You can now go solar with $0 down and low monthly payments.

“These new options are perfect for homeowners who are looking for an alternative to the upfront costs of purchasing solar,” said Michael Powers, VP of Sales and Marketing at Stellar Solar. “The SunPower Lease offers a no-money-down solution that can reduce or eliminate your existing electric bill completely. For about what you’re paying to SDG&E every month, you can go solar and pay SDG&E little or nothing at all. It’s like trading in your old power bill for a new solar power bill.” He added, “The SunPower financing or loan program is also a very viable option for homeowners as it enables them to also go solar for no money down and still gain all the financial benefits of actually owning their systems.”

Stellar Solar has been installing SunPower solar panels since 2001 and find them to be a favorite among many solar customers because of superior appearance, design and quality. Many San Diego homeowners also prefer to buy their solar panels from an American company and SunPower is based in Silicon Valley.

Strong residential sales have enabled Stellar Solar to post record-breaking Q1 figures. Image: Stellar Solar

A broad range of new solar installations across the state of California has enabled Stellar Solar to post the best Q1 figures in its 12-year history.

Developments for U.S. Foodservice, Salk Institute and the Vandenberg Air Force have been complemented by strong residential sales, and going into the second quarter Stellar has already built up a 2.5MW order backlog.

“We are enthusiastic about this strong start and feel it’s a good indicator for solar and the economy in 2011,” said Michael Powers, Stellar’s vice president of sales and marketing.

“These projects also highlight our standing as a significant player in the commercial solar space. All three are high-profile installations are a testament to our highly-experienced team of design and installation professionals,” added Stellar’s founder and president, Kent Harle.

San Diego, CA – The Salk Institute of Biological Sciences has selected San Diego solar company Stellar Solar to design and install a new 500 kW rooftop solar electric system for its architecturally-renowned campus in La Jolla, according to Tim Ball, the Institute’s senior director of facilities services.

“As one of the leading scientific research institutes, we saw this as an important opportunity to also demonstrate our environmental leadership,” Ball said. “And capturing kilowatts from sunshine to help power our efforts seemed like a step in the right direction.”

The project also combines the sustainability of solar energy with the sensibility of architectural preservation, Ball pointed out. Despite the Institute’s bold design and modern appearance, the buildings were completed in 1965 and officially designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. As such, providing a long-term strategy to care for the facility’s energy needs was a key part of the decision.

Ball said that the 500kW system, consisting of more than 2,350 solar panels, will cover the roof area of all four major buildings on the campus but will not be visible from the ground. “Along with lowering our carbon footprint, we wanted to make sure the appearance of these impressive buildings was not impacted in any way,” Ball said.

The environmental impact of the solar arrays, however, will be significant; they will keep out of the atmosphere about 846,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually – along with nearly 800 pounds of sulphur dioxide and 1,240 pounds of nitric oxide, two of the major pollutants produced by power plants. Over the next 25 years, in fact, installing the solar system is equivalent to planting 128 acres of trees.

In addition, solar is seen as a way to help save money on the Institute’s energy bill, Ball said. “As a non-profit institution, we are always looking for ways to stretch budgets and save money,” he explained. “But as a research facility, we do use a lot of electricity. And although we get a very good rate from SDG&E, we found we could produce our own solar electricity onsite for a cost that was about 30% lower than what SDG&E charges us.”

Stellar Solar was selected to design and build the solar array because it was a local firm with a proven track record of success, Ball said.  “Not many firms have been in the solar business as long as Stellar Solar has and we wanted to work with a group that could integrate themselves easily into our existing work on a weekly basis. Stellar has the know-how to do that,” he said.

Stellar Solar president Kent Harle said his firm considers it an honor to be selected to work on a high-visibility solar project such as this one. “The San Diego Union-Tribune calls the Salk Institute ‘the single most significant architectural site in San Diego,’” he said. “It is also significant that this site will now be solar-powered and we are so very proud to be a part of making that happen,” he said.

