The Energy Show
Barry Cinnamon has been blogging about the Solar Industry since 2007.
Every week Barry hosts The Energy Show, a 30 minute informative talk show that covers a broad variety of energy related topics spanning technology, economics, policy, and politics that are shaping the future of how we generate and consume electricity, along with practical money-saving tips on ways to reduce your home and business energy consumption.
The Energy Show runs every Saturday on KDOW Radio AM in San Jose California.
Barry 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 while at the helm of Akeena Solar and Westinghouse Solar, he’s developed a pretty good perspective on the real-world economics of rooftop solar — as well as the best products and services for homeowners, manufacturers and installers. His rooftop tinkering led to the development of integrated racking (released in 2007), AC solar modules (released in 2009), and Spice Solar (the fastest way to install rooftop solar modules).
SolarEdge-Perspective for a Distributed Grid
People talk about solar panels and batteries a lot (at least the people I talk to). The reasons are that solar panels are conspicuous on rooftops — and batteries are what keep the lights on during increasingly frequent blackouts. But the real brains of a solar and...
A Millennial’s Perspective on the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal is getting a lot more attention as we get into the 2020 Presidential election. The Green New Deal is a set of proposed economic stimulus programs in the United States with a goal of addressing climate change and economic inequality. The green...
Solar Tracker Systems with Alex Au
Whether it’s a residential, commercial or utility solar project, contractors strive to install systems that generate the most energy at the lowest lifecycle cost. Solar panels operate at their peak output when the sun is perpendicular to the panel. So for maximum...
New Battery Storage Systems
The 16th annual Solar Power International show was held this October in Salt Lake City. It’s been quite a growth story since the first show in 2004 in San Francisco, which was held in what is now just a lobby of a downtown skyscraper. Not only has the industry grown,...
What’s a Watt – Energy & Power Explained
On this week's The Energy Show, we’re talking about energy — duh. And power. Not just because we’re short on both energy and power. But because solar and battery customers need to understand these properties so they can properly size and operate their systems. This...
How Do I Interpret My PG&E Electric Bill?
Hold onto your seats because this is going to be the most exciting Energy Show I've ever done. This week we are talking about … DRUMROLL … your PG&E electric bill. Modern utility bills are a masterwork of corporate obfuscation (Wikipedia: the obscuring of the...
A Power Shutoff Is Scheduled – How Does My Solar and Battery Work?
Almost everyone in California is aware of the Public Safety Power Shutoff Program — when the utility turns off power to customers in large areas in an effort to reduce the risk of fires caused by utility lines. In October of 2019 the first series of these power...
Distributing Solar and Storage Equipment
In addition to installing solar equipment, solar contractors also install a variety of electrical equipment: wiring, junction boxes, conduit, circuit breakers, etc. Since many of these electrical items are not carried at your local “big box” hardware store,...
Extreme Climate Change Has Already Arrived
As I record this radio show the temperature in San Jose is already over 100 degrees. So this week’s show is not just about the future hazards of global warming, but the fact that extreme climate change has already arrived. I know that a hot day in San Jose is just a...
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