So we have all heard by now that Google is getting into the power management game, Cisco and IBM are coming to play too, but are the mega-stars of the VC and IT worlds going to be creating the new terms of energy management, or will local management solutions be more effective as the method for some markets? The easy answer is that it depends. Local grids can be made up of energy generation near recipient towns, cities or villages, just as energy can travel from another portion of a state or country, but increasingly there will be local power generation which will need to be brought intelligently to local customers on a block by block or building by building scale. ‘Micro-grids’ as they have come to be known, will likely serve most readily and immediately rural populations, who will bypass the need for state-electrification and develop power-management systems on their own because it is easier to implement than waiting for infrastructure build-out.

Many of the major players in the space have been basing their assumptions for growth not upon this notion, but upon a Western model of electrification. While the hardware developed by major California smart grid firms such as Trilliant and Silver Springs Networks will rightfully be applied toward the lucrative state or utility scale projects, these projects will only deal with the needs existing within the existing grid framework. The growth of the space will need innovation in power-management for those who either do not currently have access to an electrical grid or those who can benefit from opting-out of one altogether.

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This weekend I took the plunge and found myself standing on top of a roof, where I discovered there are many steps involved in a solar installation, only the last of which involves the panels.

When we arrived, the team leaders quickly divivded us up into a ground team and a roof team and then launched right into the project. While the ground team stayed below to size up the inverter and electrical circuits, the rest of us went up to the roof to learn how to set the feet and tracking system that support the rooftop panels.

I quickly learned that setting the feet can be a messy process. Applying tar to secure the feet and to stop up any potential roof leaks, I soon had tar all over my pants, hands, feet, and even in my hair… Luckily, the Grid Alternatives team came prepared with some biodeisel to clean all it off and I was soon reabsorbed in the next steps of aligning the tracking and testing the efficiency percentage of each panel.

The teams were an interesting mix of Grid Alternatives veterans and newcomers, and it quickly became apparent why people get hooked on volunteering for installs with Grid Alternatives: not only were the team leaders easy-going and interested in sharing their seasoned knowledge, the other volunteers were also quick to exchange practical and scientific experience with the those who didn’t have as much familiarity with the solar realm.

All in all, it’s safe to say I’m officially hooked. Learning how to install solar panels (for free!) was one of the easiest and most fun ways to spend my Saturday, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. If you’re interested in signing up for a training and an install day, check out www.gridalternatives.org, and I will probably see you there.