About NorCal Solar

Who we are

NorCal Solar New Mission - the Second 50 years 2025 - 2075

1. The Anti-Solar Coaster

As with many solar policies, including NEM 3.0, there have been sudden changes to the policies that we depend on to afford solar systems. We understand that times change, and the greater successes in the industry means that the policies will have to change over time, however sudden changes are not good for the economy, since businesses cannot make plans, workers get laid off and we all suffer. When we zoom out, the industry is still growing exponentially, but we need to smooth out the ride up.

If you have or can make any input to policy, please do everything you can to get the decision makers to slow the incentives down in gradual steps, like was the case for the step-down with the original California Solar Initiative, when we had a governator.

2. Ethical Sales

It is becoming more common that customers are complaining that there are unethical solar sales and lead-generation people giving our industry a bad name. Since Norcal Solar is a non-profit that is more dependent on volunteers than donations, we are in a position to be "keeping it real" and to call out those who do a disservice to our industry. 

Here are some easy, and somewhat obvious, pointers to finding an ethical solar and energy storage installer.

1. Make sure that your solar sales person is NABCEP certified and you can check to see if they are at the NABCEP Professional Directory www.directories.nabcep.org

One way I often weed out the liars, is they will usually say they are NABCEP certified when they are not.

2. Check their contractor's license at the Contractors State Licensing Board: www2.cslb.ca.gov/onlineservices/checklicenseII/checklicense.aspx

You can not only check the contractor's license, but also the salesperson's license, since they are supposed to be licensed. HIS = Home Improvement Salesperson. Be sure to ask them for their HIS number, and if they don't have one, I bet they have a good excuse. Here you can read the details www.cslb.ca.gov/Media_Room/Industry_Bulletins/2020/January_9.aspx

3. Neighbors and friends in the neighborhood are great resources.

4. Online searches can help, although a lot of these online websites can be faked out and bought off, however if someone has a D rating on the BBB or a lot of bad Google and Yelp Reviews, it is a good idea to run away!

5. Give the salesperson a little quiz (make sure you know the answers first). Ask then what is the difference between power and energy. Power is a rate and energy is a quantity and usually what you are charged for. Power is measured in kW (or W) and energy in kWh (or Wh). Ask them if solar will offset demand charges. It will not, you need energy storage to offset demand charges, and you probably do not have demand charges on your house. Demand charges are charges for the most power (rate) at which you use electricity during a month. Liars will tell you that solar offsets demand charges and it is a good idea to weed them out.

You need an educated salesperson that is honest.

Here are some questions that you can ask them:

1. What happens if I sell my house, how much is the buyout for this contract?

2. How long will it take to install, and what are the consequences if you go over?

3. Once the job starts are you able to charge me more than the original contract?

4. If I need to replace my roof, will you remove and reinstall the system? If so, then can you guarantee that you will do it in a timely manner?

5. Who is responsible for the maintenance of the PV system?

For all of these things, you also have to get them in writing and there have to be consequences. All contracts are negotiable.

Make sure to get 3 different quotes. You may also consider hiring an independent person to review the different proposals. You can find plenty of experts on the NABCEP Professional Directory.

NorCal Solar's original mission 1974-2024

The first 50 years, our mission was to educate the public about solar and we exceeded our mission. Now there is no interest in NorCal to tour a solar home, since everyone lives in or has been in a solar home, we see more PV panels going to work than there were in the entire world in 1974. NorCal Solar had to change because of our success. There used to be a lot of free time that solar enthusiasts had to get together and talk about how we can change the world. Now we have changed the world, we are very busy with our solar jobs, and a lot of this change came from the NorCal (Northern California) solar industrye. Besides keeping it real, we are keeping NorCal Solar alive. We are also strongly supporting CALSSA, which has done a great job advocating for the California solar and storage industry, and we are always part of our parents The American Solar Energy Society (ASES), and the International Solar Energy Society (ISES). 

For an overview and history of NorCal Solar, listen to the following interview with our Organizational Manager: 

What We Do

Act as an Educational Resource: On top of maintaining an educational website and newsletter, we welcome our members to take advantage of our knowledgeable staff and board members by emailing questions to info@norcalsolar.org or joining us for our monthly online AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions.

Speaker Series Events: Every three months we organize a speaking event that focuses on a specific renewable energy topic. There are great speakers, food, drinks, and networking—plus a lively discussion afterward! Get tickets to our next event here. 

Solar Homes Tours: At least once a year, we organize a tour of solar homes in specified geographical area. During these events, homeowners allow interested neighbors to view their solar panels. They then answer questions about their experience going solar and implementing green features. 

Intersolar North America Tours: Every July, during the Intersolar Conference in San Francisco, we organize a series of educational tours. Examples of past tours are Solar Winery tours, Tesla Factory tours, San Francisco Solar Sites tours, and Sailing tours. 

Partnerships: We partner with progressive organizations promoting sustainability. If you are interested in partnering with us, send an email to info@norcalsolar.org. We'll get back to you!