Category Archives: Uncategorized

Rooftop Solar – Tie into the grid cheaper and faster

Posted on September 8, 2015 | Leave a comment

SDG&E has made available a new product called the Renewable Meter Adapter (RMA). The RMA simplifies the interconnection process for renewable generating facilities, like rooftop solar.

Some residential customers will require an upgrade to their electrical service panel to support the new rooftop solar PV system. The RMA is an alternative to the panel upgrade, which may save time and money.

The RMA contains a meter collar with a 60 amp circuit breaker and a fused disconnect box that can accommodate up to an 11.5 kW system. It also contains the necessary overcurrent protection which can eliminate the panel upgrade for certain customers. Ask your solar contractor if your PV system will require an electrical service panel upgrade and whether the RMA is a suitable alternative.

If you decide to request an RMA, SDG&E will require a Rule 2 Contract signed by the Customer of Record and a completed RMA Request Form.

read more at: http://www.sdge.com/environment/renewable-meter-adapter

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San Diego – App to report water wasters

Posted on September 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

California is in a serious drought and mandatory water-use restrictions are in effect. To help the San Diego region meet its water-use targets, the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies developed the When in Drought water waste reporting mobile app. The app enables San Diego County residents to conveniently alert their local water agency to potential water-wasting problems, from broken sprinklers to excessive runoff. –

See more at: http://www.sdcwa.org/when-in-drought-report-waste-mobile-app#sthash.8TfWDoNz.dpuf

Understanding the Residential Solar Ecosystem, Part 2

Posted on September 4, 2015 | Leave a comment

Having such a fragmented process for closing a customer, installing the system, and providing financing can lead to inefficiencies and slow down the sales cycle. Because of this, the market has begun to consolidate across these areas as solar providers find that being vertically integrated can lower costs and maximize growth rates.

We can break down most of the recent M&A activity into a few categories.

1) Acquisition of lead generation and sales companies

As discussed in Part I, the ability to acquire customers cheaply and efficiently has proven to be a rare skill among installers. The fact that installers have had to turn to third-party originators is a testament to this challenge.

However, it’s also very expensive to pay for another company to close a customer. For this reason, one of the most common types of M&A deals over the past two years has been the acquisition of companies that are particularly good at sales. These include both originators (such as Paramount Solar, the phone sales company acquired by SolarCity in 2013) and lead generators (such as Clean Energy Experts, acquired by Sunrun this year). There is now a growing group of companies specializing in door-to-door sales (several founded by former Vivint employees) that are shaping up to be the next acquisition targets.