SolarCity
Encyclopedia
SolarCity is an American provider of solar energy system design, financing, installation and related services and also builds charging station
s for electric vehicle
s.
It is headquartered in San Mateo
, California
, with additional locations in Berkeley, Foster City, Culver City (Los Angeles), Santa Ana (Orange County), Pomona, Fresno, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Lancaster and San Diego, California; Phoenix, Tucson Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; and Washington DC.
, including a $10M investment by entrepreneur Elon Musk
(South African cousin of the Rive brothers), and has been the #1 provider of residential solar power in California since 2007, according to the database kept by the California Solar Initiative
. In March 2008, SolarCity received an Aspen Energy and Environment Award
. In May 2008, SolarCity completed the largest commercial solar installation in San Jose on the North Campus of eBay
. In July 2008, SolarCity completed the largest commercial solar installation in San Francisco, for British Motors, consisting of 1,606 solar photovoltaic panels. The company now has more than 700 workers and operates in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Texas, in addition to California.
to lower efficiency, cost-efficient thin-film solar modules from First Solar
as well as string ribbon
from Evergreen Solar
, Sharp, Yingli, Kyocera and Suntech Power, among others.
to make electric car charging available for free to owners of Tesla Motors
' vehicles traveling on Highway 101
between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Other cars that can make use of same charging technology are welcome. In 2011, the company announced it would sell 240-volt electric car chargers manufactured by ClipperCreek for customers that currently lease solar panels.
Charging station
An electric vehicle charging station, also called EV charging station, electric recharging point, charging point and EVSE , is an element in an infrastructure that supplies electric energy for the recharging of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric-gasoline vehicles) or semi-static and mobile...
s for electric vehicle
Electric vehicle
An electric vehicle , also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion...
s.
It is headquartered in San Mateo
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, with additional locations in Berkeley, Foster City, Culver City (Los Angeles), Santa Ana (Orange County), Pomona, Fresno, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Lancaster and San Diego, California; Phoenix, Tucson Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; and Washington DC.
History
SolarCity was founded in July 2006 by brothers Peter and Lyndon RiveLyndon Rive
Lyndon Rive is a green energy leader and CEO of SolarCity. He has trumpeted SolarCity's use of First Solar panels for residential and business installations since the beginning of 2009. Rive has also said that residential and small business customers will turn to branded installation companies...
, including a $10M investment by entrepreneur Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is an American engineer and entrepreneur heritage best known for co-founding PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors. He is currently the CEO and CTO of SpaceX, CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and Chairman of SolarCity...
(South African cousin of the Rive brothers), and has been the #1 provider of residential solar power in California since 2007, according to the database kept by the California Solar Initiative
California Solar Initiative
California Solar Initiative is a renewable energy program in the United States.As part of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Million Solar Roofs Program, California has set a goal to create 3,000 megawatts of new, solar-produced electricity by 2016 — moving the state toward a cleaner energy future...
. In March 2008, SolarCity received an Aspen Energy and Environment Award
Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1950 as the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies. The organization is dedicated to "fostering enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues." The...
. In May 2008, SolarCity completed the largest commercial solar installation in San Jose on the North Campus of eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
. In July 2008, SolarCity completed the largest commercial solar installation in San Francisco, for British Motors, consisting of 1,606 solar photovoltaic panels. The company now has more than 700 workers and operates in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Texas, in addition to California.
Solar equipment lease program
In 2008 SolarCity introduced a new solar lease option, called SolarLease, that can significantly reduce or eliminate the upfront cost of installing solar power. SolarCity's solar lease can allow some homeowners to pay less each month by adopting solar power than they previously paid for electricity from the utility company. SolarCity installs panel technologies ranging in high efficiency from SanyoSanyo
is a major electronics company and member of the Fortune 500 whose headquarters is located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo targets the middle of the market and has over 230 Subsidiaries and Affiliates....
to lower efficiency, cost-efficient thin-film solar modules from First Solar
First Solar
First Solar, Inc. is an American manufacturer of thin film photovoltaic modules, or solar panels, and a provider to PV power plants of supporting services that include finance, construction, maintenance and end-of-life panel recycling...
as well as string ribbon
String ribbon
String Ribbon solar cells is proprietary technology developed by Evergreen Solar.-Technology description:String ribbon is a method of producing multi-crystalline silicon strips suitable for the photovoltaic industry....
from Evergreen Solar
Evergreen Solar
Evergreen Solar, Inc. is a publicly-held U.S. company which specializes in solar energy. It trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol ESLRD....
, Sharp, Yingli, Kyocera and Suntech Power, among others.
Electric vehicle chargers
SolarCity entered the electric car charging business by buying SolSource Energy and has also announced a partnership with RabobankRabobank
Rabobank is a financial services provider with offices worldwide. Their main location is in the Netherlands. They are a global leader in Food and Agri financing and in sustainability-oriented banking...
to make electric car charging available for free to owners of Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based company that designs, manufactures and sells electric cars and electric vehicle powertrain components. It was the only automaker building and selling a zero-emission sports car, the Tesla Roadster, in serial production...
' vehicles traveling on Highway 101
Highway 101
Highway 101 is an American country music band founded by Paulette Carlson , Jack Daniels , Curtis Stone and Scott "Cactus" Moser . With Carlson as lead vocalist, the band recorded three albums for Warner Bros. Records Nashville and charted ten consecutive Top Ten hits on the Hot Country Songs...
between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Other cars that can make use of same charging technology are welcome. In 2011, the company announced it would sell 240-volt electric car chargers manufactured by ClipperCreek for customers that currently lease solar panels.