Participant Resources
Updates, stories, forms, tech support – All in one place.
Participating in Pecan Street’s research network is easy. We hope this page will make it a no-brainer.
This is where we’ll post documents, forms, technical support links, and any other information that you may need to install, use or troubleshoot your system. You can bookmark this page or get to it directly from PecanStreet.org by clicking Resources in the navigation bar.
People thinking about participating in our research network can find some stories and videos about our current volunteers and information about what it means to volunteer. You can also visit our Participant FAQ.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us at (512) 782-9213 or email participate@pecanstreet.org.
Volunteer Stories
Wanna meet some volunteer participants? Below are a few stories about our work in Austin, where we started our research.
- KXAN Austin
- PBS NewsHour – Miles O’Brien
- Time Magazine (print/web story)
- Time Magazine (video essay)
- EDF Pecan Street video
- Case Study for Verizon Foundation
Participant Information
We’re expanding our research network !
Our research in Texas has provided incredible insight into energy use and renewable energy. Expanding our research network to include participants with different energy profiles in different regions will allow us to tackle a number of remaining research questions critical for moving clean energy programs forward and for supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs.
Committed individuals and companies can speed up the arrival of a better, cleaner energy future. That’s where you come in! Residents who participate in Pecan Street research receive access to a secure website to monitor their solar production and energy use. Data is de-identified, and in aggregate with all of our other participants, is used by researchers around the world to develop new energy technology and climate solutions.
As with all of Pecan Street’s research, participation is free, and volunteer identities are not shared with any research partners.
Information Sessions
As Pecan Street recruits new participants, we often host online and in-person information sessions so you can learn what it means to participate in our research. If you’d like to be notified of upcoming information sessions, complete the short form listed below.
Participant Agreement
Because our research involves volunteers’ energy data, we’re very careful to spell out what information we collect, how it is used, and what Pecan Street and each participant agrees to. If we are currently recruiting participants, we will include a link to an online participant agreement here.
Troubleshooting – Tech Support
Following the installation of your equipment, your system shouldn’t require any maintenance. Just like your cable box and WiFi router, however, some technical issues arise. If your system seems unresponsive or if a Pecan Street employee asks you to restart your system, please refer to the following technical posts.
Privacy
We know that your privacy is important to you. It is important to us, too. Everything we measure and all the data we collect is transmitted and housed according to strict security standards established by the U.S. Department of Energy. Data from an individual home can be viewed by the homeowner/resident. Researchers that access our database, however, cannot identify any individual participant. For more details, please review our privacy policy.