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California Solar Installers

by Aisha Abdelhamid August 22, 2017

Although California dominates the US solar market, with 35% market share, there are still many residents of the Golden State thinking about going solar and seeking top solar installers for a new rooftop solar system. The following article features information on the state of solar installations in California, tips to keep in mind prior to calling a solar installer, and the top California solar installers for 2017.

The 2017 State of Solar Installations

With nearly 45 gigawatts (GW) of total solar capacity now installed in the US, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) notes that there are now nearly 1.4 million solar installations in the country. In the first quarter of 2017, SEIA reports, 2,044 megawatts (MW) were installed in the US. This is the 6th quarter in a row with over 2 GW installed and continues to fuel the average annual growth rate of 68% over the last 10 years.

Across all US solar market segments, prices have dropped 19% over the last 12 months, led by declining costs for hardware. Over the last 5 years, solar prices have dropped a whopping 63%. No matter where you live in the US, this is clearly a great time to consider going solar.

California Annual Solar Installations. Credit: SEIA.org

California, traditionally the dominant player on the national solar field, claimed a substantial 35% share of the US solar market in 2016. Beating the national average by 1%, solar prices in California have declined 64% over the last 5 years.

Taking first place in total megawatts installed, California solar installers added 5,2117 MW in 2016, bringing the current total to 18,920 MW installed. There are nearly 5 million homes (4,885,000) in the state that are powered by solar as of 2017, and solar power is now contributing 13.4% of California’s electricity generation.

Also taking first place in solar jobs, SEIA reports that California’s solar market is now employing 100,050 people in a total of 2,625 companies — 1,261 Installers/Developers, 455 Manufacturers, and 870 other related companies.

Topaz Solar Farm, one of the largest solar installations in the wolrd, was completed recently in California. It is a 550 MW photovoltaic power station in San Luis Obispo County with enough capacity to power over 142,000 homes in the state. Prologis, the largest owner, operator, and developer of industrial real estate in the US has installed 8 MW of solar capacity at its Rialto I-210 Distribution Center. Another solar PV project, Dulles in Jurupa Valley, has installed 2 MW — enough capacity to power over 516 homes.

SEIA also notes that several large retailers in California have recently gone solar in a big way, including AER Worldwide, Agilent Technologies, and Airdrome Orchards.

A Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Adam Voiland.

An Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Adam Voiland.

Top Tips For Reviewing California Solar Installers

Over 3,000 hours of sunshine kisses California every year, making the Golden State a brilliant location for generating power from the sun. And, with so much solar power already energizing the state of California, it’s not a matter of “if” but “when” it will become a net-zero state. If you are among the lucky residents considering going solar, consider this: The time is right, the price is right, and finding the right California solar installer is easier than ever.

While hardware prices have declined substantially over the last 5 years, labor and other “soft” costs still represent about 50% of a solar installation. In general, the larger solar companies spend larger sums on marketing and will charge more for installations to cover those costs. On the other hand, cost is not the only factor to consider when choosing a solar installer. Quality of products used, ongoing support and warranties offered, and the installer’s technical expertise will also substantially impact your future harvest of power from the sun.

At the heart of the solar industry, the solar panel installer holds the key to getting you the most effective use of the sun’s energy. Knowing more about the process of installing a rooftop solar system will help you evaluate installers before deciding on who to work with. The following tips will help guide your steps as you review the list of top California solar installers for 2017, covered further below.

1. Understand the Solar Installation Process:

When a solar installation plan reaches the launch pad, a team of installers arrives at your door, reviews your plan, and seeks access to work areas. This includes access to the roof, attic, electrical panel, garage, etc., as needed. Tools, equipment, solar panels, and related materials will be staged in areas that are convenient for the installers. Equipment and wiring will be installed, the team will clean up and leave, and then you will wait for the city or county inspector to approve the installation. After this, the utility company installs its net meter and gives the official Permission to Operate (PTO).

