Group Solar Purchasing Making Solar Energy More Affordable
Driving down costs will greatly increase addressable market for residential PV Source: ThinkEquity “Think Greentech” Feb 2010
Average Price Residential Fix Mounted System - $/Watt Installed Systems co funded by Focus on Energy $4.75 Commercial (50 kW) $3.25 Utility (1 MW) $9.28$8.94$7.49$8.34$7.54$8.07$8.49$8.30$6.90
Different name, same outcome “Aggregate purchasing” “Bulk solar” “Solarize” “Group solar” “Collaborative purchasing”
Why Collaborative Purchasing Works Efficient Aggregated development process Expert + collective experiences Assurances, safety in numbers Affordable Pre-negotiated discounts Competitive bidding process Faster Adoption Limited time offers
Models Community-based Fee-based Solar contractor sponsored
MadiSUN Case Study 250 homeowners 100 workshop attendees 20 participants 4 installers Average price: $5.48 per watt Average savings: 20% Impact: 78kW, 10% increase in solar PV
Key design considerations (pre-commitment approach) Level of commitment needed from participants Decision-making process
Key design considerations (pre-select installer approach) Selection committee make-up Weighted value of selection criteria Expected level of participation One or multiple installers
Key Lessons Learned Identify key responsibilities Sponsor Project leader Technical expert Limited time offer Index pricing
In the works… WECC Commercial Group Buy MREA/Milwaukee Shines MadiSUN/Willy Street Grocery Cooperative Marshfield Sustainability Committee
Questions Bryant Moroder