Sungevity brings in $6M to bring satellite data to solar installation
Sungevity, a solar panel installer that uses satellite technology to determine size and placement of rooftop systems, has brought in $6 million and hired several new executives to fortify its business for the battle ahead. With more solar installers entering the field, each offering appealing financing and leasing plans for homeowners and businesses — SunRun, SolarCity and Borrego Solar, among them — the competition is heating up.
Incidentally, one of Sungevity’s new hires, Charles Ferer —… Continue Reading
California’s renewable energy tangled in power lines
A recent report from the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative says that the state will need to shell out $15.7 billion to install the transmission lines necessary to meet the government’s renewable energy mandates on time. On top of that, power lines have proved to be extremely unpopular with the public.
The new estimate is even higher than the $12 billion price tag the California Public Utilities Commission had predicted for transmission lines back in June. The… Continue Reading
SunRun takes $18M, advice from Accel to make solar consumer-friendly
SunRun, a company that sells rooftop-generated solar power to residential consumers for flat monthly fees (and a one-time startup cost), announced today that it raised $18 million in a second round of funding to market its services even more broadly.
Backed primarily by Accel Partners, SunRun is also implementing an aggressive web-based strategy to boost its profile and attract interest. It says Accel gave it helpful tips to grow traffic on its web site, now at… Continue Reading
Sungevity brings web 2.0 grit to the solar installation market
Set to be officially unveiled on Tuesday to coincide with Earth Day, Sungevity, a Berkeley, Calif., based solar installer, aims to make the experience of configuring and ordering solar panels as easy as the click of a mouse — quite literally. Enter your home address on its website, and Sungevity’s satellite-imaging software (from Microsoft’s Visual Earth) takes you to a zoomed-in map of your house. It then helps you calculate your roof’s dimensions (its pitch,… Continue Reading