2011 was a great year for both solar and SunRun. At SunRun we nearly doubled our employee headcount, helped thousands of American families switch to solar more affordably, and expanded to three new states.  As the company of choice for one in every three Californians switching to solar, we are working with policy makers at the federal and state levels to help reduce the costs of solar installations and promote supportive solar policies that save consumers money while helping the planet.  Here’s a quick snapshot of this year’s highlights:

More Solar Homes in More States:
SunRun expanded to three new states this year, increasing our total number of states served to ten. We brought solar power service to Oregon in April, Maryland in July, and New York in November. We also opened new offices in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to better serve our partners, growing team of employees, and families switching to solar on the East Coast.

Industry Advancement:
We started off the year unveiling a report that shows inconsistent local solar permitting and inspection processes add an average of over $2,500 per home solar installation. With streamlined permitting, California alone could generate over $5 billion in additional growth and help support the already expected $30 billion economic gain from natural solar market growth.  We collaborated with the Department of Energy and the White House on this challenge and that work resulted in funding opportunities for local jurisdictions to streamline permitting.  Our very own Lynn Jurich helped announce the funding awardees with Energy Secretary Steven Chu in early December.

On October 17, SunRun and PV Solar Report announced that 3rd-party-owned solar has eclipsed cash purchase as the preferred way to go solar in California, accounting for 59 percent of the California solar market and 51 percent of the national market in Q3 2011. On November 15, SunRun and PV Solar Report announced families in median income zip codes make up the majority of California’s home solar market. As solar prices decrease, the number of residential projects in lower income zip codes continues to go up.

Awards and recognitions:
SunRun’s hard work is getting us noticed! We received a number of prestigious honors this year, including:

• Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) Solar Champion
• 2011 Global Cleantech 100 honoree
• Named as an innovative home energy company by “GE ecomagination Challenge.”
• Lynn Jurich appointed to Startup America Partnership Founding Board
• Edward Fenster and Lynn Jurich named 40 under 40 “Ones to Watch” by FORTUNE

New Faces:
2011 was an incredible hiring year for SunRun. We welcomed 88 news employees and have more coming in every week!  New additions include Vice President of Marketing Bill Stewart, previously the Chief Marketing Officer for Kmart, Vice President of Engineering Miguel Pinilla, and Vice President of Human Resources Beth Steinberg.  We also welcomed thousands of new customers who are starting to show us their faces and the faces of their panels through conversation on our Facebook page.

We look forward to another year of growth, happy customers, and affordable solar for all!

It’s that time of year again, when the Thanksgiving turkey is but a happy memory and neighborhoods begin to glow with the cheery illumination of holiday lights!

Join us in celebration by sharing a photo of your holiday lights display with the SunRun community! It’s easy!

1. Upload a photo of your holiday lights.

2. Once we receive your picture, we’ll post it along with others in our exclusive Facebook album and you can “like” your favorites.

3. Everyone who uploads a picture will get a free shirt!

As an added bonus, there may be something in store for our other fans too! Happy holidays! And we hope to see your holiday lights on Facebook!

Congratulations California! The Golden State has just reached a major milestone in renewable energy, installing 1 million kilowatts of solar energy across the state. To put this in prospective, if we assume the average home solar system stands at around 5 kilowatts, that means there have been 200,000 solar systems installed!  California is one of the few locales in the world to have reached this milestone, and is joined only by Germany, Spain, Japan, Italy and the Czech Republic. In fact, reports Environment California, a statewide advocacy group, California has installed more solar than France, China or Belgium.

Much of the credit for the expansion of solar in California belongs with the California Solar Initiative. The aggressive program encourages homeowners, businesses, local governments and nonprofit organizations to install solar panels on their roofs. The initiative has resulted in about 600 megawatts of solar installed. So much in fact, that Michelle Kinman of Environment California says that California has the potential to become the “Saudi Arabia of the sun.”

