About Ben Zientara
Ben Zientara is a writer, researcher, and solar policy analyst who has written about the residential solar industry, the electric grid, and state utility policy since 2013.
His early work included leading the team that produced the annual State Solar Power Rankings Report for the Solar Power Rocks website from 2015 to 2020. The rankings were utilized and referenced by a diverse mix of policymakers, advocacy groups, and media including The Center for American Progress, The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the Solar Institute at George Washington University, PolitiFact, and The Guardian.
In 2020, Ben joined SolarReviews and now lends his expertise to the annual Solar Industry Survey, Top Solar Manufacturers list, Top 10 Solar States list, and throughout articles and pages across the site.
Ben holds a B.S. in Scientific & Technical Communication from the University of Minnesota, with special coursework in Environmental Science and a minor in Sustainability Studies. He spends his time away from the solar power world cooking and eating delicious food or spending quality time with his wife, kids, and big brown dog in the mountains, woods, parks, and playgrounds of the Portland, Oregon area.
Articles by Ben Zientara
Sol-Ark inverters have been popular for off-grid and DIY solar for years, but are they ideal for grid-tied solar systems too? We cover inverter models, specs, costs and more.
Written by Ben Zientara
Typical home solar installations shut down during a blackout, but you can keep the lights on in 1 of 3 ways: a generator, battery, or a special solar inverter.
Written by Ben Zientara
Net metering is the utility billing practice of recording the excess energy generated by a solar installation and applying it to the customer’s bill as credit toward energy drawn from the grid.
Written by Ben Zientara
LG announced it will stop manufacturing solar panels in 2022. What should you do if you just bought LG solar panels or plan to in the near future? We've got the answers to these questions and more.
Written by Ben Zientara
LG solar panels offer incredible performance with high efficiency. These benefits come at a high cost - are they worth it?"
Written by Ben Zientara
Everything you need to know about solar battery newcomer HomeGrid, including cost, specs, and how the brand compares to the likes of Tesla's Powerwall and LG.
Written by Ben Zientara