If your true love dwells more on the practical side of life (or doesn’t understand the magic that is the 12 days of Christmas) then you might want to drop hints for the following five solar-related gadgets and gizmos:

1.  The Ray Solar Charger.  Ever walked into a meeting late with your laptop that can’t hold a charge, only to find all of the outlets taken?  Quirky’s Ray to the rescue.  It suctions to a desk (or a car window, or any other flat non-porous surface) and provides enough juice to fully charge a cell phone.

2. Lux solar powered jewelry turns sun into swank.  Two hours in the sun equals four hours of dazzling LED “pearls,” which should be enough bling to impress even the grinchiest grinch.

3. A sun table comes in handy when you want to sit outside and Skype or Facetime with your friends , but your computer’s battery icon is lingering in the red zone.  When fully charged, the table provides enough power to fuel a laptop or portable TV for four hours.

4. Feeling the need to share your solar milestones?  How about a SOCIAL solar charger?

The Changers charger lets you share how much electricity you create via your social networks #ElectrifyingInnovation

5. If you’re been 0% naughty and 100% nice this year then you might just get away with asking for a hybrid automower (think Roomba, but bigger, badder, and with blades).  Yes, it’s $3,000, but it’s also “the world’s first fully automatic lawn mower that is partly powered by the sun”.

Those are my top 5 picks for solar gifts this season, so. . .

What was that?

I forgot the best one of all?

YOU’RE RIGHT!  I DID!  The best one of all is the gift of light to a child in need.  Sungevity has paired up with Empowered by Light to fight energy poverty in Zambia.  For just $22 you can join the battle and make a real difference in someone’s life.  You can donate a Pharox solar light here, or if you don’t have a PayPay account you can donate over here.  It might not be as flashy as a partridge in a pear tree, but the gift of light is the gift of education, as the lights allow students to study after dusk.

Have you ever been at sea in a dense fog, when it seemed as if a tangible white darkness shut you in and the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way toward the shore with plummet and sounding-line, and you waited with beating heart for something to happen? I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding line, and no way of knowing how near the harbor was. “Light! Give me light!” was the wordless cry of my soul, and the light of love shone on me in that very hour.
Helen Keller

Solar is the fastest growing energy sector and fastest job-creating industry in the country right now, and is likely to remain so for years to come, the failure of one company notwithstanding.

So what’s going on in solar?

Solyndra’s bankruptcy is regrettable, but not surprising.  This one company’s business model was dependent upon providing a particular design of cheaper solar equipment. Unfortunately for them, their U.S. and overseas manufacturing competitors developed technologies and processes that reduced the price of solar panels by 67% over the last three years.  (Repeat: The price of solar panels has dropped 67% in the last three years!) These changes in technology passed Solyndra by, leaving them with the cold, hard facts of business – Solyndra could not compete with the rest of a fast-evolving industry.

Like the constantly evolving cell phones and computer industries, economies of scale and innovation will force individual, non-competitive companies out over time.

But the bigger picture for U.S. solar is bright.  Last year, the solar energy industry grew more than 100% in the U.S., compared to overall GDP growth of less than 3%.  This industry growth was mirrored in job figures.  The number of solar jobs nearly doubled from 2009 to 2010 and growth continues in 2011.  Over the next 10 years, growth in this renewable energy sector is likely to expand exponentially.

This progress ultimately benefits consumers. In many parts of the U.S. today, homeowners can see their overall electricity bills go down 10 – 20 % overnight by switching to solar electric service through the availability of solar leases, without putting any money down or taking on debt.  That prospect – switch to solar for free and save money – is driving mass adoption, in the US and globally, and mass adoption is driving scale and price reductions further.

This is a great development for Americans, both as consumers of cleaner, cheaper electricity, and as participants in an economy that is seeing massive job growth from the solar industry in all 50 states.  While solar equipment manufacturing creates jobs, it turns out that there are four times more jobs in construction, innovation, software and marketing. These are jobs where America excels, and can’t or won’t be exported.

