A strong residential solar industry is developed, in part, by quality PV system products and the strong brands behind those products. Solar installation contractors who partner with these companies – via partnership programs or dealer networks – can also reap other ancillary benefits to build a stronger business, from preferredRead More

SNMP and MODBUS are both components of the application layer in the OSI model. Where MODBUS is a protocol that can be supported by different physical and data link layers, SNMP is exclusively an IP standard. Unlike MODBUS IP, which typically uses the TCP transport layer, SNMP data is usuallyRead More

Residential storage is a fledgling, exciting space right now for solar installers looking to diversify their services or expand. From heavy-duty deep-cycle batteries all the way to full, future-proofed energy storage systems, there are a ton of options in the market to support a variety of customer and installer needs.Read More

A virtual power plant (VPP) is a network of distributed energy sources aggregated into a single cloud-based point of control at the utility. When distributed energy generation sources are coupled with storage (like a group of solar homes), greater possibilities for cost reduction and revenue generation emerge. As part ofRead More

The Solar Builder annual Solar PV Inverter Buyer’s Guide is a chance to check in with all of the inverter manufacturers – from the market leaders to the up-and-comers – to get a sense of how their technology has evolved and what new products are now available for installation. ThisRead More

We asked every inverter manufacturer to tell us about their latest and greatest products for our 2019 Solar Inverter Buyer’s Guide. What came back was a range of innovations from the most powerful microinverter on the market to the latest utility-scale string technology. At this point, solar inverter spec sheetsRead More

At one of the solar industry’s most respected events — the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners education conference — Morningstar Corp. announced that its Energy Storage Partner Program (ESP) has more than doubled in size since being introduced just last September. Morningstar launched the ESP program to makeRead More

Update: The 2020 Inverter Buyer’s Guide is now available here! The 2019 solar inverter market is more robust and reliable than ever. From streamlined residential operations to beefed up large-scale string inverters to a cadre of solar+storage options for both on- and off-grid applications, there are products to match anyRead More

Solar inverters have improved so much over the years that they are all starting to seem comparable in power and performance these days, but a new entry hitting the market from Morningstar stands out because it wasn’t being built for “these days.” For starters, Morningstar isn’t a solar inverter company.Read More