2. Understand Your Current & Future Electricity Usage:

Knowing your current and future electricity usage will help ensure that your solar installation plan covers your household needs. Review your utility bills for the last 12 months, and have them ready for solar installer interviews. Consider how your future electricity needs will grow as your family grows, if you put in a hot tub, or want a solar heater for your pool. And, if you plan to trade your car in for a new EV, you will also want to consider including an EV charger in your solar installation plan right now. Putting all this information on the table when you talk to a solar installer will help guide both of you to better decisions.

3. Understand the Difference Between Owning & Leasing Your Solar System:

Understanding the difference between leasing, often via a power purchase agreement (PPA), and owning the solar system installed on your rooftop is very important. There are important reasons why one or the other option may be more appropriate for your individual situation. The technology, in either case, is the same. The main difference is the relationship with the homeowner.

Owning your own solar power system comes with the potential advantages of reaping immediate tax credits, paying for itself over time, providing electricity to your home for free, and earning a little cash from selling excess electricity to your local utility. However, owning comes with associated maintenance responsibilities and a steeper upfront price tag, typically around $10,000 or more at purchase. And, without the cash upfront, you’ll need to take out a loan that might ultimately double your price tag.

Leasing/PPA options appeal to cost-constrained homeowners because there are typically low or no upfront costs. The solar company owns and maintains the system installed on your rooftop, and you agree to pay a certain rate for the electricity generated for a certain number of years, typically 20 or 25 years. Both before and after the term expires, there are usually terms for buying the system outright, although the price may not be cost-effective and the process may not be straightforward.

4. Understand the Difference Between Local & Out-of-Town Installers:

Your solar installer must know your local regulations, building codes, and permitting processes, as well federal, state, and local tax credits and other incentives. Familiarity with your local utility’s net energy metering program (NEM) is also a must. Finally, once your system is installed, your warranty is crucial and your installer’s distance may impact ongoing support for your solar installation. Seek clear answers from potential solar installers regarding all of these important issues.

5. Understand the Timeframe Required for Your Solar Installation:

Although the actual installation doesn’t take long, the time required between choosing an installer and getting your system installed can vary substantially from one installer to another. Some of the larger solar companies can take up to 12 months before your solar panels arrive. The time lapse may be due to installer backlog, unavoidable administrative paperwork, and/or complying with governmental regulations. Always ask potential solar installers for a clear estimation of the timeframe you can expect from them.

top California solar installers

Top California Solar Installers for 2017

The following is a specially curated list of top California solar installers for 2017. Please note that this list is alphabetical — it is not in order by ranking because ranks are based on many factors that may or may not apply to your case. Primarily based on positive reviews from sites such as solarreviews.com and solarpowerworldonline.com, this list represents the best place to start if you are a Californian ready to go solar.

Alternative Energy Systems
13620 Highway 99, Chico, CA 95973

AMECO Solar Inc.
7623 Somerset Blvd, Paramount, CA 90723

Amergy Solar
20373 Valley Blvd, #E, Walnut, CA 91789

AM Sun Solar
410 Sherwood Rd, Paso Robles, CA 93446

Arise Solar
5390 E. Pine Ave., Fresno, CA. 93727

Baker Electric Solar
2140 Enterprise Street, Escondido CA 92029

Bland Solar & Air
4303 E. Brundage Lane, Bakersfield, CA 93307

California Solar Electric
302 North Montgomery Street, Ojai, CA 93023

Clean Solar
1445 Koll Circle, Suite 109, San Jose, CA 95112

Cosmic Solar, Inc.
HQ: 943 Poinsettia Ave. Unit 401, Vista, CA 92081
12717 Mirar de Valle Rd., Valley Center, CA 92082

GCI Solar
15261 Connector Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92649
2629 East Jensen Avenue, Fresno, CA 93706

Green Air
4050 Pike Lane, Suite B, Concord, CA

Green Conception
409 Irving Drive, Burbank CA 91504

Green Solar Technologies
6400 Laurel Canyon Blvd #400, North Hollywood, CA 91606

Highlight Solar, Inc.
1624 Remuda Lane, San Jose, CA 95112

Horizon Solar Power
27368 Via Industria Suite 101, Temecula, CA 92590

Kurios Energy
3025 E. Palm Avenue, Suite 101, Manteca CA 95337

LA Solar Group
HQ: 16238 Raymer St, Los Angeles, CA 91406

Lifestyle Solar
21 East Shaw Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710
1111 Story Road, Suite #1004, San Jose, CA 95122
2336 Auburn Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95821
4454 Enterprise Street, Fremont, CA 94538