The solar modules for the project are being supplied by Trina Solar and the 500 kW power inverter is manufactured by SMA-America, Inc., Harle said.

About Stellar Solar
Stellar Solar is a leading San Diego County based residential and commercial PV solar design and installation company with over ten years of experience and 500+ installations, ranging in size from 2kW to 1MW, throughout California.
Learn more at www.stellarsolar.net

About The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is one of the world’s preeminent basic research institutions, where internationally renowned faculty probe fundamental life science questions in a unique, collaborative, and creative environment. Focused both on discovery and on mentoring future generations of researchers, Salk scientists make groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of cancer, aging, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and infectious diseases by studying neuroscience, genetics, cell and plant biology, and related disciplines.

Faculty achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including Nobel Prizes and memberships in the National Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1960 by polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk, M.D., and designed by renowned architect Louis Kahn, the Institute was designated a historic landmark in 1991.

The Salk Institute proudly celebrates five decades of scientific excellence in basic research.

Learn more at www.salk.edu

This raises the natural question, which is the better investment over the long haul, home solar energy or utility power?

One way to answer the question is to point out, first of all, how much utility power actually costs.

If you’re spending $200 per month on electricity (not unusual in San Diego), that’s $2,400 per year or $24,000 in 10 years — and that’s if prices don’t go up.

But if SDG&E rates do go up at 7% per year (as noted above), your 10-year cost of electricity is $33,000 — not $24,000. Key question: What sort of return do you get on that “investment?” (They let you keep your lights on?)

Here’s how solar compares…. for about what you will spend with SDG&E over the next 7 years, you can OWN a system that provides over 95% of your needed electricity — for the next 30+ years! (That’s like getting free electricity for 23 years!)

At the same time, that solar energy system adds new asset value to your home, value you can re-coup if you decide to sell your home… because now you’re selling a house with zero electric bill. One study said that home value goes up by $20 for every $1 in annual energy savings, just due to your avoided cost.

So, this nifty device that helps you avoid $2,400 in annual energy payment to the utility… also adds $48,000 in new home value to your bottom line, more than doubling your payback.

So remember, as you keep hearing about SDG&E rate increases — and paying those ever-increasing electricity bills — sometimes the price of doing nothing is just too high.

If you’d like to find out what sort of solar investment would work best for your home, give us a call or fill out the form on this website. And we’ll show you how to really put your money to work!

Peder Norby's Cooper Mini-E is powered by home solar energy

Peder Norby, a San Diego County Planning Commissioner and Stellar Solar customer, has been doing exactly that for the past 18 months. He drives an electric Cooper Mini-E and recharges it by plugging it into his solar-powered house.

Not only is Peder helping to save the planet — he’s saving a huge amount on transportation costs, too.

Turns out that the cost to drive 1 mile on solar power is about 1/20th the cost of driving the same distance using gasoline!

At $3.00 per gallon, a 20 mpg gasoline car costs about 15¢ per mile to drive.  But solar electricity can be generated at your home for as little as 7¢ per kilowatt-hour and will propel an electric car about 3.5 miles… a net cost of 2¢ per mile!

The last time a gasoline car cost that little to drive was in the 1970′s… when you could buy gas for 39.9¢ per gallon!

To find out more about using solar power to lower your transportation costs, visit our web page.

Two of our solar customers are the first to apply and be approved for this new type of solar finance plan, known nationally as PACE (“Property Assessed Clean Energy”), which allows homeowners to pay back the solar loan as part of their property tax payment.

If the solar home is sold before the loan is paid off, the loan simply goes with the property and is taken over by the new owners who continue to make payments along with their property tax.

The “Clean Generation” program was planned to start up mid-June, but has been delayed due to technical questions raised by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage-finance corporations.

Since property tax payment normally have seniority over other debts (such as mortgage loans), Fannie and Freddie are seeking clarification on how the new program will affect their outstanding home loans. The agencies have promised to come up with a clarifying statement shortly.