A couple of weeks ago, we discussed a hypothetical case study: the payback period of a 3.7-kW PV system for a PG&E customer in California. One of our readers pointed out that our analysis relied, perhaps too heavily, on a couple of overly optimistic averages, namely that California-based customers could count on 8.2 hours of [...]

California signs a new law into action that makes it possible for local governments to offer low interest loans for residential solar installations.

The past couple weeks, I’ve looked at various options for financing the purchase of a PV system. This week, we’re gonna dig a little bit deeper into the numbers. (Bear with me. I’ll try to make this as clear and as un-boring as possible…).
Bottom line: before buying a system, you’ll want to know what kind [...]

Last week, I sketched a simple picture of the costs involved in installing a 3-kW system in San Francisco. This week, as promised, I’m taking a look at three different financing options. Here we go.
(1) Buy. Obviously, this is the most straightforward option. If you’ve got a enough cash to cover the upfront costs, which [...]

A friend of mine living in the Bay area recently asked me how much he’d have to cough up for a PV system. While there are far too many variables involved to provide a spot-on estimate, I promised him I’d try to come up with something. So without further ado, I bring you the [...]

The EE Times reports that Google is investing in another solar start-up. Most interesting to note is that the company they’re investing in, eSolar Inc., has a new method for installations based on “inexpensive computing power and algorithms. This new method of installing a solar power plant minimizes costly civil construction and the use of [...]

SolarCity, a California-based provider of solar energy systems, recently announced a new financing arrangement in partnership with Morgan Stanley. Dubbed SolarLease, the program lets customers tap the benefits of solar power without incurring the upfront costs associated with PV systems. It also promises to save you cash over the long haul: after putting money down, [...]