LuxLight Solar Energy
312 East Tokay St, Lodi, California, 95240

Magic Sun Solar
3750 Taylor Road, Loomis CA 95650

Milholland Electric
14777 Pomerado Rd. Poway, CA 92064

Northern Pacific Power Systems
5600 Skylane Boulevard, Santa Rosa, California 95403

Nova West Solar
7429 N. First Street, Suite #104, Fresno, California 93720

PacificSky Solar
6617 Independence Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91303

PetersenDean Roofing & Solar Energy
HQ: 39300 Civic Center Drive, Suite 300, Fremont CA 94538
7980 Enterprise Drive, Newark CA 94560
9545 S Union Avenue, Bakersfield CA 93307
8680 Greenback Ln, Suite 220, Orangevale CA 95662
1705 Enterprise Drive, Fairfield CA 94533
2164 N. Glassell Street, Orange CA 92865
879 F Street, Suite 120, West Sacramento CA 95605
7010 Carroll Road, San Diego CA 92121
4165 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa CA 95407
21616 Golden Triangle Road, Santa Clarita CA 91350
1820 Container Circle, Riverside CA 92509
10770 Highway 41, Madera CA 93638
2210 S. Dupont Drive, Anaheim CA 92806
2228 Junction Avenue, San Jose CA 95131

Palomar Solar
1526 Sterling Court, Escondido, CA 92029

RGS Energy (Real Goods Solar)
3109 N Miami Ave, Fresno, CA 93727

Renova Solar
75-181 Mediterranean Avenue, Palm Desert CA 92211

Save A Lot Solar
6114 La Salle Avenue, #760, Oakland, CA 94611

Semper Solaris
HQ: 3111 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 400, San Diego CA 92108
1805 John Towers Avenue, El Cajon CA 92020
7807 Telegraph Road, Montebello CA 90640
1218 Spring Street, Riverside CA 92507
360 N El Camino Real, Suite 2C, Encinitas CA 92024
1701 East Edinger, Suite H1, Santa Ana CA 92705
2570 Barrington Court, Hayward CA 94545
3600 Pegasus Drive #3, Bakersfield CA 93308
77725 Enfield Lane #210, Palm Desert CA 92211

Sierra Pacific Solar
2550 Mercantile Drive, Suite D, Rancho Cordova CA 95742

Smart Energy Solar, Inc.
1641 Commerce St., Corona, CA 92880

SolarCity — CA Headquarters Offices:
3055 Clearview Way, San Mateo, CA 94402
444 De Haro Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
1000 Enterprise Way, Roseville, CA 95678

Solare Energy
9520 Padgett St. #107, San Diego, CA 92126

SolarMax Technology, Inc.
HQ: 3080 12th Street, Riverside, CA 92507
1640 2nd Street Suite #103, Norco CA 92860
1329 Barton Road, Redlands CA 92373
28441 Rancho California Rd, Suite #204, Temecula CA 92590
3230 Fallow Field Drive, Diamond Bar CA 91765

Solarponics
4700 El Camino Real, Atascadero CA 93422

Solar Symphony
341 North Engel Street, Escondido CA 92029

Solar Tech
9410 Bond Avenue, El Cajon, CA 92021

Solar Universe — CA Offices:
9000 Brentwood Blvd, Brentwood, CA 94513
4659 Golden Foothill Parkway Suite #105, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
5096 N. Blythe Suite 100, Fresno, CA 93722
17972 Sky Park Circle, Suite D, Irvine, CA 92614
855 Broadway Avenue Suite A, Seaside, CA 93955
10373 Trademark St Suite B, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
20275 Skypark Drive, Suite A, Redding, CA 96002
9380 Activity Rd., San Diego, CA 92126
10370 Slusher Dr. Unit 2, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
122 Calistoga Road, #574, Santa Rosa, CA 95409
101 First St, South San Francisco, CA 94080
1152 Stealth St., Livermore, CA 94551
8283 Bolsa Avenue, Midway City, CA 92655

