iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 23/09/2026

You've heard of VPPs, but do you understand them? A new report by Adam Warren for the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) explains how virtual power plants operate and what is needed for their success. Learn the ABCs of VPPs! www.cesa.org/resource-lib...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 26/08/2026

Fresno is bone dry 9 months of the year. But dusty, so that robot will be busy. For winter rains they have a lot of these retention ponds built in the neighborhoods, so they must have a high water table.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 18/08/2026

True! Here is PG&E's most common residential rate. So tier 2, summer, afternoon is 40¢. Peak is 52¢. So if you make 1-3pm free, you pre-cool your house to get through the evening peak.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 02/08/2026

I installed my own plugin solar system on my garage roof in January. Total cost was around $700, with four used panels from Facebook. I just passed 1 megawatt hour of production (1000 kWh). Currently adding 7 kWh per day. Go solar!

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 07/07/2026

Are you a wind or solar developer? Is your project being delayed by "excessive red tape and permitting on the federal, state, or local levels"? According to USDA, that is "Lawfare," and you can report it to USDA so they can "address the situation." Have fun and report back! www.usda.gov/lawfare

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 03/07/2026

Here's mine! Are you going to do a blog post with all the details?

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 04/06/2026

Galen et al. at Berkeley Lab have been digging in on solar on new homes. Systems are smaller than on existing homes, less likely to have batteries, and are not much cheaper. The missing piece is informed homebuyers who can demand better installations. emp.lbl.gov/publications...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 18/05/2026

You should show the negative numbers too. There are lots of exports and battery charging in the daytime. Yes, we are exporting solar power to other western states.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 03/05/2026

I’m disappointed to see that my two US Senators got A grades from the crypto bros. Instead of supporting them, we should be working to put them out of business. @padilla.senate.gov @schiff.senate.gov @replsimon.bsky.social

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 01/05/2026

It color codes the Census tracts yes or no, green or red. Just zoom in to find your location. The results can be a little crazy-quilt. It really needed a better tool. public.tableau.com/app/profile/...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 28/04/2026

You probably saw this graphic from @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social's NYT piece, showing the impact of LED lighting. An implication of this is that home circuits are carrying much less load, freeing up space for heat pumps and EV chargers -- without panel upgrades. Same with distribution grids.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 28/04/2026

Trump wants the government to buy Spirit Airlines. He used to own a shuttle airline in the late ’80s, which went under, ironically, partly due to high fuel prices from the Kuwait war. You’d think he might remember that. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 22/04/2026

This would make a good case study for the OPPD newsletter and website.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 20/04/2026

I can’t wait to see the reaction to this from American evangelicals. “Israeli Soldier in Lebanon Sledgehammered a Statue of Jesus” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/w...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 15/04/2026

According to Entergy, the plant owner : “The decision to shut down Pilgrim was the result of a number of financial factors, including low wholesale energy prices.” Pilgrim was a merchant plant, exposed to competitive wholesale markets. share.google/O7wweWl9cz4U...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 04/04/2026

In case you were wondering what kind of war it is.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 27/03/2026

After 30+ years doing research, writing, advocacy, and funding clean energy stuff, I finally had to understand amps and volts and series and parallel wiring! After all, the whole point of plug-in solar is that it's DIY. What do non-professionals need to know to do it right? 4/

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 13/03/2026

Well this is the most obvious target for cutting utility costs, considering C-suite salaries at the IOUs. I'm surprised @ceja.org and TURN aren't pushing it in California. @jessearreguin.bsky.social @buffywicks.bsky.social

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 12/03/2026

I made my own kit, trying to hit European prices. Used panels, new AP Systems 120v inverter, plus some cables and a Home Depot mounting strategy. Bottom line was about 65¢ a Watt. Payback in 18 months. I need to write it up. Want to put it on the magazine?

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 12/03/2026

Here’s my plug in production data for March so far. I have 4x 300W DC panels running through a 960W AC inverter, mounted fairly flat on my garage roof. I expect higher production in the summer.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 12/03/2026

NPR goes a little deeper than most on plug in solar, but misses UL 1741. That’s an existing standard for inverters that prevents line worker risk. @jeffbradynews.bsky.social @brightsaver.bsky.social www.npr.org/2026/03/12/n...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 24/02/2026

I have heard over and over that wind power happens at night, so it complements solar production. I pulled up the CAISO 2025 data and sure enough, hourly output is 50% higher at night than in the day. (annual totals, may differ by season)

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 23/02/2026

A plug-in solar bill in Wyoming failed to move forward, but one legislator pointed out that they are not illegal in the first place, so don't need to be legalized. Interesting. wyofile.com/lawmakers-pu...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 12/02/2026

That lot is perfect for a big apartment building. It has a crappy little commercial box and a huge parking lot -- right on Shattuck. Good job Patrick Kennedy and CM O'Keefe.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 29/01/2026

Coalie might be a step up from a previous attempt by the ACCCE. Just a lump of coal with an extension cord.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 28/01/2026

Uh, this is an actual post by the Cato Institute. You really have to read the whole thing, it’s not too long. I think Cato and Reason are jealous of Heritage, and are turning on them. flip.it/vLopa7

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 28/01/2026

Speaking of making people famous --

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 22/01/2026

I just found this catalog from Backwoods Solar. 1996

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 20/01/2026

I know PG&E's rates are high, but it is still pretty shocking to see it in print. The solar revolution will continue, despite no tax credit, no net metering, and a monthly fixed charge.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 10/01/2026

The ICE protests are starting to look familiar.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 28/12/2025

None of those are even close. This is the one.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 24/12/2025

The coal industry truly has no friends in America. Just false friends in the White House.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 18/12/2025

The National Lab of the Rockies (formerly NREL) has a new mascot!

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 16/12/2025

Why is @rockefellerfdn.bsky.social wasting our time with this? What sheer fantasy to think that developing nations are going to build the most expensive power source (nuclear) rather than the cheapest (solar+storage). www.rockefellerfoundation.org/wp-content/u...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 06/12/2025

I've owned cats for over 30 years. To take good care of cats, you don't let them walk around city streets at night. Kit Kat was neglected, and was fated to die young because of it. It is not a debate about Waymo safety. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/u...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 17/11/2025

Join me for a free webinar with the National Community Action Partnership (NCAP). "Solar for CAPs 201: Navigating the Changing Solar Landscape" will show how to connect solar with energy assistance programs to maximize savings. Register here: communityactionpartnership.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 11/11/2025

My new op-ed with Bill Grant, for the National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) and @cleanenergystates.bsky.social (CESA), makes the case for linking community solar with energy assistance programs, by partnering with community action agencies. /end pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/11/10/c...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 11/11/2025

Want to learn about research on electric-vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology? Join this webinar with @cleanenergygroup.bsky.social and the @masscec.bsky.social, tomorrow. zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 16/10/2025

3.1M. Right under Berkeley Lab.

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Ben Paulos @paulosanalysis.com · 23/09/2025

I would add that this will kill the market for electric ovens and home EV charging. This chart is my home energy for the past three days. Green is solar, red is demand. The big peak is EV charging (7-8 kW) and smaller peaks are cooking dinner on an induction-top range (3 kW).

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