Sweet Solar Home

August 11, 2010

We’re excited to announce that Pennsylvania has joined Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New Jersey as a SunRun state!

With SunRun, Pennsylvania homeowners can now switch to clean, solar electricity for little or no cost. And just in time – Pennsylvania utility rate caps are set to expire by January 1, 2011. According to the PA Public Utility Commission, once the generation rate caps expire, “the PUC expects that customers may see an increase in their bills.”

Going solar will not only keep electric bills low, but also make a big difference in the environment and the local economy. “We are excited to welcome SunRun to Pennsylvania to grow the solar industry and drive local job creation,” said John Hanger, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.  SunRun has partnered with the leading local solar installers in Pennsylvania – Alteris Renewables, groSolar, Mercury Solar Systems, and Trinity solar.

SunRun allows homeowners to finally take control of their electricity costs by locking in low, controlled rates for their solar electricity today, for the next 20 years. A typical homeowner can save 5-15% on their electricity costs in their first year, and much more over time. And customers don’t have to worry about their panels producing, since SunRun takes complete care of their systems – including monitoring, maintenance and repair, insurance, and a money-back performance guarantee. Request a free solar quote for your home and join more than 5,000 homeowners across the nation who have already made the switch with SunRun.

Hello, Pennsylvania!  We can’t wait to help you get started with clean, affordable solar electricity.

August 9, 2010

What counts as a green job?

Recently, I was at a dinner party when the conversation turned to green jobs.  Manufacturing jobs in wind and solar power seemed to be on the top of everyone’s minds.  Then, the conversation shifted to activists, fundraisers, and campaigners for grass-roots environmental agencies and conservation groups.  But, no one mentioned me – what about my job?  I work in renewable energy, and I consider my work a green job.  I decided to speak up.  I told the group that my job doesn’t require me to be up on a roof, or out asking for signatures. Most days, I work at my desk, applying skills I had developed outside the cleantech arena.

Sometimes, I feel like when people hear the term “green job”, they think of someone who either plants trees, retrofits homes and buildings, or has a degree in sustainability management. In reality, a green job means all of that and more.  It’s a job that advances green objectives.  To have a green job, you don’t need a LEED certificate,  a degree in environmental science, training in manufacturing and installing – though all of these are helpful in some green jobs.

But, consider my situation.  I am the Brand and Events Marketing Manager at SunRun.  It’s a dynamic job in a fast-paced environment.  While most of my work is on a project-to-project basis, I am generally working on about five different marketing projects on any given day.  Some days I work with artists on creative development, but if I’m on a fast turn deadline, I will produce the creative myself.  I develop the set of images used on SunRun’s web and print collateral, and have been working with several photographers to produce a suite of images that can accurately reflect the SunRun brand.  I lend interdepartmental support to develop materials, help brainstorm new programs, and manage our event presence.  It’s a hands-on kind of job, but I still have the opportunity to be strategic about how our team executes on these projects.  And did I mention that I love the job and the folks I work with each day?

I may not be climbing on a roof to install solar panels or heading environmental cleanup efforts, but I am working towards sustainability and a clean, renewable world by helping the public connect to SunRun’s core message of sustainability by creating a consistent brand for my company.  That’s a green job.

When she’s not working on SunRun’s marketing endeavors, Allana Helland enjoys watercolor painting, weekend trips, and entertaining.

August 6, 2010

This week kicked off with some big news in the solar industry from Stanford University. A research group at the University announced that it had discovered a way to more than double the current efficiency of solar power production. The technology is called photon enhanced thermionic emissions, or PETE. PETE would be able to convert both light and heat into electricity at high temperatures (light is usually converted at relatively low temperatures, and heat at very high temperatures). This technology is expected to be most effective when used with solar concentrators, such as parabolic mirrors on solar farms.

On a more colorful note, ten winners from Crayola’s “How I Dream in Green” coloring contest last spring were selected to comprise the crayon company’s “Green Team.” The contestants had been asked to draw and color their vision for making homes, schools, and neighborhoods greener. The Green Team was honored this week at the dedication of Crayola’s new 15-acre solar system made of 25,000 panels. Crayola’s new solar system is predicted to provide enough power to make a third of their 3 billion crayons produced annually.

