RK Contributing Solar Engineer
PhD Electrical Engineering (Photovoltaics), IEEE Senior Member, former NREL researcher
Dr. Kumar has published 34 peer-reviewed papers on photovoltaic cell efficiency, which means he can tell you exactly why that '25% efficient' panel in the brochure will deliver 18% in your actual climate conditions on your actual roof angle. He spent eight years at NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) before moving to academia, where he runs a solar testing lab that manufacturers both court and fear. His bifacial panel comparison study — the one that proved three major brands were overstating rear-side energy gains by 40% — got him temporarily uninvited from two industry conferences and permanently invited to three others. He provides the technical depth behind every panel performance analysis on SolarScout.
11 years of experience in solar energy.
Discover the top 7 solar panels that excel in cold weather with our snow load testing and temperature coefficient analysis for maximum winter energy production.
We compared the top home battery storage systems of 2026 including Tesla Powerwall 3, Enphase IQ Battery 5P, Generac PWRcell 2, and Franklin WholePower. Full specs, pricing, and real-world performance.
We ran the numbers on solar vs staying on the grid in 2026. Real cost analysis, payback timelines, ROI calculations, and state-by-state breakdowns for the most common question in home energy.