IPS February Newsletter
Colorado, and the whole country, continue to support, grieve and donate to the many families who lost their home in the Marshal Fire back in December of 2021. But as we enter into 2022 our community is transitioning from immediate recovery assistance to long-term recovery. For our team at IPS we are dedicated to supporting our customers and their insurance companies by providing reasonable quotes for system repairs and replacements. Disaster recovery is a community-wide effort and one that we feel is becoming more critical as more and more people are affected by natural disasters. Head to bouldercounty.org/disasters/wildfires/marshall/ for a complete list of disaster recovery resources and ways to get involved in supporting our community’s recovery efforts.
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics set to become first Olympic Games fully powered by green energy
It is the first time in the history of the Olympics that all venues are 100 percent powered by green energy. China has pledged to power the Games using only wind, hydro and solar energy, despite relying on coal to power nearly two-thirds of its economy. There is some controversy around how green the Beijing Winter Olympics can actually be as it is hosted in the already water-stressed city with 100% fake snow production. We’ve also seen a tense political climate between the US and China leading up to the games and we encourage everyone to support the US Diplomatic boycott to hold China accountable for their human rights abuses and deceptive trade practices. But despite these controversies, the Olympics are always a time for the world to come together and support peaceful competition. The games inspire young athletes around the world to set their sights high on one day competing in the games too. Here is a heart-warming story about how local Colorado Olympian Mariah Bell has inspired local kids at her hometown ice rink.
Why Your Home Needs Solar Battery Storage
Suppose you’ve already taken the leap to start your solar energy journey, congratulations! Installing your panels and seeing the energy savings begin to roll in is an exciting time for homeowners. However, some homeowners are unaware of the number one sidekick to solar panels: battery storage! Maybe you’ve been searching the internet for the best solar battery storage option for your home, or perhaps energy storage is a new concept to you. Either way, our solar experts are here to help break down the benefits of battery backup systems and how they can be a handy component of your solar system.
Russian cyberattacks have plans to attack the US power grid
“The threat of physical attacks targeting critical infrastructure is not new,” Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Vice President for Security and Preparedness Scott Aaronson said in a statement. In times like this solar and batteries are the best insurance to ensure you will not lose power, whether we are faced with wildfires, snow storms, wind events or other disasters your solar and Battery system can keep the lights on. But, weather is not the only threat to our infrastructure as the DHS has recently warned that extremist and Russian cyberattackers have plans to attack the US power grid.
Biden admininistration eases Trump-era solar tariffs but doesn’t end them
U.S. President Joe Biden extended Trump-era tariffs on imported solar-energy equipment by four years on Friday, but in a major concession to installers, he also eased the terms to exclude bifacial panels which are dominant among big U.S. projects. This decision is mixed with positives and negatives. On the positive side this may help to ease the rapidly raising costs of solar panels but on the negative side, it will hurt the investment in US manufacturing of solar panels which is greatly needed to stabilize supply chain challenges and pricing. Read more >>
