Millions of Americans tuned in Tuesday night to watch President Obama deliver his first address from the Oval Office. At the heart of the president’s speech was his diagnosis of the BP oil spill. If the disaster can be thought of as a disease, then treatment of the symptoms are the current efforts to clean up the spill and restore the Gulf Coast. But, like with any disease, the most critical step is to understand the cause and prevent a future outbreak. What began as an update on the oil spill cleanup efforts ended as a push for a clean energy future, led by solar, wind, and energy efficiency.

This oil spill was not merely an accident, but a consequence of “America’s century-long addiction to fossil fuels.” As Obama made clear last night, the larger lesson from the spill has been that “drilling for oil these days entails greater risk” and our nation must transition to a clean energy future. Cause and prevention are inextricably tied – preventing future oil spills require eliminating our dependence on oil. “The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now,” President Obama declared, “Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash America’s innovation and seize control of our own destiny.”

Clean technology continues to develop, but much of it is already available. A clean energy future is not, as Obama insisted, “some distant vision for America.” Our nation has already taken “unprecedented action to jumpstart the clean energy industry” with solar panels, wind turbines, and energy efficient windows. Your home pollutes more than two times what your car pollutes. Power your home with clean, solar energy, and you are making a bigger difference than you think. For each home that goes solar, 40% of that home’s pollution is offset. And for every six homes that go solar, 1 clean American job is created.

This is why we’ve created a national cause for 10,000 additional solar roofs in the U.S. in 2010, in addition to the 50,000 new solar roofs projected to be added this year. It’s clear that the time for a clean energy future is not in the future, but the present. We must, as our president urged us last night, “seize the moment….rally together and act as one nation” to make that hope a reality. People all over the country, including solar companies, are uniting behind the 10,000 Solar Roofs Challenge. What more are you waiting for?

Please support a clean energy future by spreading the word and joining the cause today.

Last Friday, SunRun Vice President of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, Holly Gordon, spoke at Colorado governor Bill Ritter’s final bill signing ceremony.  She spoke on the governor’s renewable energy efforts over the past 3 1/2 years, as well as House Bill 1267, one of the five bills signed on Friday.  With 5 Democratic and 4 Republican co-sponsors, HB 1267 is a bipartisan bill that will promote the growth of home solar power in Colorado.  With the passing of this bill, third-party providers, such as SunRun, will be able to quickly expand their partnerships with local companies, such as Namaste Solar, REC Solar, and Real Goods Solar.

House Bill 1267, as well as the other four bills the Governor signed on Friday, represent one of the strongest commitments to renewable energy and job creation in the nation.  Governor Ritter is one of the most forward thinking governors, in terms of clean energy, and since he’s taken office in 2007, he has signed 57 clean energy bills.  A few months ago, the governor signed House Bill 1001 – a landmark RPS (renewable portfolio standard) bill that mandated that utilities draw 30% of their energy form renewable energy sources by 2020.  Colorado now has the nation’s highest renewable energy standard and will have 100,000 solar roofs by 2020.

It was due to the strong support of Governor Ritter and his administration that SunRun came to Colorado in 2009.  SunRun removes the major barrier to solar for most homeowners by offering a solar lease, which allows them to get home solar panels for as low as $0.  Since SunRun entered Colorado, we’ve allowed hundreds of homeowners to go solar and have created clean, green local jobs, in return.  A recent industry study estimates that every 6 home solar installations creates 1 new job in the United States, or every 10 home solar installations creates 1 new, local job.  ”The benefits of those jobs trickle down to businesses in local communities when new companies buy new products,” Holly told an Associated Press reporter at the governor’s conference. Check out the video below to watch Holly’s speech.

We here at SunRun are proud to be doing business in Colorado and working with Governor Ritter and his administration.  It was an honor to be asked to participate at this event.  Many thanks to the Governor and his administration for their strong support for House Bill 1267 and commitment to a New Energy Economy.

Everyone knows California is a great state for solar.  But, California is a big state, made up of many counties and even more cities.  Do you know which cities and counties are the top places for California home solar power?

The California Solar Initiative, part of the Go Solar California campaign started in 2007, keeps track of the home solar power systems installed in California (excluding data from municipal utilities, which aren’t part of the CSI), but this dataset is enormous and hard to decipher.  But, we here at SunRun think being able to understand home solar growth is important.  That’s why we’ve taken comprehensive data from the California Solar Initiative and made it more accessible and easier to understand.  SunRun’s ranked the top California solar cities and counties, based on the number of solar homes added in 2010 to May.  We also have an additional page for the top solar cities in Orange County.  We’ll continue to update these pages over time so please check back frequently!

