Set to be officially unveiled on Tuesday to coincide with Earth Day, Sungevity, a Berkeley, Calif., based solar installer, aims to make the experience of configuring and ordering solar panels as easy as the click of a mouse — quite literally. Enter your home address on its website, and Sungevity’s satellite-imaging software (from Microsoft’s Visual Earth) takes you to a zoomed-in map of your house. It then helps you calculate your roof’s dimensions (its pitch, azimuth and available area) and pick the appropriately-sized arrays. It uses its own proprietary algorithm to do so.
It even shows you what the installation will look like and, after you submit your energy bills, how much electricity you will be able to draw from the array — and how much you’ll save. The website will e-mail you a quote within 24 hours of submitting your address and bills. Sadly, because Sungevity currently only serves the greater San Francisco area, those that live in the Los Angeles area (like me) will have to wait a little while longer. Also, the database seems to have some trouble honing in on homes with unique architectural designs or roof shapes — not to mention homes in leafy neighborhoods.
When purchasing an array, you can choose to either pay up front or as you go; ordering it requires an industry standard $1,000 deposit. After you place the order, an installation crew is sent to your home with one of five pre-packaged solar arrays. To facilitate the installation, Sungevity uses the satellite images to figure out your neighborhood’s local building and permit requirements, all at no cost.
Sungevity warranties the installations for 10 years and the arrays’ inverters and panels, easily the most expensive components, for 10 and 25 years, respectively. The company boasts that it will be able to offer its fully-installed systems for up to 10% less than its competitors, because its installers only need to make one visit. An array for a typically four-bedroom home will go for about $21,000.
The company, headed by former Greenpeace activist Danny Kennedy, raised $2.5 million from Solon Solar Investments, a German solar power plant builder, actress Cate Blanchett and several other undisclosed investors last December.
To keep its labor costs low, Sungevity plans on working with local unions to train electricians and contractors instead of investing in its own team of skilled green-collar workers. Its online model will immediately be put to the test as it enters an already crowded field: Its main competitors, Bay Area-based SolarCity and Sun Run, are aggressively promoting lower cost alternatives and new leasing plans to grab a larger market share. Much like Sun Run, Sungevity is hoping to muscle in on the market by pushing the “hybrid home” — enticing consumers to purchase cheaper, smaller arrays that will only cover a portion of their homes’ electricity use.
The big challenge will be speeding up the installation process and reducing costs; rival Akeena Solar has already taken a step in that direction, unveiling its affordable, ready-to-install solar panel, Andalay. Sungevity plans on expanding to other states soon though it hasn’t decided whether it will subcontract solar installers or just sell its services to other installers.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Learn More
