Home Solar: Is It Only for the Wealthy? – The Great Energy Challenge

PV Solar Report is out with an analysis [PDF] — done with solar installer SunRun — that says home solar installations are more a middle-income pursuit than something for the wealthy. The industry-watcher says “nearly two thirds of California home solar installations in 2009, 2010 and 2011 year-to-date have been in zip codes with median annual household incomes of less than $85,000 and not in the wealthiest areas of the state.” SunRun said the data show that its third-party owned business model has been successful in making home solar more affordable in California. “In 2007 we invented a way for homeowners to go solar without the high upfront costs so income would not prevent a switch to cleaner and less expensive energy,” SunRun President and Co-founder Lynn Jurich said in a release announcing the PV Solar Report. “The data from PV Solar Report shows this model is working, and that it’s not just the wealthy driving and benefiting from solar adoption. We are working to educate consumers that solar is finally affordable.”