In a move that’s one part marketing – no, make that two parts marketing – and one part financing, SolarCity today unveiled Solar Bonds, an online program that allows Jane and John Q. Public to plunk down as little as a thousand bucks and earn a return off the growing solar market. The solar installer… Keep reading →
There’s nothing more grassroots than a local chamber of commerce. No organization has a better understanding of its community and what it means to run a business and establish a life in its hometown. No other group is tasked with helping so many businesses – from mom and pop entrepreneurs to leading corporate voices –… Keep reading →
What are the similarities between Ace Hardware and the solar industry? Many more than you might think after the recent announcement that the nation’s only solar purchasing cooperative, Amicus Solar Cooperative, chose Locus Energy as the preferred monitoring provider for its 30 members throughout the country. Amicus, meaning “friend” in Latin, is a group of… Keep reading →
The story of how net metering and onsite residential solar is eating way utilities’ profit margins is getting old, so what can these companies do about it? This piece suggest two strategies. “Clean Power Finance’s new partnership with North American Power demonstrates one of two ways in which a retail electricity provider (REP) can profit from selling… Keep reading →
You might think that a northern state like Minnesota wouldn’t be a hot market for solar energy, but, in fact, solar can work well in northern and colder climates. To capture that solar potential, Minnesota recently enacted several policies and incentives to inspire more Minnesota businesses, municipalities, non-profits, and residents to install solar and reduce their energy costs. The main driver behind Minnesota’s solar push is the state’s Renewable Portfolio… Keep reading →
Google is having a big week on the renewable energy front and, in related news, lease financing for new solar installations is rolling along. The Internet giant with tentacles into so many things green and innovative followed its Earth Day announcement of a massive wind energy buy in Iowa with word on Wednesday that it… Keep reading →
Another indicator of solar going mainstream SolarCity is offering another $70.2 million in asset-backed notes. Late last year, SolarCity executed on a solar financing milestone and offered a private placement of $54.4 million of an “aggregate principal amount of Solar Asset Backed Notes, Series 2013-1.” That was one of the first times securitization was employed… Keep reading →
The concept of grid parity is the following: the point at which the cost of producing electricity from an energy source is less than or equal to the price of purchasing power from the grid. In theory, when solar energy reaches grid parity it will be cost-competitive with conventional fuels, making it viable for widespread… Keep reading →
The U.S. solar industry celebrates its 40th anniversary this Friday, and there is a lot to celebrate. Costs are at an all-time low, and solar is now competitive with traditional electricity generation sources in over half of the world’s markets. We are transitioning from the hobbyist phase of Solar 1.0 into the true commercialization phase… Keep reading →
“When I consider this checklist, we’re pretty close.” The U.S. solar industry has come a long way in a very short timeframe. After decades of slow but steady growth, the last 2.5 years have brought an explosion of new installations in America — with two-thirds of all total distributed solar installed since just 2011. By… Keep reading →