Solar installations across the state have seen a constant uptick over the past several years, and 2011 alone saw 205 megawatts installed. As panel prices continue to fall across the global marketplace, affordable home solar is becoming a reality for families who could not afford it even five years ago.

For a list of some of the best cities for solar in California, check out SunRun’s recent post on the Top 10 Cities for Solar Power in California. Who knows, you might live in a top solar city in America’s top solar state!

PennEnvironment held an event this week to celebrate Pennsylvania solar leadership.  This state ranks 4^th for the most solar-related jobs in the country.  We applaud Pennsylvania for its tireless effort to help solar scale, and as indicated by our presence there, we believe Pennsylvania is among the most promising solar states in the nation.

The solar industry in Pennsylvania employs an estimated 4,703 workers, and hiring is still on the rise. Nearly half of solar employers nationally plan to increase their workforce in the next year, while only two percent expect to cut employment. A recent report, “National Solar Jobs Census 2011: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce,” estimates that solar companies added 6,735 new workers across all 50 states in the last year. That was a growth rate of about 6.8 percent, compared with 0.7 percent for the economy as a whole!

In order to handle growing demand for solar – now higher than ever with panel prices dropping and new financing options available – SunRun opened three new offices this year on the East Coast. We’ve also partnered with six Pennsylvania solar companies, including Alteris Renewables, Greenspring Energy, Mark Group, Mercury Solar Systems, Standard Solar, Inc. and Trinity Solar.  We’re happy to see our Philadelphia office and our partners contributing to the record solar job growth in Pennsylvania, and look forward to growing with the rest of the state!

SunRun is now offering solar power in New York! The Empire State marks the tenth state where SunRun now offers rooftop solar to homeowners for a fraction of what it would normally cost. SunRun’s arrival in the state means homeowners have a cost-effective way to go solar, and the freedom to fix their electricity cost for 20 years while doing something that’s good for the environment.

New York is demonstrating a commitment to solar by starting to put in place the supporting and fostering policies needed for the industry to grow.  Passage of the New York Solar Jobs Act would be a significant next step.  The state’s support allows SunRun to own and maintain solar panels on homeowners’ roofs so homeowners don’t have to pay $30,000 or more for them.

SunRun is available immediately to New York residents serviced by ConEdison Westchester, ConEdison New York City, Central Hudson Gas and Electric and Orange & Rockland Utilities, with plans to expand quickly to other regions.  Local partners include Mercury Solar Systems and OnForce Solar.

What do you think of SunRun’s most recent expansion? Where do you think we should go next?

SunRun was honored this week by FORTUNE MAGAZINE and two leading industry organizations for pioneering a way to provide simpler and more affordable home solar. SunRun invented the concept of a solar power service – also called 3rd-party-owned solar or solar leasing – as a way for homeowners to switch to solar for as little as $0 upfront. The idea has quickly caught hold of the American solar industry, and has recently become the leading way to go solar across America.  See the chart below to see how this option is growing in popularity.

Award: Solar Champion Award for Industry Innovation

Given by: Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

Why SunRun: SEIA’s Solar Champions are chosen based on significant contributions made to the solar industry during the award year. SunRun was selected for leading the charge in making solar installations more affordable and straightforward for homeowners, particularly in streamlining local permitting and eliminating unnecessary permitting costs.

Award: The Global Cleantech 100 list

Given by: Cleantech Group

Why SunRun: The Global Cleantech 100 list highlights the private clean technology companies from around the world that are likely to have the most significant market impact over the next 10 years. SunRun was named on the list for inventing solar power service. SunRun owns, insures and maintains solar panels after installing them on a homeowners’ roof.  Families pay a low monthly rate for clean energy and fix their energy costs for 20 years.

