SolarCity and Vivint Solar were the top US 2014 Q1 solar residential installers, according to a recent report. GTM Research’s most recent survey of leading solar PV residential installations found some other interesting results as well. SolarCity and Vivint Solar continued their domination of the market, totaling 38%. SolarCity had 29%, beating … [continued]
By Tam Hunt, owner of Community Renewable Solutions LLC The solar market is booming in the US. We recently surpassed ten gigawatts of installed capacity, just a year after we surpassed five gigawatts. The future is equally bright. With this boom in solar we’re seeing new ways for investors to become involved in this … [continued]
SolarCity launched a new program which will allow investors with smaller wallets, community groups, and other institutions to grab a piece of the solar pie. Similar to other crowd sourcing schemes like Solar Mosiac, the company plans to harness the power of the Internet to attract investors of all sizes. Lyndon … [continued]
One of the ways that an industry matures is by standardizing all sorts of processes, including financial processes, making proliferation of the industry’s offerings easier. Solar is still a young industry, but it is growing very fast, and solutions such as standardization of common processes is helping it along. As … [continued]
Originally published on RenewEconomy. The solar industry has achieved another significant breakthrough, after US solar leasing specialist SolarCity issued the first asset back notes for the solar industry, and achieved an interest rate significantly below expectations. SolarCity raised $54 million in the issue of asset backed securities. It was not … [continued]
This will be refreshing to many: SolarWorld, a company that is well known for producing solar modules, is now providing Hawaii with the option to enjoy its solar financing packages, and with the guarantee that the solar panels they get on their roofs will receive American-made solar panels! This service, … [continued]
Originally published on RenewEconomy. US solar giant SunPower has announced it is teaming up with Community First Credit Union to finance its solar module leasing arrangements in Australia. The two companies are offering financing for up to $35,000 over a ten year period for rooftop solar systems ($35,000 will get … [continued]
Originally published on RMI Outlet. By James Mandel, PhD In recent years, companies have made great strides in offering third-party financing to bring solar and energy efficiency to residential consumers with little or no money down. Consumers view it as free. For example, I can now put solar on my … [continued]
Here are some more cleantech and climate policy stories we wouldn’t want you all to miss: Clean Energy First Solar Becomes Desertec Investor Clean Power Finance Partners Comprise Up To 80 Percent Of Major U.S. Residential Solar Companies Helping Schools Finance Solar Webinar: How Racking And Mounting Make Perfect Cents … [continued]
Soft costs can be pretty tough. The cost of solar installations can be generally separated into “hard” costs — representing primary components such as modules, racking, inverters — and soft costs including legal, permitting, and financing. While the former group — particularly modules — have dropped dramatically over the last several years, the latter have not. According to a recent NREL analysis, these costs represent roughly 30% of both residential and utility installations (slightly less for commercial-host systems). See Figure 1. […]
