151 – Utility Scale Solar

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-5aaxg-154b93c

Huge solar arrays are beginning to dot the landscape – sometimes 300 acres of them spreading out across farmland and next to highways. So what is happening? What are the dynamics that are changing the utility landscape, closing coal and natural gas power plants and replacing them with acres of solar? And is this all a good thing?

 

Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station are joined by Jake Kuss, assistant director of the Utility Scale Solar Energy Coalition of Ohio for a discussion on utility-scale solar and how it will change the way we get energy for decades to come.

189 – Solar as a Pathway to Recovery

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-hgm4d-14edafb

Increasingly agencies are turning to solar as a workforce re-entry pathway for those dealing with drug addiction or trying to find a career after leaving prison. 

Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station speak with Jimi Braswell of Clean NRG Solar Recovery who, after leaving prison, founded a successful solar installation business and employs folks like himself who are trying to get their act together after struggling with addiction issues.

185 – The ”No Solar on Prime Farmlands” Campaign

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-v67cj-14cfec0

You may have noticed a large number of strikingly similar signs popping up on farms throughout the Midwest protesting “No Solar on Prime Farmland.” So what and who is behind this campaign? And why are farmers protesting against this new potential revenue source?

Join Jay and Annie Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion on this Washington DC political maneuvering posing as a grassroots campaign.

WBHWT Episode 183 – Latest Solar News

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-q84nk-14a1b22

Things are always changing, often without us noticing. This is especially true in the world of solar energy.

Join Jay and Annie Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of a few stories in a typical week in the world of solar and how these events will impact our world, our culture and our lives for decades to come.

174 – Money Available to Install Solar on your Home or Business

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-p7k8h-13b284a

Solar is already the cheapest form of energy available – bar none. And the government, through a number of recent incentive programs, has just put it on sale. You almost cannot afford NOT to put solar on your home or business.

 

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station in a discussion of the various tax credits and grants that are now available to make solar even more affordable and will lead to an amazing energy transition.

161 – Solar and Fire

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-pexcs-12e21da

In 2021 Amazon shut down all their solar electric systems on their buildings because an incredible 12% of them caught fire since being installed. So does solar PV present a significant risk or was this just a case of shoddy installation?

 

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of rooftop solar and the risk it presents for fires.

104 -Ten Recent Innovations in Solar

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-dbgi3-127f9d5

Solar energy is one of the most disruptive technologies in the history of mankind.  It is about to displace the fossil fuel industry and change the world in ways we can barely imagine.  So what are some of the changes and technologies that are underway – often below the radar of most people’s experience.

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of the 10 new innovations and changes in solar energy that will change the world.

151 – Utility Scale Solar

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-82bms-1211a11

Huge solar arrays are beginning to dot the landscape – sometimes 300 acres or more… spreading out across farmland and next to highways. So what is happening? What are the dynamics that are changing the utility landscape, closing coal and natural gas power plants and replacing them with acres of solar? And is this all a good thing?

 

Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station are joined by Jake Kuss, assistant director of the Utility Scale Solar Energy Coalition of Ohio for a discussion on utility-scale solar and how it will change the way we get energy for decades to come.

088 – Solar Pollution

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4p4a8-11f5d55

Solar energy is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide.  It currently produces about 3% of the US electricity – but is anticipated to generate as much as 30% within a decade.  And as is true with any large industry – it will create its share of problems.

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of the environmental problems the growth of solar energy will generate for our planet – from mineral extraction, to pollution during manufacturing, to how to deal with the waste stream when the systems grow old and fail.

148 – What Solar Really Costs in 2022

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-rgh6t-11dec73

As solar goes more mainstream, we are beginning to see solar “aluminum siding salesmen” knocking on doors and trying to sell homeowners systems that are overpriced and may or may not meet the needs of the household. We are seeing misleading advertisements claiming there are “new incentive programs for your zip code” that the utility companies “don’t want you to know about.”

 

So how do you separate the truth from the BS?

 

Every six months, the solar consulting company Energy Sage publishes a comprehensive study, asking solar installers around the nation questions about how the business has changed and what things really cost in the market today.

 

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of this report’s findings and what you should expect to pay should you decide to put solar on your roof.