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Here at Sungevity we are proud to be included in the 2010 Innovation Awards held by the Social Venture Network. Our fellow 2010 recipients are:

BTTR Ventures, Berkeley, CA

BTTR Ventures grows delicious specialty mushrooms in coffee grounds waste collected from local cafes. Once harvested, the mushrooms are rushed to stores just hours after picking. BBTR Venture’s closed-loop agricultural model has already turned 50,000 pounds of coffee grounds into 7,500 pounds of gourmet mushrooms and even more compost.

Green For All, Oakland, CA

Green For All is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through a clean energy economy. Green For All works in collaboration with the business, government, labor, and grassroots communities to create and implement programs that increase quality jobs and opportunities in green industry – all while holding the most vulnerable people at the center of the agenda.

Hot Bread Kitchen, Brooklyn NY

Hot Bread Kitchen is a nonprofit social enterprise that creates better lives for low-income women and their families by paying women while they learn the skills necessary to launch food businesses and achieve management track positions in bakeries. To help offset costs, Hot Bread Kitchen sells delicious multi-ethnic breads inspired by the bakers and the many countries that they come from using local and organic ingredients when possible.

KOMAZA, San Francisco, CA and Kenya

KOMAZA is a non-profit social enterprise committed to reducing rural poverty in Africa by connecting smallholder farmers with high-value markets. KOMAZA offers high-value trees with financial, training and marketing services to enable poor farmers to incorporate sustainable forestry business into their regular farming cycle. Working in areas affected by desertification, the forestry projects also have measurable environmental impacts.

About Social Venture Network

Social Venture Network inspires a community of business and social leaders to build a just economy and sustainable planet.

We work to achieve this mission by

• Providing forums, information, and initiatives that enable leaders to work together to transform the way the world does business
• Sharing best practices and resources that help companies generate healthy profits and serve the common good
• Supporting a diverse community of leaders who can effect positive social change through business
• Creating a vibrant community that nourishes deep and lasting friendships
• Producing unique conferences that promote the exchange of ideas and encourage the development of relationships and partnerships
• Offering programs that support the spiritual, professional, and personal development of our members

(Source: Social Venture Network)

Sungevity launched its easy and affordable way to go solar in Colorado. If you know people in the Denver or Boulder area who want to tap that state’s wonderful sunshine and political support for solar power in the form of rebates, tell them to go to www.sungevity.com. There they can fill out an easy form then get an interactive and firm quote within 24 hours.

The launch into Colorado with a 20-year version of the Sungevity Solar Lease follows our company’s successful launch in Arizona and continued presence across most of California. We’re bringing simple, affordable solar to suburbia as quickly as we can and hope you can help spread some sunshine by telling your friends in Colorado. Send them to sungevity.com now!

SOLAR ON THE WHITE HOUSE SOON

We were hoping the President would announce his intention to go solar on the 4th of July with a decision to put solar on the First Family’s Home, the White House. We talked to him on Earth Day about the need to send the signal that solar works, saves money for homeowners, and creates jobs and have since had many positive conversations with officials in Washington, DC.

And, we won’t rest until we’ve heard Mr. Obama say “yes we can” put solar on the White House, per the iQuote we sent to the First Family months ago or any other design that makes sense. And to continue to build support for him and Mrs. Obama to do the right thing we’ve been gathering signatures at www.solaronthewhitehouse.com

If you have not already signed our petition please do so here. And if you have you can also help get us more names with your social media contacts – score enough points and you’ll become a solar champ and win prizes. For information on the campaign, and all the great groups that have joined in please check out the website at www.solaronthewhitehouse.com and join the campaign.

OAKLAND, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire/ — Sungevity, the leading online residential solar provider, today announced record results for the first half of 2010, due to widespread consumer interest in solar energy made more affordable by lease programs.

Sungevity’s revenues from solar panel installations on residential homes have increased by a factor of 10 over the last six months compared with the first half of 2009 revenues. To keep up with the pace of demand for its solar products and services, Sungevity has more than tripled its team in the last six months, bucking the trend by adding green collar jobs during tough economic times.

