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
Explaining how home solar works with Eversource, including how to reduce upfront costs, finding incentives and rebates, and determining average payback times
Written by Ben Zientara
Every time you flip a switch or press a power button, the electrical grid reacts. Find out how and why here.
Written by Ben Zientara
Sharp offers solar panels for home and commercial solar installations. Here's more about them and how they compare to other top brands.
Written by Ben Zientara
Each year, we rank the best solar panel manufacturers that produce panels for homeowners and small businesses.
Written by Ben Zientara
Chinese solar panels seem to be everywhere nowadays. But are they high quality? And more importantly, should you get them for your home? We take a look.
Written by Ben Zientara
Canadian Solar is one of the 5 biggest manufacturers of solar panels in the world. How do they stack up against the competition? Let's find out.
Written by Ben Zientara