Archives for November 2011

The Solar Project – This Might Actually Be Possible (Federal & Macroeconomic)

[This post is part of a series about our net-zero residential solar project – see a list of links to the full series here, a list of frequently asked questions here or click here to bring up all Green-related postsNext Post in Series / Previous Post in Series.]

After reviewing the regulatory situation for solar power in Massachusetts, I looked at the federal side.  On the national front, I learned that, on top of the Massachusetts State incentives, there is also a very decently-sized federal tax incentive, which can offset as much as a third of the system cost in the form of tax credits over a five year period.

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The Solar Project – This Might Actually Be Possible (MA)

[This post is part of a series about our net-zero residential solar project – see a list of links to the full series here, a list of frequently asked questions here or click here to bring up all Green-related postsNext Post in Series / Previous Post in Series.]

So after letting this dream of going solar rest for a few years, I finally got things cooking again last Spring (2011) as a result of discussions with a friend who was in the tortuous process of building a LEED Platinum-certified house not far from mine. Heads-up: this is one of two wonky posts without much of a narrative thread – bear with me.

An engineer by training and a thoughtful and deliberative guy by temperament, my friend had put a great deal of careful research effort into both the consumption and the production of power for his house. What got me excited was his overview of the recent changes hitting the market.

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Localytics CEO on Steve Jobs, Raising Capital, Mobile Apps & TechStars

Here’s a short video interview with the Founder and CEO of one of my portfolio companies, Raj Aggarwal (@analyticsraj) of Localytics.  Raj sat down for a few minutes with Keith Cline of VentureFizz.  In this short video interview, Raj talks about the origins of Localytics, his experience raising money from Launchpad Venture Group and others, his pick axes & shovels strategy for Localytics, and his experience working for Steve Jobs on defining the early iPhone business model…

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The Solar Project – Where It All Began

[This post is part of a series about our net-zero residential solar project – see a list of links to the full series here, a list of frequently asked questions here or click here to bring up all Green-related posts. Next Post in Series / Previous Post in Series.]

I’ll never be able to explain my deep and abiding fascination with photovoltaic cells.  Most kids used big magnifying glasses and bright sun to burn leaves or ants.  I used them to make my solar-powered toys go faster.  Ever since those initial experiments in the early 1970s, my fascination has steadily grown.  Solar calculators.  Solar watches.  Solar chargers.  Given how crude the technology was at the time, and how my expectations always crept forward, every device was inevitably a little short of the performance I had hoped for.

But I never lost interest,…

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