“We are encouraged by our results as more and more residents in California and Arizona have made the decision to go solar,” said Danny Kennedy, Founder of Sungevity. “And now we are happy to be taking our sunshine online to the good people of Colorado – opening our third state market all from our sales, design and service center in Oakland. The scalability of our low overhead model is bringing solar to more people for less.”

“We know that the dramatic uptake of Sungevity’s offer is attributable to the no money down solar lease programs we offer and immediate savings on energy bills, not to mention that our customers want to help the environment and feel good about being part of the solution. Sungevity remains the only company to offer customers a firm quote within 24 hours without a site visit – which makes it so easy to see if it’s right for you,” said Danny Kennedy.  ”This really removes the last barrier to mass adoption.  Customers can learn at our website, talk on the phone with a consultant 8AM to 8PM, and sign up online for low-cost electricity – it’s a no brainer.”

Sun is Shining in California
According to the California Solar Initiative, solar leases have mushroomed to over 30% of sales since the beginning of the year, which makes this model of leasing systems for homes the fastest growing segment of the solar market. Six months ago only around 10% of systems sold in California were leased.

Sungevity is the fastest growing solar provider in California, according to the “Solar League Tables” maintained by the California government. The tables measure solar installations by total kilowatts sold and the latest figures list Sungevity in the second spot at 1322 total kilowatts in Q2.

Saving Money and the Planet

The 540 solar systems that Sungevity has sold since the lease program’s inception on March 1st will generate 4,343,000 kWh of clean energy each year. This will save the newest group of Sungevity customers over $1 million per year on utility bills, which equates to a savings of roughly $25 million over the expected life of the solar systems.

The environment also benefits – Sungevity and its customers are removing 130,547,254 pounds of carbon from the atmosphere each year, which is equivalent to taking 212,413,403 cars off the road or planting 386,939 trees each year.

Inviting Leaders to Lead by Example

Sungevity this Spring offered to help the President and Mrs. Obama by installing Solar on the White House for free – see www.solaronthewhitehouse.com – and recently challenged California’s gubernatorial candidates, Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman, to take advantage of no money down solar leases. Both California candidates would save instantly on their energy bills, up to 64% in Whitman’s case, by taking a personal step in supporting California’s clean energy future.

“Our dream at Sungevity is to make solar powered homes a reality in this country for everyone who wants to be a part of this exciting movement. We believe that the number of solar installations will continue to increase dramatically, by 1000% in some areas, over the next several years. We see a future where one day 20 – 40% of US homes will be solar homes,” said Kennedy.

Point. Click. Solar with Sungevity.
Sungevity has designed a unique online sales process to make it easy and affordable for homeowners to go solar. Sungevity’s Solar Lease offer gives most customers savings from the start. For many the electricity bill savings start immediately and increase over time. Sungevity has an easy online “iQuote” process, which enables Sungevity to use satellite images and aerial photography to assess customers’ roofs remotely and accurately determine the homes’ solar potential. This allows the company to furnish thousands of customers with a firm proposal to use solar power with no capital cost within 24 hours.

The President threw down the gauntlet on Tuesday: “The time to embrace a clean energy future is now. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny. I say we can’t afford not to change how we produce and use energy because the long-term costs to our economy, our national security, and our environment are far greater.”

So, we’re offering a chance to Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown to lead this mission. Sungevity will produce a quote for each of their homes to go solar on Monday, the summer solstice, and ask them to accept it as a clear step in their clean energy campaigns to be Governor. A deed not words is what we need to believe they have what California needs to stay at the front of the clean economy. Who will be first to go solar?

Read the rest of Danny’s City Brights entry at SFGate

Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman Invited to Tap their Homes’ Solar Potential — Results Next Week

OAKLAND, Calif., June 17 /PRNewswire/ — Sungevity, the leading online residential solar provider, today challenged California gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman to keep the state’s clean energy momentum alive by installing solar on their own homes.

