It was wonderful to work with Pastor Caleb, Jan Peters, and the rest of the congregation at St. Andrew’s to truly help them put into practice the environmental stewardship they preach. Their 9.2 kW system will generate clean, renewable energy and reduce their dependence on the energy coming in from the grid, which is mostly generated using fossil fuels.

Solar Forward was happy to be a part of St. Andrew’s Solar Sunday event to educate attendees about the ins and outs of generating clean energy. If you’re a member of a church interested in going solar, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 310-433-3770. Utility rebates are still available for tax exempt customers. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the process from start to finish.

Check out the photos below to see highlights from the day:

One of the businesses that received a Beautify Lincoln makeover was TRiP, recently named Best Neighborhood Music Venue of 2013 by the LA Weekly. In addition to the huge splash of color that Evan’s mural added to TRiP’s entryway, TRiP’s owner had a vision to immerse a tree adjacent to his business with light.

To help him out, we installed twelve 35-watt solar panels recycled from a previous project that charge a gel battery throughout the day, and light up LED flood lights aimed at the tree at night. Here’s how it works: the solar panels, lights, and battery are hooked up to a charge controller. During the day, the panels charge up the battery, and when the sun goes down, a timer sequence is initiated. As soon as the timer winds down, the tree is lit up by the battery powered LED lights, and these lights stay on for about 6 hours throughout the night.

TRiP tree lit up by solar powered lighting

Between art murals, solar powered lights, live music, and a great beer selection, there’s no reason not to include TRiP on your next weekend outing.

A state bill is working its way through the Legislature that would charge customers (not just solar customers) with a $10/month fee to make up for revenue losses utility companies have experienced due to the rising popularity of solar panels.

We at Solar Forward think this another blunder by the utility industry.  Solar saves everyone money and reduces the need for power plants and transmission lines.   Solar energy is generated where it is consumed, saving 10% on normal loss in wires and transformers.

This fee would apply to customers within Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric territories.

Consumer groups produced the video below, prompting Southern California Edison to issue a cease and desist letter.

Now customers are making their voices heard by rallying outside Edison’s offices in Rosemead and expressing their outrage at utility companies creating even more roadblocks for clean, renewable energy.

At Solar Forward, we will do everything in our power to make sure the bill does not become law so California residents can continue to choose solar energy for their homes and businesses.

Nuclear power is toxic forever, a national security risk, and inefficient.  As with any centralized power source, more than 10% of the power produced is lost in the transmission lines before it gets to our homes.

Residential solar power plant

Solar on your roof is safe, clean, nontoxic, and decentralized.  The power you produce on your home is consumed on site or next door.  There is no transmission loss.  There is no risk to the Earth and no risk of terrorism or nuclear meltdown.  Solar power maintenance is simple, without risk of radiation, cancer or contaminating thousands of square miles.

Beware the atom, embrace the sun!

Evan Meyer felt this way about Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica, except he was able to put his finger on what was missing: artwork and community. He initiated Beautify Lincoln, a self-funded volunteer effort to bring life and energy to the often overlooked streetscape.

Flip through the slideshow below to see how vibrant once bare walls can become.

With over 15 projects under his belt, Evan is fostering community and partnership one mural at a time. He’s experienced tremendous positive feedback from business owners and volunteer artists, with some businesses reporting increased sales after their artistic makeovers. One such business, Metropolitan Cleaners, has seen its highest revenues since 2008 after their artwork went up.

One area Evan could use more help with is having community advocates to keep the momentum going and create a demand for the type of environment Evan envisions. Here at Solar Forward we praise Evan’s efforts and fully support his goal of improving the quality of life in our local neighborhood, especially since Lincoln Boulevard is right in our office’s backyard!

We’re working on a collaboration effort to provide solar powered lighting for Beautify Lincoln so that the amazing artwork can be put properly on display, day and night.