There’s an exciting new solar power initiative currently coming into shape through a company called Citizenre (pronounced like citizenry). The idea is to get people to use solar power cells on top of their houses without having to buy solar power cells.
Here’s how it works:
1. You commit to a contract of service of 1, 5, 10, or 25 years.
2. What you pay for the energy you use is locked in at this year’s level for the length of that contract – at the level of what you already pay your conventional energy utility.
3. A designer comes out to your house to consult with you on the design and installation of a unit for your home.
4. You don’t buy the solar power technology. The company still owns the stuff, you just use it. So, you pay nothing up front except for a 500 dollar deposit.
5. If you need to use more power than what the solar power unit has been designed for, you can still pull power in from the conventional utility.
So, if everything works as it’s supposed to, you don’t pay anything more for your solar energy than you do for the conventional energy you already use – except for the 500 dollar deposit. That deposit is returned, with interest earned on it, at the end of your contract.
Here’s the catch: The manufacturing plant for all the equipment is still being built, and the first solar power units are scheduled to be produced in September of this year. That means that we can reasonably expect the first solar power units to be produced about a year from now. Something always comes up in operations like this, and deadlines are rarely met.
I have to admit that I’m tempted, but I have a few questions.
1. I live in the North, where we have lots of cloudy weather, and lots of snow in the winter time. What kind of power can I reasonably expect, given these conditions?
2. My roof will need repair in about 3 or 4 years. If I commit to a 5 year contract, will I have people from the company come out to help remove the solar power unit and replace it when the roof work is done?
3. I live in a small town about an hour and a half away from the nearest medium-sized city. What kind of help can I reasonably expect, given this distance?
I intend to call one of Citizenre’s “independent ecopreneurs” and try to get answers to these questions. If I’m satisfied, I’ll sign up. I won’t save any money (though it’s theoretically possible), but I’ll know that the money I pay will go to a company that’s trying to do what’s right for the environment and the economy, not to a big oil corporation that works to perpetuate pollution and twists government with its campaign donations and teams of lobbyists.
What you can do now: Sign up and reserve a place in line for receiving one of these solar power units. A designer will come to your home to see what’s possible, and you still will be under absolutely no obligation to participate. What you gain by signing up now, however, is that you’ll lock in the rate at which you pay for your energy at current levels – and the price of energy is pretty much certain to rise over the long term.
As of right now, 6,426 households have signed up to participate. That’s about 300 more than were signed up just yesterday. You have nothing to lose by joining them, and the world has quite a bit to gain from your participation in this new effort. Find out more about how it works at their Frequently Asked Questions Page.
Disclosure: I am not in any way affiliated with Citizenre, and I’m not making any kind of money in promoting their plan.
Solar Energy, the Momentum Has Started
Solar energy is the most abundant natural resource we have, and that technology has been around for awhile, but it wasn’t practical from a financial perspective until now. So why should the customer have to pay a premium price for renewable energy when is cost less to produce? When we can provide the average homeowner with the ability to produce their own electricity and keep the savings instead of paying for Commercials, Stadiums and other corporate greed we are making headway in solving our energy crisis.
There is a solution! I recently learned of a company that has figured out how to get Clean, Safe, Affordable Solar Power to the masses, and they do it without requiring any significant investment on the part of the homeowner. That’s right they have taken down the traditional barriers to Solar Power. This company is helping homeowners convert to solar the easy way through a rental agreement. The customer gets a worry free solar system custom designed for 100% of their current consumption of electricity & an electric rate that is frozen at or below today’s rate for up to 25 years. We need to do something; let’s catch the wave that is rolling across the country with Solar Energy. We can win over the big Corporations that want pollute and dirty our green earth. We can be part of the solution and not be part of the problem. This program is an easy way that we can have an impact on the environment and our pocket book.
Unfortunately, things that sound too good to be true often are. Please read my complete article on this business effort at http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=47419. The business unfortunately appears to not be able to deliver on it’s promises.
Fortunately, solar is available, and affordable, in many areas now. If you own a home, you can usually own solar, though either refinancing with home equity, or redirecting anther discretionary purchase. Your local professional renewable energy dealer can assist you with this installation, it can be done now (no waiting for a production plant to be built!). And its a win for you, and a win for the globe.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am CEO of a major national solar energy company. We have been installing systems for years, and are continuing to drive costs down, and provide real financing to make the systems easier for more people to afford.
Jeff Wolfe
CEO
groSolar
Yes, and I see that in his story, Mr. Wolfe complains that he personally has a lot to lose if Citizenre is what it says it is. He complains that he’s already losing customers. That’s bad for Mr. Wolfe, but most of us can’t afford his expensive services, so it’s not a big loss for us.
I repeat, Citizenre acknowledges that its manufacturing plant is not yet built. I repeat, there is no obligation to sign up now. Those of us who can’t afford to invest tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket in a traditional solar approach have a chance to get involved in a plan that could get us generating solar energy at our homes within a year or so.
If Citizenre isn’t able to build its manufacturing plant, we’ve lost nothing. No money lost. No alternative option for solar we can afford lost.
Hi, Green Man. I’m an Ecopreneur with Citizenre, so here are some answers to your questions:
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I live in New York, and my neighbors are always skeptical of solar power being an option here. They frequently cite our lack of sunlight while failing to appreciate the wonderful sun we do have. In fact, we get 60% of the sunlight that AZ gets, so it’s just a question of more panels.
The company is also looking into heating units for keeping panels free of snow. However, when your panels are not producing because of snow cover, you don’t have to worry about it. You can draw from the utility for that period of time and owe nothing to Citizenre because you pay based on the energy your panels produce.
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If you sign up for a five-year contract, you will pay a charge to have Citizenre folks remove your system. Here’s how it’s computed:
The cost of removal and reinstallation is calculated by multiplying the number of watts the system is times $0.10/watt. For example, a 3.5KWp system would cost $350.00 to have removed and reinstalled.
However, if you sign up for a 25-year contract, you can have one free removal and reinstallation if you do roofing work or relocation if you move.
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Citizenre is planning franchises throughout the US, so any area which they’re offering rentals is an area that they can service.
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me at julie@joinsolar.com .
Citizentre has changed their business model slightly. Check out the October 18 entry of my blog at http://solarjoules.com/
Systems will now be billed based on nameplate capacity.