Solar’s growth is even more compelling when compared to the fossil fuel industry it is disrupting. In fact, the rate of solar job creation is significantly higher than the expected three percent net job loss in fossil fuel power generation.

As solar energy continues to disrupt fossil fuels’ monopoly on energy generation, it should be no surprise that opponents of solar, many of whom are funded by the oil and gas companies, often claim that solar benefits from outsized policy investment.

In fact, solar receives a small fraction of the subsidies the fossil fuel giants are granted, in spite of the fact that oil, gas and coal are mature industries that expose the country to environmental and geopolitical risk while individual companies break world records for quarterly profits with frightening regularity – in fact each time our gas prices spike.

Solar and other renewables do receive some policy support, but on a much smaller scale than the fossil fuel industries.  A recent study from the Environmental Law Institute showed that fossil fuels companies received a total of $72 billion in subsidies, compared to less than $2 billion for solar companies, during most of the last decade.

Or taking the longer view, in the aggregate, oil and gas companies have received about $450B in subsidies since World War I, while renewables in total have received about $6B.  And it’s not just because oil and gas have received subsidies for a longer period.  The same study found that oil and gas has received an average of $4.86B per year during its subsidy period (since 1918), while renewables, of which solar is just a subset, have received only $.37B per year, and only since 1994.

The point of a subsidy is to help a new industry achieve scale, so that the whole country can benefit.  With smart policy investments for solar, the goal is being achieved.  Today, nearly100,000 American construction workers, installers, innovators and other support service employees are building the US solar industry.  And small businesses are sprouting up all over the country.  Job figures are swelling, uniquely in this economy, subsidies are falling in many places, and US energy consumers are better served.  Within the next decade, solar will no longer need policy investments, unlike the fossil fuels that have depended upon them for nearly a century.

Consider this: every single day, more energy from sunshine falls on this country than we can consume in 10 years.  We’re finally figuring out how to convert and use that energy cheaply, so we don’t have to dig up, transport and burn 200 million year old carbon to power our lives.  There will be the occasional business casualty along the way like any other industry, but this is a journey that will make America more prosperous and secure.

What this means is that now Lowe’s shoppers have three easy ways to get an iQuote – online, by phone, or via mobile scan.

Have you been inside of a NorCal Lowe’s store this summer to see what it all looks like?Here’s a peek:

Stirring up some Sunshine Yellow paint?  Why not stir up some savings by going solar?

Grabbing a key?  Did you know that the key to saving money on your electric bill is going solar with Sungevity?

Fancy a plant to purify the air in your house?  Purify the air AROUND your house by switching over to a clean energy source — the sun!

We have a thorough in-store experience where strategically placed displays provide portals to the iQuote sales process so that customers can get firm quotes within 24 hours without a home visit.

While going solar isn’t exactly a d.i.y. project, it’s certainly e.z.p.z. when you do it through Lowe’s and Sungevity. :-)

For those of you who live in New Jersey, you can catch our solar powered ice pop truck at Lowe’s in Paramus on 9/17 and at Lowe’s in Patterson on 9/18 from 11-2.

1. For every 1% increase in the number of installations in a single ZIP code, there’s a commensurate 1% decrease in the amount of time until the next solar installation.
2. Having a Neighbor with Solar Panels Increases Your Chances of Going Solar by Over 200%.

Sungevity customers are part of something we call the Sunshine Network, and the folks in that network are spreading the solar revolution, fundamentally changing how we all power our lives.

We want to tell this story at South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi)

In case you’re not familiar with SXSW, it’s a festival of music, film, and online interactivity that happens every March in Austin, TX.  The interactive portion of the event has featured innovative trends and concepts like Facebook, Craigslist, Foursquare, Wikipedia, and a mobile (RV) karaoke lounge.  It’s basically a breeding ground for new ideas and creative technologies and we want solar to be a part of it.

