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About Us
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The City of Santa Monica has an ambitious goal to become a net-zero, energy independent city by 2020.
Solar Santa Monica is a program of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment.
Solar Santa Monica helps residents, businesses and property owners reduce energy consumption and generate clean, renewable energy onsite. Our Contractor Network is a tool to help you find a licensed, reliable contractor.
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Issue: #40
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December 5, 2011
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Want a Good Rate of Return on your Investment? Go Solar!
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Based on today's market conditions, going solar may be one of the best investments around. Based on Solar Santa Monica's calculations, homeowners who install solar can see IRR percentages from 12% and as high as 26%!
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Special "Deals" Continue to Emerge Locally
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In Santa Monica and communities across the country, grassroots community organizing has helped spark interest in solar and efficiency.
Open Neighborhoods
The Open Neighborhoods community solar program began in 2009 with a group of eco-minded Los Angeles residents who joined together to flex their group purchasing power and make a bigger impact in their community. Over 130 residents participated in a series of events and free solar assessments in 2009. Solar panels were installed on 32 homes in what, according to Open Neighborhoods, became the largest group solar installation in LA history.
Today, thanks to a competitive bidding process, Open Neighborhoods has negotiated another discounted price on group installations through PermaCity Solar (a Solar Santa Monica Preferred Solar Contractor) and SunPower.
Why Participate?
- Free solar assessment of your home or business.
- A pre-negotiated group discount.
- Cash rebates from LADWP and SoCal Edison.
- 30% federal tax credit.
- Zero down lease option with monthly payment less than your electric bill.
Energy Upgrade California (Los Angeles County)
Energy Upgrade California helps you make home improvements that can save energy and make your home more comfortable. These Whole House rebates reward you for addressing your home energy efficiency needs as a system instead of piece by piece.
Want to know what a typical experience through the Energy Upgrade Program is like? The first step is a Home Energy Assessment, conducted by a Participating Contractor. The Contractor will spend a few hours in the home to identify ways to save money. Raters will then develop a scope of work report for the homowner.
Reviewing a Case Study may be helpful. For the next six Solar Santa Monica Newsletters we will highlight a new Case Study. Watch the video and then click on the link below to learn more.
Case Study #1 - The Kienzle Family
Watch what the homeowners had to say:
 | | Kienzle Family Upgrade |
Community Solar
Community Solar Plants bring solar to neighborhoods. Instead of utility customers owning individual systems, thanks to collective investments, citizens, local businesses, corporate leaders and others, even those without a suitable roof or sunshine, are able to invest in a green power future. It's also an affordable way to go solar. Everyone can "buy a piece of the rock," photovoltaic panels and dedicated capacity. They combine their panels with others in a community system, just like a community garden.
Solar Santa Monica is actively researching the best community solar models for the benefit of Santa Monica residents. Below are some of the models being utilized in other communities.
Sacramento SolarShares
The biggest domestic "solar garden" was developed by Sacramento Municipal Utility District in 2007. SolarShares is based on a 1 MW photovoltaic plant built on a turkey farm southeast of Sacramento in 2008.
SolarShares participants have a special deal with the utility: They buy blocks of solar capacity in increments of a half kilowatt of capacity (from 0.5 - 4 kW) by paying a fixed monthly fee for as many years as they continue to participate. The basic rate for 0.5 kW is $10.75 a month. The capacity then generates energy which is credited to the bill. The energy credit is equal to the full retail rate; the amount of the credit depends on how much the sun shines -- more in the summer, less in the winter.
Community Energy Collective
The Community Energy Collective works with utilities to provide a complete community solar solution, including providing a site, facilitating construction, processing incentives, and virtual net metering.
The Collective understood the need to make going solar not only affordable, but easy for consumers. Collective members can sign up to own as few as one panel. The Collective charges one up-front fee for all its services, while handling a litany of functions including rebate and tax credit applications on behalf of members. Members then get to own solar panels, with a performance guarantee, monitored and maintained for up to 50 years.