“When it comes to clean energy, California is a leading example for other states. As their campaigns hit full swing, we’re asking Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman to lead by example and support our growing clean economy where jobs and the environment work together,” said Danny Kennedy, Founder of Sungevity. “As President Obama calls for a widespread broadening of clean energy adoption – now a front burner issue with the true costs of oil clear – we are asking our state’s candidates to step up to the plate.”

Clean energy is of increasing importance to the nation, as echoed in President Barack Obama’s speech to the nation on Tuesday: “The time to embrace a clean energy future is now. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny. I say we can’t afford not to change how we produce and use energy – because the long-term costs to our economy, our national security, and our environment are far greater.” Sungevity has also provided an offer of a solar system for the First Family’s Home at www.solaronthewhitehouse.com.

And now to help Brown and Whitman realize their personal potential for going solar as an important step to leading by example toward a cleaner energy future, Sungevity is creating estimates of solar savings for both candidates’ homes, based on calculations of their roof’s exposure to the sun and the electricity rates they are charged. The results will be announced next week on Monday, the Summer Solstice. If either candidate accepts, Sungevity will install the solar for no money down, and they can pay a monthly fee for the clean electricity they will use. This is now the main way solar is consumed in California – on a lease.

“Campaign promises come and go, but the ability to draw energy from the sun will never expire. Our team is ready to deliver solar for Jerry and Meg. In an era of heated debates, oil spills and rising energy bills it is good to know that you can access solar power for no money down at the click of a mouse,” continued Kennedy. “By taking up our offer these politicians can create Californian jobs and take a leadership role in the creation of a stronger, clean economy. Now is the time for deeds not words.”

Point. Click. Solar.

Sungevity’s Solar Lease offer gives most customers savings from the start. For many the electricity bill savings start immediately and increase over time. Sungevity has an easy online “iQuote” process, which enables Sungevity to use satellite images and aerial photography to assess customers’ roofs remotely and accurately determine the homes’ solar potential. This allows the company to furnish thousands of customers with a firm proposal to use solar power with no capital cost within 24 hours. Demand has been huge with over 5,000 iQuotes requested through www.sungevity.com since the beginning of this year.

Phoenix and Tucson Homeowners Can Get Solar Electricity over the Internet with a Firm Online Quote at Sungevity.com

OAKLAND, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Solar energy is coming to the Valley in a whole new way for homeowners looking to save money on their electricity bills. Today, getting a solar power system for the home is just about as easy as purchasing a book on Amazon, and is more affordable than ever before. Sungevity, the Oakland-based company that’s behind the national campaign to get solar on the White House, has “virtually” arrived in Phoenix and Tucson to roll-out its one-of-a-kind online solar program.

“The online approach is an ideal medium for consumers who are thinking about – but never wanted to be hassled with – the planning of home solar power. Sungevity makes it as easy as a click-of-the-mouse to secure the best lease for solar energy in the market.”

In three easy steps, consumers can log onto Sungevity.com, receive a firm “iQuote,” see what the solar panels will look like on their roof using a mash-up of satellite and aerial imagery, sign a contract using electronic signatures and schedule an installation – all paid for with a no-money-down lease.

By using solar energy, Sungevity estimates that most homeowners can save 15% off their electricity bills from day one and have a new residential solar panel system on their roofs, giving owners the satisfaction of using clean energy technology. Sungevity pioneered the ability to accurately engineer and design a solar system for the home without making a site visit. The Sungevity approach uses satellite and aerial photos to size and design the solar system within 24 hours. Solar consultants from Sungevity are available to speak to potential customers from 8a – 8p, seven days a week on freephone 866.SUN4ALL. Finally, local Sungevity partners then perform the installation.

“The time is right to bring the simple, pain-free approach to getting solar panels on your home in the greater Phoenix and Tucson areas,” said Sungevity Founder Danny Kennedy. “The online approach is an ideal medium for consumers who are thinking about – but never wanted to be hassled with – the planning of home solar power. Sungevity makes it as easy as a click-of-the-mouse to secure the best lease for solar energy in the market.”

