Here Comes the Sun: Google and Crowdfunding Power Solar Electricity

If you are a frequent reader of our blogs you might notice a trend—a tendency to write about innovative, cost saving, and resource-reducing technologies and products. Last month’s “Crafting Solutions to Waste from the Beer Brewing Process” and “Will Millennial Consumers Change Energy?” are just two examples.

While it may seem strange for a marketing firm to write about these topics, to us it makes perfect sense. Not only are we interested in finding new ways to reduce our own energy use, reduce our carbon footprint, find (and drink) the most sustainable beer, and increase overall profitability—but it also helps us keep up-to-date with one of our main target audiences, the purpose-driven consumer.

We are revisiting solar again this month, charting its growth and looking at some new players in the consumer solar market.

Solar is Growing

Hardly a day goes by without an article declaring the resurgence of solar power in the United States showing up in my newsfeed. The word ‘resurgence’ implies that there was at some point a major decline from which the industry has recovered. But according to Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the U.S. Solar industry has avoided such decline and has actually achieved record growth year over year since 2004.

Part of the reason for the solar industry’s success is the continual decline of the cost of solar.  Scale and operating efficacies, alongside a drop in the cost for materials, have helped reduce the cost of both industrial- and consumer-based solutions. SEIA’s 2014 report shows that residential costs have dropped by 45% since 2010, which is great news for individual solar enthusiasts. However, those savings are just the tip of the iceberg as the cost to utilities purchasing energy from large, utility-scale (4 MWac and above) solar plants has dropped significantly, with recent contracts at prices below $0.05/kWh.1

Today, we’re featuring a couple of innovative developments in solar energy, including a Google-backed venture and another that involves crowdfunding.

Solar Panels for Homes: Project Sunroof

Despite the rapid growth and falling cost of solar panels for homes in the United States, there are still major barriers to entry for homeowners—such as performing a cost-benefit analysis of your home. Google is now working to remove this barrier through a new search tool called Project Sunroof. Currently available in select cities (San Francisco Bay Area, Fresno, CA, and Greater Boston, MA), Project Sunroof looks up a user’s home using a combination of databases, including Google Maps, to compute how much sunlight reaches your rooftop in a year.

Users can input their average utility bill into the tool and see savings based on how they plan to purchase their solar panels—lease, loan, or buy. Google even provides the user with information on local installers and installation cost. It’s worth a look if you live in any of the selected cities currently available. Google hasn’t announced an ETA for other cities, but plans are in the works to roll the service out nationwide. 

Crowdfunding Portable Solar Devices

Solar’s benefits to homeowners are increasingly stealing the news, but what if you live in an apartment? Computing the benefits is harder in this situation as you’re a short-term inhabitant and the capital cost might be perceived as an obstacle for your landlord. 

According to SunPort’s Kickstarter page: “SunPort does this by automatically matching solar credits to the energy you take from the wall. Just by plugging in, you instantly demand and use 100% solar energy, easily and affordably. And SunPort doesn't just demand solar energy, it directly funds new solar panels for non-profits as well, but more on that later.” You can learn more about how SunPort works here.

User demand for SunPort was enough to get the company 1,676 backers and 160% of their Kickstarter fundraising goal. We aren’t talking ground breaking numbers (yet), but SunPort exemplifies an idea I spoke about in my last solar blog—personalized energy solutions. 

Looking Forward.

Technology is quickly pushing energy in new directions. As consumer demand for more affordable and personalized renewable energy solutions increases, both traditional utilities and startups have the opportunity to create innovative new products and services. 

For energy companies, capturing consumer’s attention in this competitive and ever-changing landscape won’t be easy—but that’s where we come in.

1. http://www.seia.org/research-resources/solar-industry-data