San Diego-based OneRoof Energy is making a bid for a piece of the booming market for rooftop-solar leases on homes.
Backed by $50 million in recent financing, the solar startup is approaching homeowners as they build or replace a roof, offering thin solar panels that double as roofing tiles — an aesthetic that blends in with nonsolar houses.
By forging a partnership with an established roofing company, OneRoof intends to compete for market share with pioneers like SolarCity and SunRun that lease photovoltaic systems back to the customer or sell rooftop-generated power under a purchase agreement.
So-called “third-party” solar companies, which own thousands upon thousands of rooftop arrays, are thriving based on a curious anomaly of government incentives for rooftop solar.
Corporations are much better positioned than most individuals to collect and repackage government incentives, including federal investment tax credits and deductions for accelerated depreciation.
“It has been structured through the tax code that it’s more efficient for a third party to monetize those tax credits than a homeowner,” explained David Field, CEO of OneRoof.
Read more: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/06/tp-ready-to-harness-the-sun/
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