Here’s how you can help Sungevity in less than a minute.

1. Click here to create a new account (it’s painless, I promise)
2. Once your account is set up, click on our panel or copy and paste this link into your URL bar:  http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/13121
3. Click on the “thumbs up” button right under the title “Marketing Clean Energy to Consumers Online”

BAM! DONE!  Bonus points if you want to leave a comment.

With your support, we will take our story to SXSWi and expand the ever-growing network of Americans choosing the ease, accessibility, and affordability of solar energy.

Every vote counts so if you like what you’re reading, please forward this to your friends and family to help spread the solar revolution.

Shine on!

Did you ever wonder about the economics of going solar and why there aren’t even more solar-powered homes?  The answer might surprise you.  Check out our latest YouTube video starring Andrew Birch, our CEO:

What do you think?  Did you catch that the DOE expects  2/3 of all US homes to be lower cost with solar at some point within the next 4 years?  It might be time for you to start powering your life with sunshine!

You can follow Birchy on Twitter for more of his thoughts on solar economics, solar politics, and the solar landscape in general.  Knowing Birchy, you might also see a few Tweets on kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, or even Scotland, the first place he ever called home.

Still craving more Sungevity? Consider subscribing to our YouTube channel.  There will be videos in the coming months that you won’t want to miss, including some insightful customer testimonials.

I ask you now to focus on your cyclops eye (the one between your eyebrows), take a deep breath in, and as you slowly breathe it out, produce a  loud and proud “oooommmmmmmmmmm“.

Properly centered?

Good.

Solar Sales Consultant Matthew King, welcome to your 15 minutes of sunshine!

When I’m not busy advocating a sunshine-powered life at Sungevity, I do my best to power my own life with sunshine. One of my greatest passions outside of work is yoga, and I start off every day with Sun Salutations. Inspired by the ancient yogis of yore who arose from their contorted slumber to bow down toward the sun as it rises in the east, so I rouse myself every morning during the wee hours to make my way to the local yoga shala and perform my obligatory oblations to that orb in the sky that is our solar system’s power source, fueling all known life.

Before coming to Sungevity I spent 9 months living in Guatemala where my time was evenly spent between teaching yoga and working on my own solar start-up, Quetsol S.A., with my business partner and newly named TED Global Fellow Manuel Aguilar. We developed and commercialized micro-scale photovoltaic systems to run indoor lighting and universal cell-phone charging devices to help the 25% of Guatemalans (the poorest of the poor) who don’t have access to electricity and can’t afford to run copper wiring to their villages in order to extend the grid.  After less than a full year of operation, Quetsol has helped thousands of Guatemalans power their lives with sunshine.

When not working, I was living on an off-grid farm and yoga center that I helped build and evolve into a sustainable living demonstration project and yoga school.  At this center we learned, practiced, taught, and implemented concepts from permaculture and biodynamic agriculture, doing everything from harvesting rainwater, homesteading the surrounding landscape, and of course, practicing yoga.

It was those mornings sitting on the docks early before sunrise for meditation that I came to understand the awesome power of the sun as it would hit throw splashes of color onto my eyelids, gently warm my face, and fill me with energy for the day. My time on the yoga farm was the closest I’ve ever come to completely ditching fossil fuels and unsustainable habits, living mostly off of what the land could convert into edible plants via photosynthesis. It was a time of great freedom where I was able to pursue energetic independence via solar power, breathing exercises, physical postures, and meditation.

While it was a bit of bumpy ride reorienting myself to the United States, coming to Sungevity was a natural fit. I joined an incredible group of people working together to propel the mass adoption of a technology revolutionizing the way that we make power, providing independence and abundance to all – and we even have office yoga classes! If we all do our best to make use of the resources that we already have around us and that nature provides freely, like abundant sunshine, then we can create a truly sustainable world that is full of abundance and beauty for all to enjoy.

Namaste.