Sungevity processes all the paperwork and takes all the hassle out of going solar, with an operating lease that includes a performance guarantee for the system plus complete maintenance including cleaning and insurance. In the Phoenix area leases will be for the shortest duration in the industry, which is a ten-year term; and in Tucson, they are 20 years to match the rebate program there. Moreover, Sungevity will soon be offering it’s hassle-free iQuote service online in a Spanish-language format designed to meet the needs of Hispanic homeowners in the Valley.

“I was born in Los Angeles to Australian parents, and after about six or seven years here we moved home to Australia and I grew up there. But I also moved back here to work, and married an American. So I’ve had this sort of cross-Pacific history.

I’m a scientist by training, ecosystem science and then resource management. I took three years of law and didn’t graduate; I dropped out of law school towards the end and have no regrets about that really. My real training has been in policy work around energy and climate issues since I was a teenager, and working as an activist.”

Read the rest of Danny’s interview on Sunpluggers

Customers of LADWP now have access to 20-year Solar Lease with no money down

OAKLAND, Calif., May 18 /PRNewswire/ — Sungevity, the leading online residential solar provider, today announced the Sungevity LA Solar Lease Program, which was designed by Sungevity specifically for residents of Los Angeles City and County who wish to save money on their electricity bills by going solar.

To help Angelinos see the benefits of going solar, Sungevity has estimated the savings for a number of celebrities from the Maps to the Hollywood Stars provided by People Magazine and other sources. Estimating the consumption of these stars and their families shows what a great deal it could be for them to go solar, based on calculations of their roof’s exposure to the sun and the electricity rates they are charged.*

In Los Angeles Department of Water and Power utility service area, where rates are different than surrounding counties served by other utilities, others who are less famous are still likely to experience savings from the sun. “The good news is you do not have to be a movie star to benefit from going solar,” said Danny Kennedy, President and co-founder of Sungevity. “Most Californians make money day one, when they sign for the Solar Lease. Nonetheless I am looking forward to getting a phone call from Justin or Jessica and seeing how we can help them get clean electricity straight from the sun! In the era of awful oil spills and rising energy bills it is good to have a solar option.”

“We are excited to be able to offer the residents of LA the opportunity to go solar with the best service in the business,” said Kennedy. “We have already sold more than 200 leases around California and have a long list of happy customers from the years before we offered the lease. Our mission is to make solar accessible and affordable for everyone, everywhere and the LA program marks an important step for us in making that happen.”

The financing for the lease will be provided by a U.S. Bancorp as part of a $24 million arrangement with Sungevity announced in March. The Solar Lease requires no money down with a 20 year term to maximize returns from the special rebate program within LA Department of Water and Power service area. Sungevity will guarantee any savings and provide free monitoring, free maintenance and cleaning, plus free insurance for the solar system for the term of the Sungevity Solar Lease.

Sungevity has an easy online “iQuote” process, which enables Sungevity to use satellite images and aerial photography to assess customers’ roofs remotely and accurately determine the homes’ solar potential. This allows the company to furnish thousands of customers with a firm proposal to use solar power with no capital cost within 24 hours. Demand has been huge with over 1,000 iQuotes requested through www.sungevity.com in the last month alone.

The Solar Lease offer gives most customers savings from the start of their Sungevity Solar Lease. For many customers the electricity bill savings from the solar lease start immediately and increase significantly over time.

For more information about Sungevity please or to get a quote please visit: www.Sungevity.com or call 866.SUN4ALL (866.786.4255)

Sungevity is unique in many ways, but one of the most unique aspects is our Remote Solar Design (RSD) team. I know they have been in the news recently, but it’s a really cool concept and I’m going to go ahead and add to the buzz surrounding the team.