Solar Mosaic
Solar Mosaic is a for profit company developing a grass roots Power Purchase Agreement model. It seeks schools, non-profits, and businesses with good roofs for solar and then combines that with a group of small investors (donors) willing to buy shares in a form of "crowd-funding". The power is sold to the host and the donors recoup their money in 7 to 10 years but make no profit. Solar Mosaic earns project development fees and dedicates additional earnings to future projects. Solar Mosaic is launching its first solar rooftop project, a 28.8 kW system, at the Asian Resource Center in Oakland, Calif.'s Chinatown. That project has sold "tiles", about 982 solar units, to hundreds of people
Sometime in 2012, Solar Mosaic wants to take its solar loan platform to a higher level, offering financial products that can provide returns to potential lenders. But to offer those types of money-making financial products, "Solar Mosaic has to become registered to share securities with the public, which is an arduous, lengthy and expensive process."
Community Solar Day
On Community Solar Day, November 20th, Solar Mosaic, Open Neighborhoods, 350.org, the Sierra Club, and other solar champions initiated the "Occupy Rooftop" movement. The goal was to gather people around a school, place of worship, community building or park that they plan to "occupy" with solar panels. Solar Mosaic then sent a Community Solar Toolkit, along with a personal phone call to the participants to help organize a successful fundraising event. There are still opportunities to get your organization involved. More information can be found at http://solarmosaic.com/solarday
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Why the price difference?
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Nation-wide, installed solar PV prices vary greatly from state-to-state and on a project by project basis. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association's US Solar Market Insight report, the weighted average of installation prices has fallen in the second quarter of 2011. What this means, is that large-scale commercial and utility systems have decreased in cost, and residential prices were flat.
Thanks to the decline in panel prices, stream-lining of project development and construction techniques, all commercial systems have decreased in cost, especially large-scale systems.
Residential systems are unique in that they are typically slower to decline in cost. This is due to the higher proportion of non-component costs (aka soft costs) such as permitting, incentive paperwork, and financing. Residential costs are still in the $6 - $8/AC watt range.
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What's the Word on the Roof? Contractors, Please Read.
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Solar Santa Monica is conducting an informal survey to gather feedback from contractors engaged in residential and commercial solar installations in Santa Monica. Your comments will help us to better understand how the solar transaction is working and how we can help to improve it. Thanks for taking the time to supply us with a few comments.
- Have you had any residential or commercial installations in Santa Monica in 2011?
- Do you know if your customer found you through the Solar Santa Monica website?
- Do you have any feedback on the current state of permitting and inspection in Santa Monica?
- How does Santa Monica rank in relation to other cities' permitting and inspection processes?
- Have you had to redesign PV or thermal systems because of aesthetic objections?
- Do you have any general comments or suggestions for Solar Santa Monica?
- Are there any updates you would like to make on your Solar Santa Monica website listing?
We appreciate your help with our survey. Please feel free to respond to these questions by contacting Michael Ware at mware@ecomotion.com or 310-560-9273.
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City of Santa Monica Rebates
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Sustainable Landscape Grant - up to $5,000 - currently accepting applications for 50 more projects.
Rain Harvest Rebate - up to $2,000 - currently accepting applications for downspout redirects, rain barrels, and cisterns.
Parkway Cash for Grass Rebate - up to $2,000 per parkway
Front Yard Cash for Grass Rebate - up to $2,000
Greywater Rebate - up to $250 for qualified parts
Drip Irrigation Rebate - up to $1,000 for qualified parts
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Want to stay up-to-date with Solar Santa Monica?
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For the most up-to-date information, "Like" Solar Santa Monica on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @SolarSM.
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Solar Santa Monica is a free advisory service available to all residents of the City. Its goal is to create an energy-neutral city by 2020, by employing energy efficiency and self-generation of power via solar photovoltaic and solar thermal installations.
For questions and comments, please contact:
Susan Munves, Administrator
Energy and Green Building Programs
susan.munves@solarsantamonica.com
310-458-4992
Solar Santa Monica
1212 5th Street, First Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401
www.solarsantamonica.com
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