Across the globe, Thailand’s going solar – in a big way. The largest solar farm in Southeast Asia is planned to be built right outside of Bangkok by the end of 2011. This 44 MW solar farm is part of the country’s efforts to receive 20% of its energy from renewable resources by 2022. While Suntech Power will install the panels, the solar farm will be owned and maintained by Solartron and Bangchak Petroleum, a Thai oil company. According to journalist Candace Lombardi of CNET, this Thai solar deal reveals several important trends in the industry:

“The deal affirms a recent United Nations report that sees Asia leading the way in green investment.  The deal also speaks to the trend of solar companies offering turnkey solar solutions. The project also illustrates how oil companies are seeking to branch out into renewable energy resources.”

Salt River Project is making it easier for Arizona public schools to go solar — without actually paying for the panels. They just launched a pilot program – SRP Community Solar – that allows public schools in their territory to purchase solar power from a solar photovoltaic power plant that will be built in 2011. Schools districts will be able to purchase solar electricity at a fixed price of 9.9 cents per kWh for 10 years and each school’s share will be individually metered. The best thing about this program?  According to PennEnergy, “Schools can invest in solar energy without the upfront costs of purchasing and installing solar panels and will not incur any maintenance or repair costs that may be associated with a rooftop system. In addition, the KWh cost for the energy produced by the solar system is locked in for ten years.” As providers of solar leases and power purchase agreements, we here at SunRun wholeheartedly agree.

August 5, 2010

This is Marcelo’s first (but not last) post on Sweet Solar Home. Currently a SunRun Solar Consultant, Marcelo (first one on the right) completed the 2010 JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge with his co-workers.  A cold evening for the race, but SunRun brought the sunshine.

The cold, foggy San Francisco summer didn’t stop these dedicated SunRunners from participating in the 2010 JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. After a hard day of work, they ran a 3.5 mile loop in downtown San Francisco, around ATT Park where the Giants play, and back to Piers 30 and 32 where the race began. Humbling for some, an easy jog up for others, the race attracted more than 6,500 runners from hundreds of San Francisco companies.

August 4, 2010

The United States is getting serious about Energy Independence, as evidenced by a White House forum of over 130 stakeholders last week. Included in the discussion were civilian and uniformed officials from U.S. armed services and the Department of Defense, representatives from the Department of Energy, business leaders, and think tanks.  The stakeholders came together to discuss the future and importance of clean energy for national security.

Despite the nation’s efforts, we have a long way to go to ensure Energy Independence, according to Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus. In his keynote address, he highlighted the Navy’s efforts to green its practices, including using biofuels to power jets, testing efficiency technologies, but emphasized the importance of going further and going faster. The Department of Energy’s Deputy Secretary, Dan Poneman, urged our nation to think about our current energy challenges as opportunities for greater energy security.

And there is indeed a long way to go. According to the Department of Defense, the military uses 300,000 barrels of oil per day.  This equals more than $1.3 billion in additional costs that the Department of Defense pays for energy, according to Poneman.  These are more than numbers.  This represents the impact of fossil fuels we burn and greenhouse gases we emit daily, and the reallocation of critical funds to fossil fuels.

The U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Energy have both signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which states their shared commitment to work together to achieve Energy Independence – not only to create green jobs in a clean economy, but also to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and ensure security against foreign nations.

“Changing the way energy is used and produced in our country is the right thing to do,” U.S. Navy Secretary Mabus declared in his opening remarks, “It’s the right thing to do for our security, it’s the right thing to do for our economy, and it’s the right thing to do for our environment.”

We here at SunRun completely agree. By bringing affordable solar power to homeowners everywhere, we join the Department of Defense and Energy in their commitment to Energy Independence.

August 3, 2010

Our third guest post is from science and environmental writer (and SunRun homeowner), Todd Neff. Learn how he and his neighbors are making a difference in the environment (and easing the strain on their utility grid) with their home solar systems. If you’re interested in contributing a guest post for our blog, send an email to nami@sunrunhome.com.  We welcome all SunRun homeowners and solar enthusiasts!

As a Denver science and environment writer, I was well familiar with the benefits of rooftop solar. For me, those benefits were primarily environmental. Rooftop solar tends to follow the power demand curve – that is, its output is highest on those summer days that stress the power grid the most. Utilities pay top dollar for electrons on these June-July-August afternoons. Despite doing so, overloading from air conditioning demand blows transformers and substations. Neighborhoods and business districts go dark. Further, I’ve covered climate change extensively, and the benefits of substituting photovoltaic power for the coal-fired or even natural-gas-generated variety need little elaboration.

But man, was solar expensive. A neighbor installed a system and spent more than $14,000 up front, despite rebates covering more than half the cost. It’ll pay itself off in 15-20 years, even assuming modest utility rate increases. He owns the silicon and the inverters (he has two—it’s a big, 5.5 kilowatt system). It’s a beautiful system.

