We’re excited to announce that we’ve secured over $50 million in combined financing including funds from Black Coral Capital, Hanwha SolarOne, and US Bancorp. Black Coral Capital is an investment firm that supports stand-out companies in the cleantech and renewable energy space. Hanwha SolarOne is the 7th largest producer of solar panels in the world and one of the world’s most prominent contributors to the energy field. US Bancorp is the parent company of US Bank, the 5th largest commercial bank in the US. Their combined investment will help us provide more solar energy generation systems to more homeowners. Thanks to our new partners, our unique solar lease option, the SolarSelect® Lease, will be available in more states. That means more people will be saving money while saving the environment. Being partner to such a prominent and proactive group of companies enables us to provide homeowners with simple, affordable, and environmentally-friendly solar power.

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Need a new roof? Why not add a new roof that integrates solar at no additional cost? Most people choose the SolarSelect® Lease knowing that it will save them money on their monthly electric bill. What they don’t know is that one of the biggest benefits of having a solar system on your roof is the positive effect on your home’s value. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development the value of a home goes up an average of $20 for every $1 reduction in annual electricity bills. So let’s say you save $1,000 per year on your electric bill, you’d increase your home value by $20,000! Now let’s say sometime down the road you get a big promotion at work and decide to sell your home to upgrade to the home of your dreams. Well your solar equipped house will actually sell twice as fast as one without solar according to the U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. So instead of just adding a new roof as an expense to you, add a solar roof and add value to your home.

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For many of us who would like to install solar, but can’t justify (or can’t afford) the $30,000 or $40,000 up-front cost, there’s another option. It works much a car lease, and allows you to install a solar system on your home or business with just a small up-front investment, usually just a couple thousand dollars or less. You then just make a monthly lease payment for the use of the system. The goal is simple, your monthly lease payment plus your new, lower electric bill should be less than your electric bill before you installed solar. It’s a win-win; a small down payment, and immediate savings on your electric bill. Many very smart companies like Wal-Mart, Staples and Whole Foods discovered several years ago that this approach makes a lot of sense, and now nearly 90% of the businesses that install solar do so using an agreement similar to a lease, called a power purchase agreement. Fortunately, homeowners can also take advantage of this low-cost way to go solar. Several companies are offering these programs in California and elsewhere, and its making solar more affordable for thousands of homeowners.

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As the cost of solar modules drop and we grow ever closer to the holy grail of “grid-parity”, the solar market is progressing, from an installation force of highly paid specialty trades - solar integrators, to the more logical and economical trade for the job - skilled roofing contractors. Further, as building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) become more mainstream, it is only natural that the same contractor that installs and waterproofs your roof would be the same contractor that installs and waterproofs your solar system. This is because BIPV solar modules actually are the roof. Gone are the days of finger pointing when it comes to warranty obligations when your roofer replaced your roof and a solar integrator installed the solar system. Now, property owners are able to select one contractor, their roofer, and enjoy one warranty and most of all peace of mind.

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