In the News
Check out the latest news about solar, energy storage, heat pumps and building electrification.
October 7, 2025
Immediately after signing a ten-year lease for a circa-1950s building
owned by the Los Gatos Saratoga Union School District, Cinnamon Energy Systems (CES) began the work to make its headquarters a showcase for energy efficiency and low operating costs. With the support of the School District, CES undertook a top-to-bottom renovation of the
building, including installation of:
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- Five rooftop heat pump HVAC units to replace old gas/electric heating/cooling systems
- All new LED lighting and ceiling tiles to replace primitive fluorescent and incandescent lighting
- Two Level 2 electric vehicle chargers for the company’s growing EV fleet
- A prototype commercial battery-backup system for essential lighting, communications and security systems
- A 50-kilowatt rooftop solar system composed of 92 high efficiency solar panels and Enphase commercial microinverters.
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October 7, 2025
You may have noticed that large bright yellow building on University Avenue in Los Gatos, directly across from Vasona Lake Park. It’s home to one of the pioneering solar companies in the U.S.: Cinnamon Energy Systems (CES).
Since 2001, CES and its predecessor companies Akeena and Westinghouse Solar have have installed and serviced over 15,000 residential and commercial solar and battery systems – with 8,000 of these systems in the Bay area. And they’re continuing to ride the “solar coaster’s” ups and downs as they install solar, batteries, heat pumps and electrical upgrades for homes in Silicon Valley.
March 11, 2025
Open Letter to Severin Borenstein Regarding Rooftop Solar
Barry Cinnamon refutes research published by Severin Borenstein, Faculty Director, Energy Institute at Haas.
December 2024
Cinnamon Energy Partners with SFOA to Educate the Clean Energy Workforce of the Future
Cinnamon Energy Systems partnered with the Sustainable Future Outdoor Academy (SFOA) to showcase what home electrificaiton looks like in action. Students visited one of our client’s homes to gain hands-on experience with renewable energy technologies and learn about careers in clean energy. From system design to installation, Barry Cinnamon guided the students through every step of a fully integrated project, covering solar, battery storage, HVAC, and business strategy. The clean energy workforce of the future is here—and we’re proud to play a role in educating and empowering the next generation of innovators. Check out the video to see how we’re making electrification easy for homeowners and inspiring students to join the renewable revolution.
June 12, 2024
Ask these 7 questions before you buy a home battery
Rooftop solar combined with a battery can turn your home into a mini clean energy power plant. Here’s how to figure out if a home battery is right for you.
January 2, 2024
10 Solar, Storage and Energy Predictions for 2024
Solar veteran Barry Cinnamon shares with SPW his take on the industry.
November 7, 2023
Solar Power World – Why V2H, not V2G, is the best way to use your EV battery.
November 13, 2022
San Francisco Chronicle – OpEd written by Sam Liccardo, Barry Cinnamon and Craig Lewis
January 24, 2022
SolarPowerWorld – Solar veteran Barry Cinnamon shares with SPW his take on the industry.
January 3, 2022
CNBC – GAF Energy is taking on Tesla with the release of its new solar shingles. While the concept of solar shingles that blend in seamlessly with a regular roof has been around for decades, higher costs and lower efficiency and reliability as compared with traditional solar panels.
December 31, 2021
Silicon Valley.com – Average PG&E monthly bills are due to top $220. The estimates of the changes in average electric and gas rates are part of the “annual true-up,” the formal name of a PG&E filing with the PUC.
October 28, 2021
New York Times
Some people and businesses seeking to use solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles find they can’t because utility equipment needs an upgrade.
January 30, 2021
GreenTechMedia
California solar veteran Barry Cinnamon is looking forward to more solar and storage — and less COVID-19 — in 2021.
February 17, 2020
GreenTechMedia
On this week’s Interchange: We sit down with solar veteran Barry Cinnamon.
January 31, 2020
San Jose Mercury News
Solar expert Barry Cinnamon of San Jose says in an era of climate change, wildfires, and falling prices, the trend is clear.
January 3, 2020
GreenTechMedia
California solar veteran Barry Cinnamon lays out his predictions for home solar and batteries in 2020 — and the decade ahead.
December 31, 2019
PV Magazine
The solar industry will evolve from component brands to system brands and service, according to Barry Cinnamon in this industry perspective.
December 29, 2019
PV Magazine
Barry Cinnamon, a Silicon Valley solar installer, details the transition to energy storage, profiles early solar adopters and notes the challenges of getting to 200-amp residential service.
December 27, 2019
PV Magazine
We checked in with Barry Cinnamon, a Silicon Valley solar installer with a 20-year track record, and let him pontificate on solar and storage.
December 15, 2019
San Jose Mercury News
California already generates more electricity from solar power than any other state. But now a dramatic expansion is…
December 2, 2019
Greentech Media
Will batteries keep your AC cranking and electric vehicle charged up during an extended blackout? Probably not.
January 3, 2019
Greentech Media
Solar veteran Barry Cinnamon lays out his predictions for 2019—but cautions that it’s unwise to be complacent about a rosy solar future.
July 3, 2018
Greentech Media
Barry Cinnamon and his team document real-world experience with behind-the-meter storage systems.
April 3, 2018
Greentech Media
From bad products to poor planning, solar companies have a lot to teach battery companies.
December 27, 2017
Greentech Media
It’s getting harder to separate solar from storage. Barry Cinnamon shares his predictions on the future of these technologies.
October 3, 2017
Greentech Media
High-profile battery deployments have made Tesla famous. But they’re also affecting the company’s supply chain.
August 31, 2017
Greentech Media
Barry Cinnamon and his team document real-world experience with behind-the-meter storage systems.
July 27, 2017
San Jose Mercury News
At 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon in June, I experienced the second power outage at my Silicon Valley home this year. Then, last weekend a transformer explosion…
November 8, 2016
Greentech Media
Barry Cinnamon digs into the economics of Tesla’s newest tech.
June 23, 2016
EE News
As Elon Musk prepares to try and beam SolarCity into the Tesla mothership, he may want to lean back in…
September 30, 2004
Akeena Solar Settles Solar Lawsuit with the Town of Los Gatos
San Jose Mercury News
Akeena Solar has agreed to remove three solar panels from view in order to settle its lawsuit with the Town of Los Gatos over the rooftop solar installation on its commercial building.
August 3, 2003
Solar panels’ problem in Los Gatos: visibility
San Jose Mercury News
Town planners in Los Gatos are cracking down on a project they say threatens to make their upscale Silicon Valley village an ugly place. A proposed copper smelter? A cattle feed lot? An auto wrecking yard?
No. Solar Panels.