How SunRun Applies Financial and Software Muscle to Home Solar Installation

Sometimes we tech reporters get so wrapped up in writing about cool new technologies that we overlook other, equally important forms of innovation. Recently I visited SunRun, a San Francisco startup that installs photovoltaic panels on residential buildings and charges homeowners for the electricity they generate.

I was expecting to hear a lot about the latest ways to engineer solar panels to produce more power–but I came away with a notebook full of thoughts about power purchase agreements, tax equity financing, and pricing engines. So while there are certainly people at SunRun who spend their time figuring out how to optimize the power output of the company’s 3,500 installed systems, this is largely a story about how three-year-old SunRun is spreading solar to more homes through clever financial engineering.

Wade Roush

Full Story: http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2010/12/21/how-sunrun-applies-financial-and-software-muscle-to-home-solar-installation/