!Our special guest is Raghu Belur, co-…
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You don’t have to be a Boomer to remember the days of simple DC wire connections to string inverters. For the most part, these times are long gone. Since 2010, module-level power electronics (MLPE) have taken over — and now, with batteries and advanced load control, solar systems have evolved into the energy focal point for homes.This Energy Show p…
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Yes, definitely. Heat pumps are literally and figuratively cool. And without a doubt, the best time to consider installing a heat pump is when your AC (or furnace) dies.Heat pumps do double duty, providing both heating and cooling. They offer significant savings and improved comfort -- which I confirmed first hand after my old outdoor air condition…
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Consider the poor photons! If your panels are dirty you are causing trillions of premature photonic deaths when they collide with dirt molecules. Please give those photons the chance to knock an electron loose from an eager semi-conductor. Instead of being converted to heat and banished to quantum hell.Save The Photons. Clean Your Solar PanelsAfter…
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Are you sick of all the heat pump hype? Skeptical about why you should buy one right away? Don’t mind paying huge bills to your utility for methane (natural gas)? Even heat pump enthusiasts like us agree with you — they are definitely NOT for everyone.Here are five reasons why heat pumps may not be the right thing for your house:1. You don’t believ…
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This week's Energy Show dives into the tumultuous landscape of the clean energy industry, painting a picture of contrasting fortunes akin to the classic “Tale of Two Cities.” On one hand, we witness a surge in demand for clean energy, driven by improving economics, lower equipment costs, and rising electric rates, alongside enticing incentives. Yet…
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I read an avalanche of media criticism when Elon Musk fired his entire SuperCharger team a few weeks ago. In spite of all the whining, it was a good business decision for Tesla.Here’s why: expanding and running a fast charging network is a lousy business.Installation costs are high, permitting and construction delays are extensive, and revenues fro…
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10 years in the solar and storage industry qualifies most industry veterans as a solar old timer. But there is one person who stands out as a beacon of leadership, longevity and success. Ed Murray has been heating water molecules (solar thermal), converting photons to electrons (solar PV) and saving customers money since 1978.That’s 322 dog years!E…
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It’s not a flippant comment or a classic jazz solo — but an existential question about the devastating trend our civilization is on due to climate change.The history of Earth Day shows how the worldwide environmental movement has evolved from concerns about in-your-face air and water pollution … to a focus on the invisible hazard of rising CO2 emis…
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Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Scott Sullivan, my friend and one of the best networked executives in the industry. Earthquake excitement has diminished in the New Jersey area, but seismic changes in solar continue around the country. In Part 1 we discussed what happens in the solar and storage industry — really every industry — when c…
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Seismic changes in the solar and storage industry? Who would have thought that our friends in New Jersey would relate so viscerally? Their recent 4.8 magnitude quake in early April literally extended this metaphor across the country.Metaphors aside, the solar and storage industry is changing faster now than I have ever seen:* Electric rates are soa…
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March isn't just about shamrocks and leprechauns; it's also Women's History Month, highlighting the incredible contributions of women in various fields. But have you ever wondered about their role in the energy transition? In general, women are just as involved as men — not just in solar, but also in batteries, hydrogen, policy-making, electrificat…
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The Learning Curve for understanding home batteries and solar systems is steep. Your battery system education will require mastering at least twice as much jargon, TLAs (that’s Three Letter Acronyms), specifications and industry gossip than ordinary solar systems. So if you don’t want to get bamboozled by an aggressive salesperson, this week’s podc…
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The Utility Empire is striking back. As a result, the rooftop solar industry is experiencing its first decline in growth ever. In California alone the end of Net Metering has resulted in an 80% drop in rooftop installations and 17,000 job losses among passionate Rebel solar installers. Utilities in other states are following California’s lead, leve…
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This week we’re talking about World Domination. Domination of energy production, that is. In the re-scrambled words of the wise and infamous Dr. Evil: “Why make Gigawatts when we can make…Terrawatts!”Indeed, solar is on track to completely dominate electricity generation. Solar is growing faster than wind, nuclear and LNG ever did. Alternatives to …
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If you’re thinking about solar there’s something important you should know. It should be obvious, but just in case: there is no such thing as Free Solar.Getting solar — or a battery -- installed on your house is not cheap and certainly not free. These projects are significant construction and electrical improvements. No company will install solar o…