But 14 grand is beyond the possible for an obscure writer. I told him: One day I’m going to have solar panels, and I’m going to pour myself a cup of coffee, walk outside, look up at my roof and just bask in the knowledge that the stimulant in my hands was literally heated by the sun.

I was thinking it would take, like, a decade. Well, thanks to SunRun, it was less than a year. REC Solar is an installer representing SunRun in Colorado (I’m not sure if this is an exclusive arrangement). A neighbor came upon SunRun through REC. The neighbor is an entrepreneur with a PhD in biological engineering. He put SunRun through the wringer, trying to make sense of this leasing deal. He told me it checked out. He’s got a 4.4 kilowatt system now.

I had signed with SunRun before his panels were up. The system’s 2.86 kilowatts, limited by roof size and orientation. All morning, this baby’s drinking in Colorado sunshine and cranking out 2-2.5 kilowatts. It’s generating more than a kilowatt until probably 3 p.m., at which point it trickles to a nightlight’s worth of energy at dusk, and finally goes dormant for the night. I pay SunRun an average of 9.5 cents per kilowatt hour — $39 a month for 20 years. I own neither silicon nor inverter. Nor do I want to. It’s essentially a mortgage, but on an asset that generates a valuable commodity while preserving an even more valuable commodity—the environment we live in.

My SunRun neighbor and I are feeding Xcel probably 6 kilowatts during peak morning office air-conditioning hours – this saves the utility money. And, thanks to the state and federal rebates that figured into SunRun’s pricing, I am paying *less* per kilowatt hour for the 60 percent of the electricity I’m sourcing from my roof than I am from the stuff coming from the CO2-belching Comanche, Cherokee and other Xcel Energy coal plants supplying 70 percent of Colorado’s energy. This is not to vilify Xcel, which has become a progressive utility in the past half decade. I need power when the sun goes down, too.

SunRun is a company doing good. It deserves to do well, too, and, by all indications, it is doing well. It has enabled my small environmental contribution, and is somehow managing to make money for both of us while doing so. I firmly believe that leasing is the way solar should be done, and that a few years down the road SunRun will be recognized as a trailblazer in an established industry. So you may as well get on board now.

August 2, 2010

The solar market is going strong, according to the latest report by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). In “U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009,” the IREC concludes that “in spite of poor economic conditions, solar markets continue to grow in the United States due to consumer interest in green technologies, concern about energy prices, and financial incentives available.”

Interstate Renewable Energy Council

Be sure to check out the full report for more detailed information on photovoltaic, heating and cooling, and concentrating solar power (CSP) trends and progress in 2009, but here are some of the most salient findings:

• More Solar: The number of solar systems installed increased by 18% in 2009 from 2008.
• Residential solar’s leading the way: Residential solar photovoltaic capacity doubled in 2009 since 2008 and represents 36% of all new grid-connected PV capacity. The non-residential sector experienced no growth.
• Growth by State: California represents about half of all the solar PV capacity installed in the United States in 2009. In 2009, grid-connected solar PV capacity in New Jersey increased by 155%, in Colorado by 8%, in Arizona by 243%, and in Massachusetts by 174% from 2008.

Overall, home solar was a hot commodity in 2009. And, according to experts, the future will be even brighter. The IREC predicts 50-100% growth in the number of grid-connected solar photovoltaic installs in 2010.

July 30, 2010

From racecars to temperature changes, this has been quite the week for solar and environmental news. Check out this week’s hottest stories in today’s solar news roundup.

State of the Climate: The hottest story this week has undeniably been a report released on Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that found this past decade to be the hottest decade on record. The annual “State of the Climate” report incorporated findings from over 300 scientists in 48 countries, using data from sources including “satellites, weather balloons, weather stations, ships, buoys, and field surveys.” The report doesn’t include data from 2010, which is predicted to exceed the hottest average global temperature ever recorded.

Solar Cells: On Tuesday, Vodafone Essar released a new kind of “solar cell” – a solar cellular phone! The phones are targeted towards Indians living in rural areas that lack access to electricity, but receive a lot of sun. The phone, which requires 8 hours of direct sunlight to fully charge provides 240 minutes of talktime and 200 standby hours. It’s currently priced at $32 and is expected to go on sale in stores in August.

