<em>Midweek article by Alex Tiller, CEO of Sunetric</em><br/>

The good news is that Hawaii now ranks third in the nation in per-capita photovoltaic generation. The bad news is that some Hawaii residents haven’t switched to solar because they believe it’s too expensive. That may have been true in the past, but now residents can switch to solar at no cost.

No, that wasn’t a typo. Residents on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island can now switch to solar energy at no charge. Sunetric, Hawaii’s largest locally owned and operated solar installer, recently partnered with SunRun, the nation’s leading home solar company, to offer Hawaii residents a chance to go solar with zero money out of pocket.

How does it work? Sunetric designs and installs the system and SunRun owns, insures and maintains it. Instead of paying for the solar panels up front, you simply pay SunRun monthly for the electricity your solar panels generate. You avoid the up-front expense of switching to solar but still get to generate your own clean, renewable energy.

In the few short weeks this program has been available, Sunetric’s SunRun customers are expecting to offset approximately 120kW per week, which translates into hundreds of dollars of savings in the first year. The beauty of the program is that as time goes on, the solar electric rates stay fixed and low while the utility rates continue to rise. Additionally, SunRun insures and monitors your system around the clock. If something isn’t working, SunRun detects it and Sunetric fixes it – at no cost to you.<br/><br/> What’s the catch? In short, there isn’t one. It’s truly a case of win-win-win: Sunetric is paid to install and maintain the panels, SunRun receives a predictable long-term return on its investment through monthly solar energy sales, and customers go solar for nothing out-of-pocket. Customers save money now and into the future, and together we build a sustainable future for Hawaii.<br/><br/> Renewable energy isn’t just a business for Sunetric – it’s a passion. Our islands are the most beautiful place on earth, yet we rely on fossil fuel to generate almost 90 percent of our electricity. That’s the worst record in the nation – and also why Sunetric partners with environmental leaders such as Blue Planet Foundation to raise awareness about clean energy alternatives. We believe our partnership with SunRun is yet another step in the right direction.<br/><br/> To read the full article, please click here.