Warming up to solar

Warming up to solar

Nov 10 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Ryan Carter San Gabriel Valley Tribune, West Covina, Calif.

Chuck Wojnowski no longer feels guilty when he flips on the air conditioning or hops in the jactus.

That's because he's gone solar.

The new solar panels on the roof of his Pasadena home help power everything from his computers to his hot tub. For Wojnowksi, it's a way to go green.

"I always felt guilty ... I figured here's a way I could help the earth by generating electricity without pollution," he said.

And that's perfect for SunRun, a two-year-old San Francisco-based start-up that's gaining a foothold in the residential solar power market.

What SunRun is banking on is a relatively new way of selling solar power -- leasing it.

Wojnowski wasn't all that interested in buying solar panels outright and up front. But leasing from SunRun was a way to save money -- and if all goes well -- to save on his power costs.

So, he signed a contract. Over the next 18 years, he'll pay the company a locked-in price for power generated by the panels. Even if power rates go up, he'll pay a fixed amount over the years to SunRun for the power the panels generate.

And the company will monitor and maintain the panels.

"This is so much simpler," he said. "I didn't have to take an equity loan on my house to pay for the solar."

If SunRun's projections are right, that will mean big savings for the homeowner.

Because utility rates go up an average of 5 percent a year, savings could amount

to something big -- $20,000 to $50,000 over a 15- to 20-year span, said Lynn Jurich, president and co-founder of SunRun.

"It's a triple win," she said. "Clean energy. They are saving money and it's creating jobs."

Jurich works with contractors in California, Arizona, Massachusetts and Colorado to install, maintain and monitor the solar systems. Locally, about 40 jobs have been created in the fledgling "green" sector because of the business, Jurich said.

The idea of leasing residential panels sprung from the commercial world -- where big-box retailers like Wal-Mart were installing panels to power their stores, Jurich said.

Those types of retailers lease from third-party vendors.

"We saw that model, and it's a success in the big-box world," said Jurich. "We said, 'That's the same model we need for the residential world."'

It's catching on.

Sony Pictures in Los Angeles chose SunRun as a vendor of choice for its own employee residential green incentive program, which Wojnowski help spearhead. At least 10 people have signed up for it so far, he said.

Locally, solar power is making a push.

Monrovia-based Soliant Energy Inc. wants to energize commercial rooftops by maximizing solar energy output at the most competitive price possible. The company just opened a 15,000-square-foot plant to produce 1 megawatt worth of solar panels a year -- enough to power about 250,000 homes.

Manhattan Beach-based Comstock Homes developed the largest solar community in the U.S. in Santa Fe Springs. And big box retailers like Sam's Club have installed solar panels.

But there are still barriers to get through, according to Jurich. One is convincing people that solar power doesn't mean less power. Another is that the use of solar doesn't change your life-style.

But those barriers are being broken down, she said, adding that the market is growing, even in a bad economy.

And it's a good time to buy.

There's a glut of panels out there, and government subsidies remain a good way to save money.

"(Solar) has progressed to the point where all the barriers that were stopping people from doing this are pretty much gone," Wojnowksi said.

ryan.carter@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, ext. 2720