Southwest Sun Solar
13752 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92843
1310 Tully Road #115, San Jose, CA 95122

Sullivan Solar Power
16 Technology Drive, Suite 122, Irvine, CA 92618
2111 Iowa Avenue, Suite F, Riverside, CA 92507
8949 Kenamar Drive, Suite 101, San Diego, CA 92121

Sun First Solar
136 Mitchell Blvd, San Rafael, CA 94903

Sunline Energy
HQ: 7546 Trade St., San Diego, CA 92121
17901 Von Karman Ave. Suite 600, Irvine, CA 92614
1902 Wright Place, Carlsbad, CA 92008
11801 Pierce Street Suite 200, Riverside, CA 92505
333 H Street Suite 5000, Chula Vista, CA 91910

SunPower by Hooked On Solar
820 Sterling Parkway, Suite 70, Lincoln, CA 95648

Sunpro Solar
34859 Frederick Street, Suite 101, Wildomar, CA 92595
1571 Parkway Loop, Tustin, CA 92780

Sun Solar Energy Solutions
HQ: 8803 Scobee St., Bakersfield, California 93311
3911 E. La Palma Ste. C, Anaheim, California 92807
9730 W. Nicholas Ave., Visalia, California 93291

The Solar Company
20861 Wilbeam Ave, Ste 1, Castro Valley, CA 94546

Vivint Solar — CA offices
8090 Arjons Dr., San Diego, CA 92126
2510 Dean Lesher Dr, Ste A, Concord, CA 94520
9847 Pioneer Blvd, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
Bakersfield, Camarillo, Chico, Concord, Costa Mesa
Fresno, Palmdale, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego
San Jose, Santa Fe Springs, Stockton

West Coast Solar
2155 Elkins Way, Suite F, Brentwood, CA 94513

August 22, 2017 0 comment

BIPV Going Solar Solar Modules Startups

Swedish Solar Has An Option To A Conventional Rooftop Solar System

by Steve Hanley March 30, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

Rooftop solar is great, but it’s not ideal for every home or business. Sometimes the roof faces the wrong way or has the wrong slant. Sometimes the roof is just too small and the owner wants to add more solar panels to cover more electricity usage. Swedish Solar of Orlando, Florida, has a solution.

Inspired by the popular Bermuda shutters, founder Olof Tenghoff and his team of engineers have created custom-fabricated aluminum and stainless steel frames that hold up to 4 solar panels. The frames are easily mounted to the outside of any building. Instead of spending money on typical Bermuda shutters, homeowners can spend that cash (and a bit more) on shutters that generate electricity, saving money that would have gone to energy bills.

Swedish Solar

Whether Swedish Solar’s product genuinely ends up saving customers money is something each customer has to calculate (or try to calculate) for their own unique circumstances. Either way, though, this product offers an option for people who have maxed out their roof space or don’t want to put solar panels on their roof for some reason.

Swedish Solar’s awning-type installations can hold one to four of the company’s specialized PV panels, which come in two sizes. The installation hides all wiring and controls within the frame for a clean, uncluttered look (see above).

March 30, 2017 0 comment

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Solar Power Coming To 10,000 Nigerian Homes Thanks To Microgrids

by Steve Hanley February 25, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

70% of people living in sub-Saharan Africa have no access to a conventional electrical grid. Even if they did, the service is often interrupted by a variety of factors. Now, Community Energy Social Enterprises Limited, a Nigerian company, and Renewvia Energy Corporation, an American firm, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide solar power to 25 communities across Nigeria using local microgrids. The communities are located in the Nigerian states of Bayelsa, Ondo, Ogun, and Osun. The microgrids are expected to be operational by the end of this year and have a total capacity of 10 megawatts.

solar power for LED lights Photo by © SolarAid

Clay Taber, managing director of Renewvia, says the microgrids will include PV panels, string inverters, aluminium racking, and energy storage backup power. He adds that Renewvia and CESEL will sell electricity to microgrid customers through Kilowatts, a “pay as you go” microfinance company. “The competitiveness of the system helps to ensure payment, as the project would provide consistent and reliable power at a less expensive price than current rural power generation by diesel,” he says. Most customers send about $6 a month for electricity from a solar microgrid.

