If your solar panels look dusty, it does not automatically mean they need to be cleaned. In most of California, light dirt and pollen cause minimal energy loss and usually wash off on their own. Here’s when cleaning makes sense, when it doesn’t, and how to avoid wasting money or risking damage.

PG&E’s Virtual Power Plant program lets utilities tap into home batteries during grid emergencies. You can get paid, but the payouts are modest and the tradeoff is control. Here’s what homeowners should actually understand before enrolling.

Lower solar production in winter is normal and expected. Shorter days, lower sun angles, and weather all reduce output this time of year. Here’s why it happens, what a typical seasonal drop looks like in California, and how to tell the difference between normal winter behavior and a real system issue.

Solar companies love to talk about “scaling,” but what happens when scaling means outsourcing every part of the process — including customer service? Here’s why call-center solar leaves homeowners frustrated, and why local, in-house support still matters.

A new long-term study out of Switzerland found solar panels installed in the late 1980s are still generating more than 80% of their original power output—three decades later. The results challenge old assumptions about solar lifespan and reinforce what Viva Energy sees every day: when systems are built right, solar power lasts.