The Sunshine Track: The NASCAR racetrack at Pocono Raceway has gone solar!   Pocono’s 3 megawatt, 250 acre ground-mounted solar system is finally up and running with 40,000 photovoltaic solar panels. Like SunRun home solar systems, the NASCAR system is tied to the grid, and provides enough energy for the whole racetrack and 1,000 neighboring homes. NASCAR estimates that the system will produce 72 million kWh of energy over the next 20 years, offsetting over 3,100 metric tons of CO2 every year.

Solar in Hawaii: Eric Wesoff also took some time this week to examine the state of solar in Hawaii – a state in which solar would be a “no-brainer” (lots of sun, high electricity rates). What he discovered was that despite the appeal of solar in the state, upfront costs continue to be the greatest barrier to going solar in Hawaii. Despite this, the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative has a goal of having 70% of the island’s energy come from clean sources by 2030.

And of course, we mustn’t forget to mention Good Morning America’s solar spotlight on Thursday! SunRun president Lynn Jurich spoke with GMA’s Sam Champion on affordable ways for homeowners to go solar. Judging from the great response we’ve received since yesterday, the future looks bright for clean solar power!

Please let us know if you’d like a particular story included in roundup. Happy weekend!

July 30, 2010

This is the second guest post from a SunRun customer (first by Ted Reynolds of Orange County, California). Check out Glenn Ware’s post below about how he was finally able to switch to solar, thanks to SunRun’s Colorado solar leasing program. If you’re a SunRun customer and interested in contributing a guest post to our blog, please email nami@sunrunhome.com. We’re eager to add new voices to our online solar community and we look forward to hearing from you!

The Greatest Barrier to Going Solar? Upfront Cost.

I had wanted to go solar for a long time. I never thought it would be possible due to costs, but over the past year, I noticed a few of our neighbors in Colorado going solar. I wondered if things were changing in the residential solar industry.

One day, I read an article about President Obama visiting a local solar installer in Colorado, Namaste, to discuss solar jobs and government incentives. I contacted Namaste to learn more about home solar and its costs. Through those conversations, we decided that maybe the time was right for us to switch to solar, to save money and reduce our effect on the environment.

We were getting ready to sign our purchase order when word came out that our utility company, Xcel Energy, was reducing their solar rebates. This rebate change was going to increase our out-of-pocket investment for purchasing our home solar system by $3,000! We were forced to reconsider our decision to go solar because of the higher costs and longer timeline for our return on investment.  Once again, we felt that solar was out of our reach and we would have to stick with our utility company.

The Solution We’d Been Waiting For: Solar Leasing!

A few months later, we heard about a new solar leasing program that was coming to Colorado – the SunRun Power Plan. I started researching the program, but put off making a decision.

That all changed when Xcel raised their rates again and initiated a tiered-rate summer program, which charged more money per kilowatt used above the first 500 kilowatts.  I knew that with our air conditioner running in the summer, our family consumed up to 800 kilowatts. I contacted Namaste again and requested two solar quotes – one qoute for an outright purchase and another through SunRun’s solar leasing program. The quote for a solar system purchase was now $2,000 higher than the quote that I had received previously. This was, once again, due to additional rebate drops from Xcel.

On the other hand, the SunRun solar quote was so appealing and we realized that home solar was now within our reach! SunRun would allow us to upgrade our home to solar for what we were currently paying per month for electricity, with no additional money down. We would be able to go solar without a large upfront payment. In addition, we would lock in our electrical rates for the term of the lease – 20 years. It didn’t take us long to realize that SunRun was exactly what we had been waiting for. We didn’t have to take money out of our savings and started saving from day one. Plus, SunRun maintains the system for us so there are no worries about additional costs down the road.

Our system is now online and we can’t be happier. We are saving money, reducing our impact on the environment and making a statement that we want to be part of the new energy solution rather then part of the current carbon based energy problem.

Are you ready for home solar? Good Morning America certainly thinks so!

This morning, Good Morning America’s Sam Champion and SunRun’s Lynn Jurich discussed how easy and affordable it is to get solar for your home with SunRun.  SunRun buys the panels and pays for installation so you can switch to clean home solar power for little or no cost. SunRun also takes complete care of your home solar system, which includes professional monitoring, maintenance and repair, insurance, and a money-back performance guarantee.  All you have to do is simply pay for your home solar electricity, just like you pay your utility today. But, unlike utilities that can raise your rates at anytime, SunRun lets you lock in today’s rates for the next 18 or 20 years. See if your home is right for solar with a free home solar quote!

Watch the ABC Good Morning America clip on SunRun home solar below!