The project is supported by Power Africa, a US energy project initiated in 2013 to assist African countries in accessing energy. CESEL is a private Nigerian company that has led the community engagement for 6 operational microgrid projects in Nigeria that have received funding through the Nigeria Bank of Industry and United Nations Development Program.

February 25, 2017 1 comment

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Kevala Helps Developers Find Best Sites For Solar Projects

by Steve Hanley November 26, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

To the uninitiated, figuring out where to put a new solar energy installation is a simple process. Find some open land, build a solar farm on it, and connect it to the grid. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3. Things in real life seldom work out so simply, however. A number of factors go into determining whether a particular location is appropriate for solar power.

Kevala solar power grid map

In some places, interconnection costs are too high for a solar installation to be profitable. There are other factors at work as well. Accurate data about where property lines are located is vital information, as is the effect of local zoning policy, wetlands considerations, and other factors like historical markers and rights of way.

Utilities often do not have their distribution systems fully mapped. Even if they do, they are none too anxious to share that information with third-party solar developers. That tends to keep the soft costs of development high even though the cost of solar equipment has declined significantly.

Kevala Analytics wants to solve that problem. The company raised $1.7 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative last fall to help scale its Grid Assessor platform. That is a statistical database that brings together public data on wholesale pricing and substation locations. That information helps developers understand the local electricity value of a particular site.

“Just like any other industry, market participants need to know where solar values are trending,” said Kevala CEO Aram Shumavon in a statement. “Instead of searching an entire territory or region, we can help developers find the best locations in a few clicks.” Andrew Reed, executive vice president for project development at Borrego Solar says, “A lot of this information is publicly available, but it’s hard to aggregate and hard to get all in one format.” Borrego Solar is one developer that recently tested the software.

The Kevala software pairs the nodes used for wholesale pricing with substation locations, which is not always a one-to-one relationship. The software then adjusts the values for weather and compares it to historical wholesale prices to produce an energy value for solar production. Kevala also takes into account all the available feeder level information from utility filings, outage reports, or permit applications. The software can help developers make faster, more informed decisions about whether to pursue a project

November 26, 2016 0 comment

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Siva Power Brings On Bruce Sohn (Former First Solar Exec) As Vice Chairman Of The Board

by James Ayre October 31, 2016

written by James Ayre

The thin-film solar energy technology firm Siva Power has brought former First Solar executive Bruce Sohn on as its new Vice Chairman of the Board, according to recent reports.

The hire is notable since Sohn has been credited as being one of the main driving forces behind First Solar’s impressive growth over recent times. Previously, Sohn had held various leadership positions at Intel.

Sohn’s stint at First Solar began in 2003 as a member of the Board of Directors. He then became the company’s president in 2007. While President, First Solar achieved a number of historic milestones, including becoming: the first manufacturer to bring costs below $1/watt; the first to develop, engineer, procure, and construct more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of utility-scale solar energy projects; and the first to ship over 1 GW of production in a year.

Siva Power CEO Brad Mattson commented on the hire: “If I had my choice of any executive in the world to join our team, it would be Bruce Sohn. What he achieved at First Solar speaks for itself, and it says a lot about Siva and where Siva is going now that someone like Bruce has joined us. We’ve consolidated the best and the brightest minds in the thin-film solar industry and Bruce Sohn is a special addition to that brain trust. It was under his leadership that First Solar, the only American thin-film PV success story, became what it is today. His guidance and leadership will be invaluable to Siva going forward as we become the next success.”

“Siva has made impressive progress on its advanced thin film technology,” Sohn continued. “While the solar industry has steadily improved its position as a leading generator of clean, renewable energy, we are still at the threshold of the upcoming growth phase. Terrawatts of clean power are yet to be installed and there is opportunity to make thin film solar the lowest cost, most environmentally friendly solution to power the planet.”