Here are some fast facts about the top CA solar cities and counties.

The Top Three Solar Counties in California

1. San Diego – 1,091 solar homes added in 2010 through May
2. Santa Clara - 683 solar homes added in 2010 through May
3. Los Angeles - 627 solar homes added in 2010 through May

The Top Three Solar Cities in California

1. San Diego - 364 solar homes added in 2010 through May
2. San Jose – 280 solar homes added in 2010 through May
3. Bakersfield - 239 solar homes added in 2010 through May

The Top Three Solar Cities in Orange County, California

1. Santa Ana - 47 solar homes added in 2010 through May
2. Huntington Beach - 45 solar homes added in 2010 through May
3. Yorba Linda - 37 solar homes added in 2010 through May

Does your city or county make the cut? Check out our California Solar Initiative Top Solar Cities and Top Solar Counties page to see if your neighborhood is leading the way in California’s solar growth!

SunRun Advisor and former U.S. Department of Energy Deputy Secretary, T.J. Glauthier, was interviewed on Fox Business News regarding President Obama’s oil spill response.  Obama has a a big job ahead of him, according to Glauthier, but the president is engaged.  Glauthier also had some encouraging words to share — “If we can make significant inroads in efficiency, conservation, and renewables, we will be able to get through this in fine shape.”

Please check out the Fox Business News clip on Obama, renewable energy, and the oil spill below!

SunRun had a fantastic time last weekend at MAKE Magazine’s Bay Area Maker Faire 2010, teaching people about home solar power via our 6 foot tall solar infographic, solar craft projects, Suntech solar panel, and “Unplugging Challenge” competition.  We took a ton of great photos so check them out on our SunRun Facebook Fan page.

To keep with the spirit of energy conservation and sustainability, SunRun also gave away a free home energy audit in a random drawing.  Congratulations, Beth of San Francisco!

Learn more about the festivities on our Maker Faire page on the SunRun website. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth and we hope to see you at future solar events!

These days, high school students know a lot about solar power.  As the need for clean, renewable energy becomes more pressing, the topic is increasingly integrated into school curriculum and lesson plans.  Solar power is not a topic of discussion for the future, but a lesson of today.

Or so we discovered this past Earth Day. Last month, SunRun employees visited a handful of Bay Area high schools, including Castilleja High School, San Francisco University High School, and East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, to speak to students about our current energy crisis and the importance of renewable sources of electricity.  We discussed the story of coal, sources of energy, solar power, green jobs, and what the students could do to conserve energy and save the earth from imminent climate change.  The students were curious and excited, peppering us with questions and comments.  Many of them had already been studying solar energy in their science classes.  At East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, which is relocating next year, the visit ended with the students urging their teachers and administrators to go solar in their new building, “Why can’t we get solar panels for our new building, Mr. B?”

Why can’t we?  For this generation of students, the idea of turning away from dirty fossil fuels, such as coal power, and towards the sun for our power is intuitive, a no-brainer.  It’s this kind of attitude we all need to adopt to steer our nation to a clean energy economy.  How can we secure a sustainable future for our children?  Just ask our children.

As the saying goes, mothers know best, and they want the best for their families.  That’s why this Mother’s Day, SunRun is thanking all the mothers out there who decided to get clean, solar power for their home.  These are the mothers who wanted to make a difference in the environment and their children’s futures.  They are the mothers who believed in securing a clean, green earth for future generations.  These are the moms who wanted their home solar electricity choices to set good examples for their children and grandchildren.

To these mothers, thank you!

Check out SunRun’s home solar success stories to read more about SunRun mothers who decided to make the switch to clean home solar power for their families. Many of these moms chose to go solar with SunRun because SunRun takes complete care of your system., allowing them to focus on more important things.  As one SunRun mother said, “it allows my son to live his life and not have to worry about mom and her power.”  Mothers can rest easy with SunRun, knowing that for once, someone else has got it covered.

May marks the start of summer savings in Massachusetts!  SunRun is happy to announce a new promotion for home solar in Massachusetts – sign up with SunRun in the month of May and get your first six months of SunRun electricity for FREE.  Summer’s fast approaching and getting home solar with SunRun is a great way to take control of your electric costs and lock in immediate savings on your electricity bill.  Request a free custom solar quote to see if solar is right for your home.

Every Massachusetts homeowner who signs a SunRun customer agreement between April 27th, 2010 and May 31st, 2010 will receive the first six months of solar electricity for free. Please check our website for more information on the SunRun Massachusetts solar promotion!