The Selective Attention Test: Understanding Solar Power through the Lens of a Dancing Gorilla 

Have you ever heard of the selective attention test? The one where participants are asked to watch a video of two teams passing basketballs and count the number of times the white team passes the ball. Once the video is over, the instructor reveals the true purpose of the test by asking if anyone saw the Gorilla. The point of the test is to demonstrate how something can be right in front of you, yet you cannot ‘see it’ if you are not focused on it.

But what does this have to do with ditching the grid and switching to a rooftop solar installation?

I thought micro inverters had completely eradicated string inverters, but I was surprised to hear a homeowner in San Antonio ask if they were effective. This question forced me to research this subject and read several articles comparing micro inverters to string inverters. If you have had solar installers talk up the benefits of string inverters, then you will want to read this article.

After reading several unbiased articles comparing String and Micro-Inverters, it became clear that micro-inverters are far superior, so let me explain why.

Net Metering 3.0, also known as NEM 3.0, is a significant change to California’s net metering policy that impacts how solar energy is compensated and valued. Under NEM 3.0, new solar panel owners will receive significantly lower compensation rates for excess electricity sent to the grid, compared to the previous NEM 2.0 policy. This change is expected to have a significant impact on the financial viability of solar panels for many homeowners in California; but how will this affect San Antonio and Houston?

My favorite Movie of all time is Limitless. While the main character Eddie Morra played by Bradley Cooper can successfully time the stock market (because he uses 100% of his brain) we are told by financial experts to never time the market.

This is sound investment advice for all of us ordinary folks. We are also told that, instead of timing the market, we should buy and hold and buy the dips. This warning against timing the market should also be given to homeowners in San Antonio who believe they can buy solar panels at the perfect time.

Many people tell me they will just wait until the price of electricity dramatically escalates before they go solar.

I recently sat down with a Homeowner in San Antonio for a solar savings report. After I showed him our quote, he complained that the quotes he received four months ago were cheaper. This illustrates the problem with shopping for solar panels and then procrastinating your decision.

However, the important question you should be asking is why prices on solar panels are jumping so fast they will make your head spin.

Well, I am assuming the role of a town crier to ring my bell and announce to San Antonio the reason this phenomenon is happening.

Most homeowners have insurance for their car, home, and health. However, have you ever considered that you might need an insurance policy to lock in affordable electricity? This may seem like a strange idea since Texas has always had a cheap and abundant supply of electricity.

However, most homeowners in San Antonio had a rude awakening this summer as many saw their electricity costs skyrocket. The main culprits for this dramatic increase were inflation, and restrictions on fossil fuels along with the banning of Russian natural gas and coal due to the war in Ukraine.

Over a year ago I took the plunge and went solar. After several months of consistently getting zero electric bills and flat solar payments, I decided to help spread the solar revolutions by joining Powur PBC. While I was learning the ropes of how to sell the solar opportunity, I stumbled upon a dark secret that most solar companies don’t want you to know!

Recently a homeowner in San Antonio waved his hand as he directed my attention to the homes on his block. Then he said, “You see most people do not have solar panels and I will only get solar panels in San Antonio when I see everybody else in my neighborhood getting them.

If you talk to enough homeowners in San Antonio about Solar panels you are bound to run into someone that believes that they do not pay off soon enough. In fact, I once heard someone lament that they would love to see the payoff within their lifetime. 

However, I find it odd that nobody ever complains about having to pay their power bill forever and ever. That is why I love to ask people that have this upside-down and backward view, when will they pay off their power bill?