(Texas) Utility Will Help Homeowners Go Solar ($35 a month for rooftop PV system)

[jpak]

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/a-utility-will-help-homeowners-go-solar/

TXU Energy, a Texas utility with two million customers, is making it possible for homeowners in the Dallas area to lease or buy rooftop solar-power systems in one of the first programs of its kind.

The energy provider said Wednesday that it had signed a deal with SolarCity, a Silicon Valley start-up that finances and installs residential rooftop arrays, to manage the initiative.

“Our vision is to supply solar power to millions of homes and businesses,” said Lyndon Rive, SolarCity’s chief executive. “The only way to achieve this is by partnering with companies that are providing power today. If we can partner with energy providers, adoption will happen much faster.”

Homeowners will sign up for the TXU Energy Solar Program through the utility, and SolarCity will design and install the solar-panel systems. Under the lease program, the owner of a three- to four-bedroom house would typically pay about $35 a month after tax incentives, according to TXU Energy.

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[cutlassmama]

1. Wish this was more wide-spread to include other cities, not just Dallas.

[kristopher]

2. It will be...

Solar prices are coming into the range that make a lot of business models like this profitable. We need some regulatory changes to make it easier to start such businesses though.