As some background, Siva Power is currently developing commercial copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar modules. The company raised the funding necessary to construct a pilot production line at its Santa Clara headquarters earlier this year.

October 31, 2016 0 comment

Off-Grid Electric brings Solar Power to Africa

Going Solar Microgrids PV Rooftop Solar Startups

Solar Power For Microgrids & Microbusiness In Africa

by Steve Hanley June 30, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

We often report on enormous new solar power installations, facilities that generate megawatts of power. But solar can also bring important benefits to people even if it is just a few watts at a time.

The inspiration to bring solar power to Africans who live off the grid came to Xavier Helgesen a few years ago. On a business trip to Malawi, he decided to spend the night in a small city with 30,000 inhabitants. He was amazed to see the entire city was dark after the sun went down. People carried kerosene lamps at night. When a family invited him to dinner, they all huddled around one dim indoor light.

Off-Grid Electric brings Solar Power to Africa

June 30, 2016 0 comment

Other Renewable Energy PV Startups

Apple Creates New Unit To Sell Solar Power

by Steve Hanley June 11, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

Apple has a solar power problem. It has too much of it. Worldwide, Apple gets 93% of the electrical energy it needs from solar and other renewable sources. That electricity runs its stores, offices, and datacenters worldwide. But in California and Nevada, it gets more electricity than it can use from the solar power installations it has constructed.

Apple Solar Installation

June 11, 2016 0 comment

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Top Solar Speakers Converge On Berlin April 10th

by Zach March 12, 2016

written by Zach

As I wrote yesterday, Solar Love is partnering with CleanTechnica, EV Obsession, GridHub, and others to bring the first Cleantech Revolution Tour event to Berlin, Germany. It will focus on solar energy one day (April 10) and electric vehicles the other day (April 9). You can view the agenda here, register here, or sign up to help sponsor the event here.

Just to highlight in greater detail some of the wonderful solar speakers who will be presenting in their own sessions and discussing the future of solar on a panel at the Berlin event, below are short bios about some of the key speakers.

Stefan Schurig

Stefan is the Director of Climate, Energy, and Cities at the World Future Council. Stefan is an architect by training, but has devoted most of his career to energy and climate change issues. Before he started working for the World Future Council in 2007, he was the spokesperson for Greenpeace in Germany and headed the Greenpeace Climate and Energy department for 9 years. During this time, he also co-founded Germany’s second-largest green electricity supplier. In 2004, Stefan was appointed as member of the REALISE Forum, an international platform on renewable energy policies led by the European Commission. As Director Climate Energy at the World Future Council (WFC), Stefan initiated the international policy campaign on renewable energy and the worldwide promotion of ‘Feed-In Tariffs’ as one of the best policies for a massive uptake of renewable energy. In 2008, Stefan became a member of the energy advisory board of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) and was appointed by UN Habitat as an advisor of the World Urban Campaign. Stefan also founded and coordinates the WFC international expert commission on Cities and Climate Change. He works as a direct advisor for governments and parliamentarians around the globe and authored various publications on climate change subjects.

Tobias Engelmeier

Tobias is Director and Founder of Bridge to India, India’s leading sustainability advisory firm. He’s also the founder of IndiaGoesSolar.com and an early supporter and investor of GridHub. Tobias contributes epic articles about the Indian energy market and climate policies on CleanTechnica. He holds a PhD in politics, has a great love for India, an equally great concern for our climate future, and is currently working on ways to accelerate an energy transition across various developing countries.

Craig Morris

Born in the United States, Craig Morris has been living in Germany since 1992. In 2002, he founded Petite Planète, a translation and documentation service focusing on IT and renewables. He is the author of the book Energy Switch (2006), has served as editor of several energy magazines, and has written numerous articles in both English and German on energy technologies and policies. He is the editor of Renewables International, and he is lead author at the Energiewende Blog. In 2013 and 2014, Craig served as technical editor of IRENA’s REmap 2030, and in 2014, he won the IAEE’s award for journalism in energy economics.