For years going solar has been an expensive process and one of the first costs that the homeowner faces is the initial site visit for a quote. You’ve got to figure that you, as a potential customer, are going to look up a few different solar companies in the Yellow Pages (or on Google) and request an evaluation of your home’s potential. Each of the companies you contact needs to send a salesperson to your home and that process takes a lot of time: driving to who knows where, climbing up on the roof, measuring, calculating and finally presenting their plan.  This is all fine and dandy if the sales call results in a sale, but remember, you’ve called more than one company! In California, the historic conversion rate to a sale is about 10%. That leaves a lot of companies not closing a sale after a costly site visit. Guess who picks that bill up? That’s right, you, the customer.

That was Solar 1.0.  Solar 2.0 (the Sungevity way) breaks away from this cumbersome and expensive model. What we do is completely web based and designed to make going solar as cheap and easy as humanly possible. In Solar 2.0, when a potential customer wants a quote, all they have to do is go onto Sungevity’s website and submit a request for an iQuote. That’s where our RSD team comes in.

When you request your iQuote, you will see an aerial image of your neighborhood that you use to identify your home. The RSD team uses similar aerial and satellite images which enable them to solve for roof angles/orientation, see details on your roof such as vents, as well as determine size and shading. With these images the RSD team can design a system for your home incredibly quick and cost-effective manner.

Once the RSD team designs your virtual solar array, they email you a firm quote. The beauty of the RSD method is that we are able to deliver firm quotes within 24 hours (an unprecedented accomplishment) and save a ton of money which we can pass on to our customers.

-Nat Smith

Solar home specialists offer first ever 10-year solar lease – making it easier than ever for California residents to get electricity free from the sun, with no money down, at the click of a mouse!

OAKLAND, Calif., March 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Sungevity, the leading online residential solar provider, announced today a new partnership with U.S. Bancorp to finance solar systems for Californian homes. U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) is the parent of U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States.

“We’re excited to partner with Sungevity on their solar lease program,” said Darren Van’t Hof, Vice President of Renewable Energy Investments for U.S. Bank. “We like the residential solar space and are convinced its growth will outpace commercial solar development in the coming years.”

Together the two companies have created a new tax equity fund to finance solar leases for Sungevity’s future customers. Sungevity has become a leader in the solar industry because of its ability to offer easy and affordable residential solutions with its unique online design and sales process.

“Sungevity has always put its customers first, and we are thrilled to be able to offer the best solar lease on the market with the first ever 10-year term using this fund while maintaining a service unparalleled by our competitors,” said Danny Kennedy, President and co-founder of Sungevity. “Having a great partner like U.S. Bank that believes in the power of solar helps ensure that more home owners than ever can reap the savings coming from solar power in their own homes.”

Sungevity started providing solar leases this month and has already sold one-quarter of a megawatt under the offer. Leveraging the easy online “iQuote” process, which enables Sungevity to use satellite images and aerial photography to assess customers’ roofs remotely and accurately determine the homes’ solar potential, the company has been able to furnish thousands of customers with a firm proposal to use solar power with no capital cost. Demand has been huge with over 1000 iQuotes requested through www.sungevity.com in the last week alone.

The offer gives most customers savings from the start of their Sungevity Solar Lease. The graphic compares a typical customer’s monthly electric bill over a ten year period – savings from the solar lease starts immediately and increases significantly over time.

“This is the killer app for driving the mass adoption of solar,” said Kennedy. “We’ve made it more than affordable to access electricity free from the sun, and we’ve made it easy by selling it over the internet.”

“The Sungevity Solar Lease is a game changer: In one day this month we sold more solar power than our previous biggest month – people are voting with their mouses to get a lower electricity bill and do something for the planet.”

About Sungevity: Sungevity is a solar sales company, with a mission to take solar to the mainstream market. Our company has a strong team that brings together successful start-up experience, environmental leadership and solar industry knowledge. Sungevity has designed and launched a unique online sales process to make it easy and affordable for homeowners to go solar.

About U.S. Bank: U.S. Bank is the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates over 3,000 banking offices and over 5,000 ATMs, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bank on the web at www.usbank.com.