Award: FORTUNE 40 Under 40: Ones to Watch

Given by: FORTUNE

Why SunRun: In addition to its 40 Under 40 list, FORTUNE also keeps an eye on 20 additional innovators from a wide range of industries and backgrounds. Lynn and Ed’s SunRun has caught the attention of FORTUNE editors because SunRun absorbs the upfront purchasing and installation costs of the solar system –upwards of $30,000 – and charges customers a fixed monthly fee for electricity for less than the utility companies.

A team of students from the University of Maryland took first place in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2011. The super-efficient home they designed, called WaterShed, is powered by a twin focus on efficient, renewable energy and water quality and conservation. According to the university, the house harvests, recycles and reuses water, while harmonizing modernity, tradition, and simple building strategies.

The DOE’s Solar Decathlon challenges teams of college students and faculty to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

Panels of experts judge the competing homes on ten dimensions: architectural design, market appeal, engineering, affordability, comfort, hot water systems, appliances, home entertainment, energy balance and the educational/communication effort surrounding the home’s design.

WaterShed was a front-runner in every category, and topped it off with 100% energy efficiency, meaning the home generates as much power as it consumes.

According the University of Maryland, WaterShed integrates a unique array of sustainable features, including:

• Split-butterfly roof, well-suited to capture and use both sunlight and rainwater;
• Constructed wetlands that filter storm water and grey water (household water with limited contaminants);
• Green roof to retain rainwater and promote efficient cooling;
• Photovoltaic array to harvest enough solar energy to power WaterShed year-round;
• Solar thermal array to fulfill all domestic hot water needs;
• “Edible landscapes” that support community-based agriculture;
• Patent-pending indoor, liquid desiccant waterfall for high-efficiency humidity control;
• Efficient, cost-effective, durable and time-tested structural system.

We at SunRun are very proud to announce that six of our installer partners in California, Maryland and New Jersey have made the ranks of the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 list. Of those six installer partners, three of them ranked in the top 10 percent, standing among the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies. Please take a look at the rankings as shown in the energy category and offer your congratulations to our wonderful partners!

Greenspring Energy in Maryland ranked first in energy with 8,730% growth over three years.

Standard Solar in Maryland ranked eighth in energy with 1,686% growth over three years.

Mercury Solar Systems in New York ranked 14 in energy with 794% growth over three years.

Sullivan Solar Power in California ranked 22 in energy with 423% growth over three years.

Trinity Solar in New Jersey ranked 23 in energy with 401% growth over three years.

Verengo Solar Plus in California ranked 66 in energy with 70% growth over three years.

The Inc. 500 is an annual list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America. Today the Inc. 500 has been expanded to the Inc. 5000, with the top ten percent making up the Inc. 500 list.

The Battle of the Bills contest is closing at the end of today! We’ve spent a month gathering tons of the highest electric bills from homeowners all over California. The competition has been tough, with some monthly bills reaching hundreds of dollars.

The grand prize, first prize and runner-up prize winners will be announced September 7. Who’s ready to win 20 years of free home solar? Yup, that’s two full decades of worry-free electricity. First and second prize winners will win $1,000 off and $500 off respectively, making our California solar offerings even more affordable. Just think – you could be weeks away from being as happy as these solar homeowners.

SunRun’s Battle of the Bills contest fielded entries from SCE, LADWP, PG&E, PWP and SDG&E. Which utility do you think the highest bill will come from? Which part of California? None of us are sure, but let the speculation begin!

There are just a couple more days left to enter the Battle of the Bills! The contest wraps up on Friday this week, ending SunRun’s month-long campaign to find the highest electric bill in California. Did we find that bill? It’s very likely we did, unless you’re planning on surprising us!  We won’t announce just how high the winning bill is until we’ve reviewed all our entries.

Even if you don’t think you have the highest bill in the state, remember that your bill could still win you $1,000 or $500 off a SunRun solar lease. Not a bad reward for the simple act of entering, plus you’re saving the planet on the side.

Have you been holding out on us, waiting for the perfect moment to send us that shocking bill? Send it in now! We’ve been very patient.

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