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Run on Sun Monthly Newsletter

Solar Means Business!

We have written before about the types of companies that choose to install solar and we featured the specific strides that IKEA is making toward energy independence. But now comes a report from the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) and Vote Solar that shows that when it comes to saving money, solar really does mean business!

As the above chart shows, these twenty companies have installed more than 700 solar power systems with a combined total capacity of 279 MW, or enough to power more than 46,000 typical American households! Retail giant Walmart leads the way with 65 MW of installed capacity, followed by Costco, Kohl's, IKEA and Macy's.

Indeed, the report shows that IKEA has installed solar at 79% of its stores, exceeding by mid-2012 the goal that it had set for 2015!

What is motivating these companies to adopt solar at such an impressive - and accelerating - pace? Well, it certainly isn't green-eyed environmentalism nearly as much as it is far-sighted economics. These companies have figured out that solar power systems are a great money maker - with paybacks occurring in 4-7 years and decades of savings thereafter.

The good news is that your company doesn't have to be a giant in the field to save money like one. Commercial solar is simply the smartest investment any company could make, and when combined with PACE financing (at least here in Los Angeles County) you can have all of the benefits of commercial solar with next to nothing out-of-pocket.

So what are you waiting for? Give us a call or click on that giant "Go Solar Now" button on the right to get you started on the road to some major savings!

PWP to Host Solar Workshop

On Saturday, October 27, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon, the folks at Pasadena Water and Power will be hosting a Solar Workshop for both residential and commercial customers. This is a great opportunity to learn about solar rebates in Pasadena, get some insights into how to choose a solar installer (hint: look for NABCEP certification!), and get your questions answered by the people who administer the solar rebate program in Pasadena.

Reservations are required so please call (626) 744-3715.
You can download their flyer by clicking here.

After you attend the workshop, please give us a call or fill out our free site evaluation form so that we can help you make solar a reality at your business, school or home!

Q: What is more popular than Solar? A: Nothing!

In this intense election season, we are accustomed to seeing lots of polls tracking the day-to-day changes in the "horse race" of the political process. But while various candidates struggle to "break out" of the pack, solar energy is an overwhelming consensus winner with strong support from 92% of the electorate - and when was the last time that 92% of us agreed on anything?

We base our observation on a poll that was recently conducted by Hart Research Associates (Hart) for the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA). (You can find the poll results here.) The Hart poll got responses online from 1,206 registered voters, including an oversample of so-called "swing" voters (people who did not indicate a strong or consistent partisan voting history). The margin of error was ±2.8%.

Solar Enjoys Unprecedented Bi-Partisan Support

Support for solar among voters cuts across party lines. 98% of Democrats and 95% of Independents think it is very important or somewhat important for the U.S. to develop and use solar power - but even among Republicans, support was at a very impressive 84%. And voters think that energy issues should be a factor in this year's Presidential election with 27% saying such issues are one of the most important while another 47% say they are very important.

Coal is Upside Down

Despite an aggressive and well-funded ad campaign to support the quaint notion of "clean coal", of all of the different energy sources surveyed, only coal is upside down on its favorability rating: 34% of the electorate has an unfavorable view of coal, compared to only 32% with a favorable opinion. Solar energy, on the other hand, is on the opposite end of the spectrum, with 85% having a favorable opinion and only a miniscule 4% unfavorable. Here are the overall results:

Interestingly, the three greenest energy sources are at the top of the list while the two dirtiest, coal and oil are at the bottom.

Talk is Cheap, It Takes Money to Buy Solar Panels

As nice as it is to be supported, perhaps a more pressing question for policy makers/candidates is this: Which, if any, of these forms of energy should the federal government support through tax subsidies? Once again, solar energy was the clear winner with a full 64% of all voters (67% among swing voters) supporting federal tax subsidies for solar. In contrast, only 8% overall support subsidies for coal (4% of swing voters) and just 13% for oil (9% among swing voters). Yet subsidies for the coal and oil industries dwarf those provided to all renewable energy sources overall and to solar in particular. Here's the overall chart:

These results, if not surprising, are nevertheless gratifying, particularly in an election year. We can only hope that voters will determine where the candidates stand on support for all energy sources, particularly solar, and use that knowledge to inform their vote next month.