Energy Basics
A rollercoaster sitting at the top of a hill has no motion but still has energy. What kind?
What is potential energy?
Why are fossil fuels still used heavily even as renewables grow?
What is reliability / dispatchability?
Why can’t solar alone reliably power the grid without storage?
What is intermittency (no sun at night / variability)?
Panels are covered in dust/pollen. Production drops. What’s the simplest fix?
What is cleaning (or rain)?
Someone shows up every day, works hard, and asks questions. What happens to them in this industry?
What is they move up quickly?
As that rollercoaster rolls downhill, what energy transformation is taking place?
What is potential energy converting to kinetic energy?
What makes solar production more predictable than wind, even though both are weather-dependent?
What is consistent daily sun patterns?
When a large number of homes increase electricity use at the same time, like around 6 PM, this happens to the grid.
What is strain?
Why might a west-facing array be intentionally chosen over a south-facing one?
What is to better match afternoon/evening demand?
Someone is smart but unreliable. What happens long-term?
What is they don’t advance / lose opportunities?
In a hydropower system, water stored behind a dam represents what type of energy before it flows?
What is gravitational potential energy?
This degree of tilt balances production annually for systems in Southern Illinois
What is 30°?
Why do utilities worry about improperly installed backup battery systems?
What is backfeeding during an outage / danger to line workers.
Customer adds a hot tub after install. What happens to their “100% offset”?
What is it drops / system no longer offsets usage?
As solar adoption matures and fewer new systems are being installed, what type of work will become a larger part of an installer’s job?
What is troubleshooting, maintenance, and system diagnostics?
Energy is never destroyed, but when a machine “loses efficiency,” where does that energy go?
What is it is converted to heat (or other less useful forms)?
These "lines" on the globe impact the best tilt to set a solar array.
What are lines of latitude?
A cloudy day drops solar output fast. What type of generation has to respond immediately?
What is dispatchable generation (natural gas, etc.)?
Why might a ground mount outperform a roof system with the same size?
What is better orientation, tilt, and less shading?
What’s the biggest mistake new hires make in the field?
What is not asking questions / pretending to know?
Light doesn’t have mass like matter does, yet it can still deliver energy (like in solar panels). What carries that energy?
What are photons?
The first solar module was created in this year.
When was 1883?
What’s the real reason a “diverse energy mix” matters beyond just politics?
What is grid stability / reliability across conditions?
What’s one thing that separates a system that looks good from one that performs well long-term?
What is design accuracy / layout decisions / shading consideration / wiring quality?
Regardless of the industry, what is one certification you must have to perform field work?
OSHA 10/40