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in additional savings for homeowners,
according to GoSolar Mar Vista’s Bren-
nan. This unlikely offering grew out of
a strong interest in the neighborhood in
securing better Internet coverage.
58
Obviously, not everyone is happy
about the success of community buying
programs. As Lisa Max was spreading the
word about GoSolar Marin, there was an
»industry blowback.« Many local solar
companies complained that her pro-
gram unfairly favored large companies
that could afford lower profit margins.
»Vendors resented what I was doing,«
recounts Max. »They felt that reducing
the price was not in the interest of small
companies.« In response, Max suggested
that the smaller companies band togeth-
er to form collectives that could compete
with larger companies like SolarCity.
»From my perspective, the right thing to
do is to get solar at the best possible price
from the best company« she says.
A growing trend
Existing community programs are
thriving, and new ones are sprouting
up. As a wholly owned subsidiary of
for-profit online activism company
Virgance, 1Bog is »expanding very
quickly,« says Brad Burton. While the
group is not currently releasing infor-
mation on planned installed capacity
in the coming years, it is starting its
third campaign cycle in the San Fran-
Marin goes solar: approximately 100 homeowners in Marin County purchased PV systems during GoSolar Marin’s
2007-2008 installation cycle.
currently providing revenue and profit
margin data. »We will be releasing this
in the fall,« says Burton.
Lisa Max says that she will launch
GoSolar Marin’s third program cycle af-
ter the Marin Energy Authority makes
a decision on a property tax financing
program, which if passed could make
group buying even more popular in
Marin County.
GoSolar Mar Vista’s Brennan says
that his program has generated a great
deal of interest from people in neigh-
»From my perspective, the right thing to do is to get solar
at the best possible price from the best company,«
cisco Bay Area, and plans to be active
in 20 cities by the end of 2009, and
»nationwide« by the end of 2010. More
than 275 homes have gone solar with
the help of 1Bog programs so far, ac-
counting for about 1 MW of installed
capacity. »There are 14 employees work-
ing on 1Bog, including support teams
from Virgance, who help us with our
operations, finances, and software de-
velopment,« says Burton. 1Bog gener-
ates revenue through referral fees from
selected installers, but the group is not
boring communities. Accordingly, he
plans to organize similar programs in
Venice and Santa Monica next year. If
residents in those neighborhoods are al-
ready planning group buying programs,
says Brennan, GoSolar Mar Vista could
join forces with them.
Denver resident Mike Spainhower re-
cently launched an organization called
Neighborhood Solar, which currently
counts 50 Denver homeowners as mem-
bers. The group is using door-to-door
marketing, flyer distribution, and word-
ıı
of-mouth to advertise. »We’re hoping to
approach an installer by the end of the
summer,« says Spainhower. Neighbor-
hood Solar is a for-profit, limited liability
organization that will collect flat com-
mission fees from the installer on closed
deals. The fee percentage will depend on
the size of the purchasing group.
It’s likely that news coverage of suc-
cessful community programs will spark
similar activities elsewhere. GoSolar
Marin’s Max says that she has received
many calls from community groups
across the country seeking guidance on
launching their own groups, and issu-
ing requests for proposals. »Usually it
was someone who had read an article
about GoSolar Marin,« she says.
Solar City’s Rive believes that com-
munity aggregation strategies, in con-
cert with financing programs, will
play an important role in advancing
the residential solar market. They are
bringing solar to new audiences, and
helping new attitudes about solar take
root. »They add value to the equation,«
says Rive. »If you know the vetting has
occurred with installers, and then you
combine it with a leasing program to
take away the upfront costs, then why
would you not do this?« Michael D. Matz
November 2009
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