1 former USPS truck + 10 solar panels + a few planks of reclaimed Douglas Fir from a train station in Maine + 5 iPads + 4 vats of blood, sweat, and tears from Rob Ida Concepts + 70 gallons of fuel capacity + 1 enchanting playlist featuring 77 songs about the sun = 1 Rolling Rooftop Revolution!

Speaking of magic, I have seen people look downright enchanted when they first lay eyes on Tonks.  The orange!  The shimmering panels! The popsicle infographics! The free and all-natural GoodPops!  What’s not to love?  Have you seen her yet?  She is truly a stunner.   And the way she purrs. .  . It’s like being in a room full of elated kittens shaking maracas and shooting off M80s.  Soothing to say the least.  She doesn’t quite fit the required height/weight to get her onto the next season of America’s Next Top Model, but we’re sure if she qualified that she would win the runway walk-off. Va-va-va-ZOOM!

Am I biased?  Maybe, but I’m not the only person who is crushing on the truck. Our Rolling Rooftop Revolution was covered by Huffington Post, LA Times, Treehugger, NY Daily News, Inhabitat, and too many more to count.  Our 250+ employees are also smitten.  They come in early and wait in a line that wraps around the block just to pose for a photo in a mock-up of the truck.

Elvis loves our truck too.

Honestly, how can you NOT love this truck?   She’s a biodiesel solar-powered ice pop truck driving around the Eastern Seaboard making people smile and giving them brief but delicious sanctuary from the heat.  How refreshing!  If I haven’t convinced you of her greatness, check out some of the pics from New York and Massachusetts on Facebook. While you’re already there, don’t forget to officially ”like” our Facebook page.  We donate $1 to The Solar Foundation for every new like we get.

Switching topics slightly, do you know what state is often labeled “The Diner Capital of the World”?  Hint: it is also home to the Miss America pageant, jughandle turns, and the first EVER drive-in movie theatre.  If you guessed New Jersey then you get a gold star on your chart.  If you LIVE in New Jersey then you are in for a treat, because our Rolling Rooftop Revolution is headed there next!  Follow Sungevity on Twitter to find out when the Rolling Rooftop Revolution is in your neck of the woods. Or city.  Or beach.  Or whatnot.

Come on out.  Grab a free all-natural ice pop.  Pose for a pic.  Chat with us about solar. We can’t wait to see you there!

That’s right, you clever little kitten, you.  We’ve made some major changes to our blog, including:

• Enhanced Sharability – We’ve made it super-easy to share posts on Facebook, Twitter, and even LinkedIn.
• Simple Subscription – Look to the upper right and you’ll see a one-click way to subscribe to the blog via RSS.  For those of you who aren’t BFFs with RSS, we have an equally easy way to get our posts via e-mail.
• Riveting Content – Moving forward we’re going to be focusing more on energy innovation, solar lifestyles, and “The Life and Times of Solar People.”

We hope you’re as excited about these changes as we are.  We want this blog to be a two-way conversation, so join in on the dialogue and let us know what you think!  Also make sure you’re following us on Facebook and Twitter.  We’re going to be doing some hot stuff this summer, and we would love for you to be part of it.

Okay.  Now that we have all of the housekeeping (blogkeeping?) out of the way, it’s time to kick things off with thoughts on the growth of solar from one of our all-time favorite people – Danny Kennedy.  Danny is Sungevity’s co-founder and President, the spirit animal of the solar industry, and an all around great guy.  With no further ado, heeeerrrrre’s Danny!

[[Feel free to grab a sip of water or do a few stretches as Danny takes the stage]]

[[Enter Danny, wearing a fabulously bright orange shirt and matching fedora.  SHHHH!  He's starting!]]

The Ascent of the Sun (Part 1 of 3)

As of Midsummer’s Eve, 2011, one stand out trend is apparent in our economy and in what is powering our lives– the sun is rising! Indeed, it is an unprecedented rate at which solar electricity is becoming dominant in our global energy supply. I know that’s a significant claim, so in a few coming blog posts I’ll try to provide some historical supporting data to get you as excited as I am about the “solar ascent”.

