Interesting solar power business model

[Pat McCotter]

This is an interesting business model for solar power - or any distributed power generation.

SunRun is revolutionizing home solar.

SunRun purchases and installs your home solar system for you. You pay for the solar electricity as you use it instead of buying or leasing solar equipment.

Your electricity is clean, your rates are fixed, and we maintain your system for as long as you're our customer.

[doobie]

I still currently prefer wind power.

[Pat McCotter]

I still currently prefer wind power.

And for those without NIMBY neighbors it's great. This business model would also work well with wind power and, as I said, with any distributed power generation system.

[PorcAtHeart]

I still currently prefer wind power.

http://www.otherpower.com <-- you'll like those guys.

[Keyser Soce]

I still currently prefer wind power.

http://www.otherpower.com <-- you'll like those guys.

Nice link.

[Liberator37]

I checked the SunRun site and asked for a quote. Response: "We're sorry! SunRun is not yet available where you live. Check your state's solar potential and request SunRun in your state."

Any one else find that? Anyone know why? (some idiotic government prohibition - forgive the redundancy - or a company policy? If the latter, the idea may form a bus-opp.)

[cathleeninnh]

We were talking to one of these companies who had a sales rep in NH. (I will look for his card). He said they were taking contracts now(last year, that is) and locking in today's electric rates but couldn't schedule installations until they had enough capital.

[FreelanceFreedomFighter]

It isn't for electricity... it's solar hot water. The company is in Vermont and (for those who care) there are NH tax rebates available.

http://www.gosunward.com/

I haven't used it, but I've heard good things from some others who supposedly know.

[MaineShark]

It isn't for electricity... it's solar hot water. The company is in Vermont and (for those who care) there are NH tax rebates available.

http://www.gosunward.com/

I haven't used it, but I've heard good things from some others who supposedly know.

There are better options available, both in price and in performance.  The SRCC certificate that they provide shows how low the performance is.  Lines D&E are appropriate for NH (D would be a 50-degree day, if you were heating your water to 120F, which is normal domestic hot water; E would be a winter day when it's below zero).  You need to use the "mildly cloudy" calculation to account for the low sun in the fall/winter, even if it's a bright, sunny day.  So, best case, anything other than summer, you're getting less than 10,000 btus.  Enough to heat 15-20 gallons of water to usable temperature if you were only heating that much water.  Since you're heating the whole 80-gallon tank, what it means is that the electric element is going to run a few minutes less per day, and that's it... other than that, you're still sucking down electricity to heat your water.

Most of what they have there are gimmick type things.  Like the flexible piping.  Which isn't a gimmick, itself, but pretending it's something special they have for you, is; nearly any competent solar installer is using flexible stainless tubing to install solar panels, these days.  It's nothing special.  Or the tank with the pre-piped mixing valve which, again, is something you can buy many places.

If anyone really wants to do solar hot water, I can get you a better kit than that, for the same money, and I'll even deliver it to most places in NH.

Joe

[FreelanceFreedomFighter]

Thanks Joe! I just saw that and thought I'd put it out there. It's good to know there are better alternatives!