Zachary Shahan

Well, this is me, but if you don’t know much about my background, here’s a bit of a primer. I’m the director and editor of CleanTechnica (the #1 most-visited cleantech-focused news and analysis site on the internet) as well as EV Obsession and SolarLove (two sites I founded in 2012). I’m also the president of Important Media, which is the parent network to those three sites and ~20 others. I’m the editor of Masdar’s Sustainnovate as well, and you can find my work all over the internet, including on Scientific American, Reuters, The Economist Group’s GE Look Ahead, ABB’s Conversations, the World Economic Forum’s Agenda, Renewable Energy World, TreeHugger, most Important Media sites, and several other websites.

I have been referenced or interviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, CNBC, and numerous other news outlets and websites. I have also presented, provided workshops, and moderated panels at clean energy and electric vehicles conferences in the US, Canada, and India (and soon Europe). In 2013, I was named one of the top 20 influencers on fuel economy matters alongside President Obama, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, the US Secretary of Energy, Nissan & Renault Chairman & CEO Carlos Ghosn, GM’s CEO and president, and several other car company execs as well as a few leading auto journalists.

As I wrote yesterday, if you are interested in learning more about solar power, and especially German solar power, by world experts on the topic in an accessible, fun, comfortable setting in the flesh, I think this is the perfect event for you.

The dates are April 9–10, 2016.

The price is just €50.

And you can reserve your spot via our registration page or simply by clicking right here:

If you would like to sponsor this Cleantech Revolution Tour event, sponsorship options are here.

March 12, 2016 0 comment

Consumer Electronics Solar Projects Startups

RE-VOLT Targets Affordable Electricity Market In Poorest Haiti Island

by Glenn Meyers October 27, 2015

written by Glenn Meyers

According to press information, RE-VOLT, has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding initiative to reach 10,000 people in rural Haiti, bringing families affordable and reliable electricity for the first time. The off-grid company states this will occur through the installation of a system consisting of a solar panel, a control/power storage unit, several lights, and a phone charger.

Customers will be charged a relatively low monthly fee of 250 Haitian Gourdes (about USD $5), and will pay for the service through Digicel’s Mon Cash mobile banking platform. The units themselves contain a cellular antenna allowing RE-VOLT to manage payments and maintenance remotely.

RE-VOLT currently serves over 800 customer households, or about 4,000 people, on the island of La Gonave, one of the most isolated and impoverished communities in Haiti. The problem is some of these families are at the very lowest level of being impoverished. According to We Care for the Poor International, approximately 120,000 people live on the island, all living in very poor circumstances. “La Gonâve is one of the main economically dispossessed areas in a country considered the poorest in the Western Hemisphere where the typical annual income for a family is less than $450,” the organisation write on their website. Divide this annual number by 12 months and monthly family income comes to just $37.30. No doubt, electricity will still be a costly proposition for the poor.

Of note, RE-VOLT was founded by Digicel Haiti chairman, Maarten Boute. A recent press release states that, “Under Boute’s leadership, Digicel Haiti’s subscriber base grew from under 2 million customers in 2010 to over 4.5 million in 2014, when Boute relinquished his duties as Digicel Haiti’s CEO to co-found RE-VOLT along with former Digicel executive, Darragh Dolan.”

Digicel currently reports a strong subscriber base in cities like Port-au-Prince. Growing the business in rural areas was a logical next step, extreme poverty issues aside.

Boute said, “As we expanded our network there, we began to realize how much of a problem energy poverty was. It became very clear to us that there was a huge business opportunity to provide affordable, reliable energy to these people – as well as it being a morally compelling thing to do as well.”

“You would visit these villages and people are spending around a fifth of their day’s wages to pay a guy on the street with a generator to charge their phone,” said Dolan. “It bothered us every time we saw it. There had to be a better way.”

When asked what prompted him and Boute to launch RE-VOLT last year, Dolan said that they both felt that the time was right for a variety of reasons, including higher daily household demand for electricity due to the increasing penetration of power-hungry smartphones, and the plummeting price of solar system components, such as solar panels and batteries.

An on-the-ground sales team of La Gonave locals goes door-to-door seeking new customers. The team also makes regular visits to open-air markets, a central part of daily life in rural Haiti. This team is also responsible for basic maintenance and troubleshooting on installed systems.

