Solar City model [RE-wrenches]

[Mark Frye]

I don't have the inside track on the workings of this company, but I think
the only economy of scale that they have is that they deliver to about a
dozen job sites at a time with one truck.

Also, their sales presentation numbers on the neighborhood scale efforts
were inflated to show a better value.  For instance, when comparing to the
"average" cost of installation by others, that cost was increased by $3,600
to start with.  This was to reflect the value of the web-based monitoring
system to be provided by SolarCity with every one of their system.  No
mention was made that such a monitoring system is not a required feature or
base expense. Other similar tricks are applied.

I don't think there is any comparison to CitizenRe.  SolarCity is actually
installing systems and many folks are working to provide PPA at the
residential level.  I would just watch the real numbers as they come out.
It's all part of the salespersons dreamland.
 
Mark Frye
Berkeley Solar Electric Systems
271 Vistamont Dr
Grass Valley CA 95945
(530) 401-8024
www.berkeleysolar.com
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Allan Sindelar [mailto:allan at positiveenergysolar.com] 
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 5:58 PM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: Solar City model [RE-wrenches]



Wrenches in California,

Check out the Grist article on SolarCity:
http://www.grist.org/feature/2008/04/11/?source=daily.

If indeed they're the largest installer in NorCal, you know about them.
What's the rest of the story? Are they doing what CitizenRe can't (thank
God)? Is theirs a model that we would want to pay close attention to and
replicate elsewhere? Is this the future of residential GT PV?

Thanks,

Allan Sindelar
allan_(at)_positiveenergysolar.com
<mailto:allan at positiveenergysolar.com> 
NABCEP certified solar PV installer
Positive Energy, Inc.
3225A Richards Lane
Santa Fe NM 87507
505 424-1112


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


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