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It’s no surprise that this is the most common question, since the solar panels themselves are the biggest cost component of a typical rooftop system.But I’m not going to give you the single "Best Panel" answer you may be looking for. Sorry.With over 100 companies making solar panels worldwide — and vast differences in efficiency, aesthetics and rel…
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As in year’s past, we in California greet the New Year with yet another electric rate increase. It’s almost impossible to believe this time — but on January 1, 2024, PG&E raised electric rates by another 28.4% according to the San Jose Mercury News.Just follow the money. Since 2017, Utilities and the IBEW spent over $111 million on politicians and …
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I’ve added electrification predictions for 2024 to my customary set of solar and storage predictions. Electrification incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are already starting to drive demand for heat pumps and electrical upgrades, just as tax credits accelerated the solar and EV markets in the past.So here I go again sticking my neck ou…
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It’s not a matter of IF your hot water heater dies – but WHEN. According to the Department of Energy, the average lifespan of a hot water heater is 13 years. So if your hot water heater is over ten years old – or if you’re planning to electrify your home -- the time to PLAN for a Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) is NOW.Heat pump water heaters have bec…
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The goal to cap global warming to 1.5C is just a pipe dream. At the rate the earth is warming we’ll hit that threshold in 2026 or sooner. And since our consumption of fossil fuels continues to increase without any meaningful reductions of airborne CO2 concentrations, we are on pace to hit 3C by 2035.It doesn’t take a doctor to diagnose the illness:…
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When you electrify your home – with a heat pump HVAC system, EV charger, induction cooktopor heat pump water heater – your demand for electricity will go up. Duh. Or as Tim Allen wouldsay: “I need more power.”Incentives as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) help reduce the upfront costs of theseelectrification upgrades. But the only way to r…
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By 2035 all new cars in California will be electric. It’s an achievable goal based on lower operating costs and rapid price declines for new EVs. But the current per kwh costs of EV charging continue to increase -- and we continue to be woefully short of necessary EV charging infrastructure.I predict a massive backlash against expensive and inconve…
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Inside Scoop About Heat Pump HVAC SystemsIf you can answer these three basic questions, then don’t bother listening to this podcast. The questions are tricky, so if you're the least bit uncertain I suggest you listen to this week's riveting Energy Show episode.How can a heat pump be 300% efficient?Are gas furnaces still the most popular new heating…
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There is one thing for certain as you electrify your house. You’ll need more electricity. Duh!But getting more electricity from the street to your house is not easy. Bizarrely, it often takes longer to do these electrical upgrades than it does to install your new all electric appliances.When — not if -- your old gas hot water heater dies, you don’t…
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The Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, became law in August 2022. It's packed with incentives across the entire value chain, including domestic manufacturing, energy-efficient products, and clean saving energy.But these fantastic incentives do not yet match the realities of what you can get today for your electrification project. The table below show…
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Batteries were everywhere at September’s RE+ Conference in Vegas. I counted over 100 different battery company and system vendors. It was more of a battery and solar tracker show than a solar show — demonstrating the rapid evolution of these clean energy technologies.But out of a hundred batteries on the show floor, there are only half a dozen that…
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Proving the solar skeptics wrong, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) now expects that utilities will add 54.5 Gigawatts of solar generation capacity in 2023. And this capacity does not include 6.4 Gw of residential installations and 1.7 Gw of commercial installations expected in 2023.SIDEBAR: a Gigawatt is a billion watts of power. In…
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HEADLINE: Higher Electric Rates and More BlackoutsUnfortunately, this is the new normal for most of the U.S. In other words: SNAFUThis situation will not change. It’s a little-known fact that utilities use our money to influence politicians to maintain their monopoly. To the tune of $18m in California just in 2022. Government regulators are suppose…
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Our society is moving rapidly towards electrification. Building electrification is good for the climate, good for our health, and good for our economy. We’ll all be using more electricity — it’s inevitable. Luckily, using all this extra electricity for our heating and our cars is inexpensive when you get it from rooftop solar and storage.But utilit…
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On this week’s show we’re talking about the first steps toward your home electrification project. What I call the Low Hanging Fruit. These are easy and cheap energy efficiency measures — most of which you can do yourself (DIY) or do not require any special contractors.Many people recommend starting with an energy audit of your home. However, unless…
