Solar Academy
Learn to go solar — for free
No sales pitch, no signup. Two free tracks: a quick, jargon-free path for homeowners weighing solar, and a deeper one that teaches you to actually design a system — with hands-on walkthroughs in our simulator.
These courses help you understand, evaluate, and design solar and talk to installers as an equal — they’re not a substitute for licensed installation, professional design, or tax advice.
Homeowner 101
New to solar? Start here — no jargon.
- Module 1: Is solar right for my home?Roof, shading, your bill, and your goals — a quick gut-check before you go further.
- Module 2: How solar saves money in TexasBill offset, buyback, and the incentives that are left in 2026.
- Module 3: Sizing solar to your usageWhy you size to your kWh, not your roof — and how to get an accurate estimate.
- Module 4: Reading a quote without getting burnedCash vs. loan vs. lease, red flags, and the questions every quote should answer.
- Module 5: Permits, HOA & connecting to the gridWhat has to happen before your system switches on — and who handles it.
- Module 6: Use your solar, don’t sell itWhat to electrify, what to leave on gas, and how to shift loads into daylight so you use your solar instead of exporting it cheap.
System Design
Want to design it yourself? Go hands-on.
- Module 1: How a solar system is wiredThe mental model: modules → strings → MPPTs → inverter → your home (and where the battery sits).
- Module 2: Reading the three spec sheetsDecode the module, inverter, and battery datasheets — the numbers that drive every design choice.
- Module 3: Panel groups & orientationsWhy you group panels by roof plane, tilt, azimuth, and shading — and what happens when you don’t.
- Module 4: Strings & voltage (series)Sizing modules per string to the MPPT window across temperature.
- Module 5: MPPTs & parallel stringsWhat an MPPT does and how to allocate groups to inputs.
- Module 6: Inverter sizing & DC/AC ratioOversizing, clipping, and string vs. hybrid inverters.
- Module 7: Batteries: sizing & couplingCapacity vs. power, parallel units, AC vs. DC coupling, backup.
- Module 8: Put it together & simulateRead PR, losses, and P50/P90 — then iterate the design.
- Module 9: From design to realityPermits, interconnection, inspection, PTO — and the licensed-pro boundary.
Learn by doing — open the simulator alongside the lessons. Start a design