Between 70% and 80% of California’s solar installations are leased from third party companies. This model has been reproduced throughout much of the US, but some Washington installers want to do something different. They believe that money raised from local taxpayers should be used to promote the growth of local solar initiatives. This puts them in opposition to large out-of-state solar leasing companies who need that funding. Will Washington buck the trend?
SolarCity spokesperson Will Craven said that about 500 of their California customers have agreed to install batteries for power storage, but the state’s three biggest utilities have only connected 12 since 2011. He decided to go to the press after Southern California Edison (SCE) said they were going to charge $2,900 to install a meter, whereas SolarCity has found that an adequate meter can be purchased for between $75-150. The situation has greatly improved since Craven was interviewed by Bloomberg and PV Tech.
