Solar energy news - Clean Currents, SolarCity partner to offer free PV

Clean Currents, SolarCity partner to offer free PV

16 May 2012

US green energy supplier Clean Currents has partnered with SolarCity to allow consumers to pay for photovoltaic (PV) installations through their utility bills.

Under terms of the programme, households will be able to sign a fixed-price power purchase agreement (PPA) with Clean Currents and get a free rooftop PV array from Solar City. This will be available initially in Washington DC and Maryland.

Gary Skulnik, president of Clean Currents, said, ‘The Clean Currents Solar PPA will vastly improve how homeowners buy clean electricity in Maryland and Washington DC by allowing them to lock in a competitive fixed rate for decades, while helping the environment and promoting green power.

‘By partnering with SolarCity, a national leader in clean energy services, Clean Currents is giving customers access to a first-of-its-kind product.’

Toby Corey, chief revenue officer at SolarCity, added, ‘SolarCity has provided clean energy products and services to more than 25,000 homes, businesses and non-profit organisations – we help a new customer make the switch to better energy every five minutes of the workday.

‘We believe this is the first time American homeowners have been able to pay for self-generated solar electricity on a consolidated bill – this is the model of the future.’

This financing model has been around in Europe for some time, although recent feed-in tariff changes have left some questioning its long-term economic viability.

Tags: Clean Currents, free solar, micro-generation, rooftop solar, solarcity