Watts Up Solar Podcast
Watts Up in Solar is your go-to weekly podcast for everything solar—from rooftop installs to remote troubleshooting and everything in between.
Hosted by Emmitt Muckles—solar trainer, consultant, and all-around energy expert—this show breaks down the tech, talks real-world solar issues, and helps you stay plugged into what matters most in solar energy.
Whether you’re a homeowner thinking about going solar or a solar pro looking to sharpen your skills, each episode delivers something for you:
- Plain-English breakdowns of solar tech, from inverters to batteries
- Real talk on home energy efficiency and utility bills
- Tips for avoiding solar scams and shady sales pitches
- Live field stories, installer insights, and industry interviews
- Weekly “Watt’s New” solar headlines and commentary
It’s solar knowledge for the real world. No fluff. Just facts.
Watts Up Solar Podcast
Off-Grid Truths with Rebekah Carpenter: 25 Years of Solar, DIY Myths & Battery Reality
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Rebekah Carpenter didn’t just “get into” solar—she jumped on a plane to Mali to install an off-grid system after teaching herself the trade. Two decades later, she’s still providing results and calling BS where needed. We cover the early net-metering era, 48V throwbacks, the DIY wave, when batteries are smart (and when they’re just expensive), and the uncomfortable art of telling customers “this site won’t pencil.”
What We Cover
- The Mali leap: learning solar by doing
- Net metering 1.0 & spinning disks vs. today’s digital meters
- Inverters then vs. now (Trace, Sunny Boy, high-voltage strings)
- DIY solar: design gaps, failure modes, and true cost of “cheap”
- Shade, valleys, and how to say “no” with integrity
- Micros/optimizers: useful… but physics still wins
- Batteries for backup: expectations vs. reality
- The future: smaller, smarter, more grassroots—and more essential
Key Takeaways
- Mitigation isn’t magic: shaded panels are still shaded panels.
- Education beats upsell: right-sized systems + honest site calls save money.
- Resilience is a use case, not a vibe: batteries, loads, and behavior must align.
Links & Resources
- Finger Lakes Renewables (guest) — https://www.flenergy.com/
- S.E. Power Consulting (host) — https://sepowerconsulting.com/
- Watts Up Solar Podcast on YouTube —https://wattsupsolarpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
- Contact/Booking —https://calendly.com/emmitt-muckles-sepowerconsulting/podcast-recording-watts-up-in-solar-w-emmitt-muckle
Credits
Host: Emmitt Muckles
Guest: Rebecca Carpenter
Producer: Watts Up Solar
Our Sponsor for this Episode is S.E. Power Consulting
S. E. Power Consulting offers Fractional Training Leadership—meaning you get expert-level training support when you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.
Whether you’re scaling up or just getting organized, we help you train smarter, not harder.
Visit SEPowerConsulting.com to learn more.
S.E. Power Consulting—Fractional training. Full-time results.