“There have been massive advances in both the quality of available technologies and their affordability,” added Dolan. “A few years ago the economics of RE-VOLT wouldn’t have made sense. Today, this is a viable business model.”

“One really cool aspect of our business is that we’re creating jobs in the communities we serve,” says Boute. “And for most of our customers, this is the first time they’ve interacted with an in-home service business that is responsive, treats them well and actually stands by a product.”

The creation of jobs here, in a place where few exist, will no doubt stand out as an important contribution in the development of this business.

RE-VOLT recently launched its campaign on crowdfunding site Indiegogo in order to raise the working capital necessary to grow its customer base on La Gonave to 2,000 households or 10,000 people by January 2016.

For those who want to know, here are some facts about Haiti:

80 percent of Haiti’s population lives below the poverty line.
Half of all Haitian children are under weight as a result of malnutrition
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that only 43 percent of the target population receives the recommended immunizations.
There are 25 Physicians, 8 Dentists and 11 Nurses per 100,000 people in Haiti. Only one-fourth of births are attended by a skilled health professional.
Most rural areas have no access to health care, making residents susceptible to otherwise treatable diseases. In 2003, for example, the WHO confirmed an outbreak of typhoid fever in Haiti that, because of a lack of access to physicians and safe water, led to dozens of deaths.
Annually, 5,000 Haitian babies are born infected with the AIDS virus. The disease causes a fifth of all infant deaths and has orphaned 200,000 children.
The country’s minimum wage is 70 gourdes per day, equivalent to about US$1.70.

Boute and Dolan are enthusiastic about RE-VOLT’s future. According to Dolan, “We think there’s massive potential for us to provide additional services such as wi-fi hotspots, not to mention systems with better power generation and storage capabilities.

The challenging and very real issue of affordability will continue to exist among the impoverished.

Images via RE-VOLT

October 27, 2015 0 comment

Consumer Electronics PV Startups

$4 Million Raised By Clean Energy Social Enterprise Angaza

by Jake Richardson October 26, 2015

written by Jake Richardson

Angaza has closed a Series A round of financing for $4 million, which was led by a large unnamed-family office, with additional funding by a number of other organizations, including The Social Entrepreneurs’ Fund.

Angaza uses a pay-as-you-go model to help consumers access clean energy products such as solar lamps, clean cookstoves, microgrid meters, and solar water pumps. This model allows people with little financial means to make small payments and get clean technology that improves their lives. Otherwise, they probably wouldn’t have enough to buy such technology outright.

Clean technology such as a solar lamp or a small home solar power system is actually cheaper than paying for kerosene for lamps over a long time period. It has been estimated that the typical African family using kerosene spends up to 15% of its income on the smelly, pollution-generating fuel. Some of the health problems related to kerosene use have been documented, “Many studies report that accidental ingestion of kerosene is the primary case of child poisoning in the developing world. In South Africa alone, over 200,000 people are injured or lose property each year due to kerosene-related fires, in addition to 79,750 very young children unintentionally ingesting kerosene (in 3.6% of all households), of which 60% develop a chemically induced pneumonia.”

Angaza also has a distributor program to help retailers bring these products to markets where people live off-grid and typically are too far from a grid or can’t afford a grid connection. The distributor program has a Web interface that allows a retailer to manage sales and customer relations. (An app is available for distributors too.)

“Typically, our distribution partners see a four- or five-fold increase in sales when switching from cash sales to Pay-As-You-Go,” explained Angaza CEO Lesley Marincola. “We’re thrilled that these new funds will allow us to reach more manufacturers and distributors around the globe, which will ultimately enable the 1.2 billion people living off-grid to access clean energy devices.”

Angaza doesn’t only work with distributors though — it also works with manufacturers to bring more clean tech products to the right markets. In the last two years, Angaza has expanded into countries like Pakistan, India, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, South African, Uganda, and Malawi.

The for-profit social enterprise is based in San Francisco, California and Nairobi, Kenya.

Image Credit: Florence Devaourd, Wiki Commons

October 26, 2015 0 comment

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