First, consider the ridiculous growth of the solar electric industry, the fastest growing business segment over $100 billion in value in the global economy. We have been doing 65% compounded annual growth rates for 5 years straight through the great recession! With that expansion comes social good like new jobs, pollution reduction, and happy customers saving money on electricity.

Admittedly, solar is still providing only a small percentage of the overall power portfolio, but remember that from little things, big things come. One very big thing that occurred is that more solar got installed last year than nuclear power plants.  And solar combined with wind and biomass now make up more of the electricity supply than all installed nukes do. Plus many gigs of nuclear power are now being shut down post-Fukashima.

Why is solar eclipsing nuclear power? Because solar is safer, faster to install and, most importantly, cheaper.

It probably makes sense to anyone that has paid attention to the nuclear waste debate or the news that a big chunk of Japan has just become a no-go zone. Nuclear power is costly, and as costs mount, rather than being too cheap to meter, it is too expensive to use.

What do you think? How does solar compares to other conventional or incumbent electricity generating options? Are we cheaper than coal? What about gas? Head to the comments and place your bets on when we’ll cross over that line for other kinds of electricity generation: 2011, 2020, 2100 or some other time!

Next week: The Ascent of the Sun – Part 2, Stepping on the Gas!

To be honest, I don’t spend much time staring at the sun, and I would suggest that you don’t either. However, astronomers and other scientists have some great methods that allow them to observe and record the activity happening on the sun.

One of the most well known phenomenons that occur up on our star are solar flares. A flare is a sudden, rapid and intense variation in light. On the sun, these flares occur when magnetic energy that has built up in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released out into space. This release of energy is emitted across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, everything from radio waves, visible light and gamma rays. The amount of energy released in a solar flare is monumental; think millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs exploding simultaneously! Solar flares can occur anywhere from less than one a week and up to several a day. The frequency correlates to the Sun’s 11-year cycle.

So you might be saying, “so what?” The “so what” is that solar flares affect us here on earth. Solar flares generate dangerous particles and radiation. However, for the most part, or atmosphere and magnetic field keep us safe. But what about the area surrounding earth?

Satellites in particular are affected by solar flares. When a flare occurs it heats our atmosphere and expands it. This expansion increases the drag on satellites and decreases their lifespan. Additionally the electromagnetic pulse associated with flares can affect the electronics on the satellite.

The most serious threat to our lifestyle occurs during geomagnetic storms, which are caused by coronal mass ejections-a phenomenon related to solar flares. During these geomagnetic storms, the shockwaves can cause high currents in power lines, which in turn can blow out transformers. The most famous blackout caused by a solar storm was in 1989 when the Hydro-Quebec Power Authority and the entire Quebec power grid collapsed, affecting 6 million people!

These events are just one more reminder of the power of our sun. If you are interested in learning more about solar flares, National Geographic TV has an episode on the subject.

-Nat Smith

Have you calculated your carbon footprint lately?

The CoolClimate carbon calculator covers it all–transportation, energy, even the food you eat and the stuff you buy.  Be sure to check out the feature that lets you compare yourself (or your small business) to other households or businesses–but remember, even if you have the smallest footprint of any American, you’re still generating tons more carbon than most people in the world, so don’t skip the “Take Action” link.

The Good Widget

After calculating your carbon footprint, you might feel a bit despondent, so here’s something to renew your optimism.  The widget below, courtesy of the Carbon War Room, shows the number of solar watts being installed in the US.  Relax and enjoy the lovely vision of the flickering, ever-rising number.

The Wicked Widget of the West

Last but not least, prepare to get depressed again when you check out the Atmospheric CO₂ widget which, like the solar widget, is endlessly ticking upwards.  And on that note…use the tools, share them with your friends and turn off your computer when you’re done.

–Erica Etelson