Having exited the residential solar loan and origination market last year, California-based Spruce has shifted to buying existing portfolios of projects. Spruce Finance, now a residential solar owner and operator, left the solar loan and origination market last year. Instead, the company said it’s been focused on growing its mergers and acquisitions platform. On Wednesday […]
Tesla Embraces New Solar Strategy But Analysts Remain Skeptical
Can a solar roof with a very low down payment reverse Tesla’s deteriorating solar business? Tesla is slashing prices on its solar installations in an effort to regain its leadership in the residential solar market. Yesterday, a Tesla spokesperson told GTM, “We are making some big changes to the ways we sell solar,” adding, “It’s […]
Solar Installations Gain Ground in US Cities
American cities are rapidly adding solar capacity, and not just along the coasts, a new report says. Solar capacity is gaining in urban areas across the U.S., according to a report released this week by Environment America Research & Policy Center and climate research organization the Frontier Group. The number of U.S. cities with more than 50 […]
Tesla Powerwalls Are in High Demand, Installers Just Don’t Have Them
The latest EnergySage survey shows strong consumer preference for Tesla’s signature battery product, but only a fraction of solar installers carry it. Only 12 percent of solar installers carry Tesla’s Powerwall, according to the latest findings in a report from EnergySage and the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners. The report, a nationwide survey […]
California’s Rooftop Solar Mandate Wins Final Approval
The California Building Standards Commission has signed off on the residential solar mandate — a first of its kind for the nation. It’s official. All new homes in California must incorporate solar power starting in 2020. The California Energy Commission (CEC) passed the measure in May as an update to the state’s 2019 Title 24, […]
New Hampshire Utility to Fight System Peaks With Home Batteries Under New Settlement
Liberty Utilities will own up to 500 units, but the compromise allows third parties to participate, too. Negotiations in New Hampshire produced a pivotal test case for how home energy devices can reduce overall grid costs. Liberty Utilities proposed a groundbreaking home battery pilot last year, in which the company would own 1,000 Tesla Powerwalls […]
Tracking Residential PV Prices Across Reports: From $2.80 to $3.70 per Watt
Berkeley Lab’s latest Tracking the Sun report puts distributed solar prices well above other analyses. Here’s how the numbers stack up. Distributed solar PV prices continued to see a rapid decline through 2017, according to the latest edition of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s annual Tracking the Sun report, published last month. But the study cited prices well above […]
Tariffs Cost US Solar Customers $236.5 Million
The impact of tariffs is “undeniable,” but not lasting. Customers started paying elevated prices immediately after the U.S. International Trade Commission announced its finding of “serious injury” in the Section 201 trade case, according to a recent report from solar marketplace EnergySage. Using the average tariff-related customer price increase of $0.16 per watt applied to all residential purchases since […]
ElectrIQ Launches Smart Home Connected Battery System for $8,999
ElectrIQ Launches Smart Home Connected Battery System for $8,999 The startup’s PowerPod connects to popular smart appliances, at a price competitive with conventional home batteries. Home automation has now entered the energy storage market at multiple price points. Bay area startup ElectrIQ (pronounced “electric”) unveiled a new battery system this week that links up to […]
Why Energy Data Will Unlock the Next Wave of Residential Solar
Why Energy Data Will Unlock the Next Wave of Residential Solar As solar goes mainstream, home energy data is no longer just for the geeks. The residential solar market has slowed in key U.S. markets. There’s no shortage of reasons for the stagnation. Fewer early adopters, the impact of Section 201 tariffs, changing state policies […]