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More heat pumps were sold in 2022 than gas furnaces. And that was before the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) kicked in, which provides an $8,000 rebate for most heat pump installations — on top of a $2,000 federal tax credit and city/county incentives that can exceed $3,000.Heat pumps are cleaner, more efficient and less expensive than most conventio…
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How would you like to reduce your home energy costs, improve your health and comfort, and at the same time do your part to improve the environment?If your answer is “yes,” then listen to this week’s Energy Show episode. If your answer is “no,” then maybe you don’t need your share of the $10,000-$40,000 incentives that are available for your home.Th…
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Batteries are becoming an essential part of home solar systems. With solar-connected batteries, homeowners can avoid paying peak utility electricity charges. Batteries can provide backup power during blackouts. And if you’re in California, after net metering ends in April 2023, you will need batteries to avoid peak electric rates.In the old days, a…
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According to Wikipedia -- which has supplanted the Oxford English Dictionary and Encyclopedia Brittanica as the world’s definitive source of information -- an Atmospheric River consists of narrow bands of enhanced water vapor winds that form over the oceans.In plain English, Atmospheric Rivers are windy rainstorms that dump a huge amount of water i…
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Fusion Power Breakthrough...Really? by Barry Cinnamonتوسط Barry Cinnamon
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Copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonOver the years I’ve heard thousands of stories about people, companies and products in the solar industry. Fascinating to a solar geek like me, but too much in the weeds for most homeowners.As the solar and storage industry goes mainstream, we need to communicate to customers in a more mainstream way.…
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Copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonEntrepreneurs are the job engine in the United States. Many of the companies founded by today’s entrepreneurs have products or services addressing environmental needs. New technologies almost always gain traction through the work of stubborn entrepreneurs, including solar, wind, electric vehicles and …
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We’re talking about VAMPIRES on this week’s show — vampire electric loads.It’s Halloween season, and these little energy suckers are insidious. I guarantee that you have dozens of little devices plugged into your home that are using a small amount of standby power, sucking energy all day and night. It really adds up, and causes nightmares for energ…
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Copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonThe best run solar companies I know are those that focus on a geographic region, and grow slowly and steadily. As with most other construction businesses, local companies generally understand their local markets better and have lower overhead — enabling them to provide better customer service at lower…
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Copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonAdoption of EVs will hit a brick wall when people realize how ridiculously expensive it is to charge EVs at work or at public charging stations. And these charging costs will continue to go up as the price of grid electricity skyrockets.Electric utilities have rigged the system for EV charging infrast…
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Copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonEvery time I fly into a city the glare from bright white commercial rooftops screams out to me “I need solar panels.” It is a little known fact that the 30% solar investment tax credit coupled with 20%+ depreciation benefits makes commercial rooftop solar the most cost-effective way of supporting loca…
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copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonMr. Burns of Simpson’s fame — the personification of utility greed and political power — is happily rubbing his hands together as California roasts in the dark. And this situation will get much worse in the coming years.First, there is insufficient power during heat waves. Even with large solar and wi…
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Copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonI was recently a guest on the Rob Black Show. Rob is a popular TV, radio and podcast financial expert. So in a twist, we talk about leveraging the savings from the Inflation Reduction Act to maximize your Individual Retirement Account.There’s been lots of news coverage about homeowner’s saving money f…
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Copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonThis week’s Energy Show podcast is about the IRA. Even if you’re retired or Irish, the inaptly-named Inflation Reduction Act is the most important legislation for clean tech ever. We’ll talk about the big picture of U.S. energy generation and use, and then delve into how much homeowners can save with …
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Copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonWhen it comes to global warming – we’re screwed. I’m telling it like it is so we don’t continue misleading ourselves that we are on a path to reduce global warming.We have had 20+ years of climate activism; many Inconvenient Truths; wildfires, floods, droughts, blackouts; and now energy wars. Still, t…
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Copyright 2022 - The Energy Show, Barry CinnamonThere are two types of solar customers: people with sunny roofs and people without sunny roofs. Just as every home had a chimney (before heat pumps), there is no doubt in my mind that every home will eventually have solar.But what about the people without sunny rooftops, such as apartment dwellers and…
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