Love or hate it, solar challenger Citizenre hits delays

Citizenre, a company that plans to build and rent solar panels to consumers, has secured some financing and delayed its launch until the fall, according to a representative.

Word about Citizenre initially came out earlier this year, prompting adoration and nasty rebukes from solar industry insiders.

Its business plan is to manufacture and rent solar panels to homeowners. The idea is that the rental model obviates the high initial costs of buying and installing panels, thereby making solar much more widespread.

The company has signed on thousands of "ecopreneurs," people who have pledged to install panels to homeowners once a product is ready.

But people who work in the solar industry have taken a highly skeptical view of Citizenre, particularly its ability to manufacture solar equipment itself in a cost-effective way while training installers and creating a workable rental model for consumers.

In February, company executives said Citizenre planned to announce a manufacturing site and financing in March.

Early this month, Erika Morgan, Citizenre vice president of communications, acknowledged that the company missed that deadline and shared a few details on its future plans.

She said that the company has secured financing for a planned manufacturing facility which will be in the northeast of the United States. Morgan also indicated the company is arranging financing that is separate than that for its planned manufacturing facility.

She said that an announcement on its manufacturing plans could come in September.

[Mabus]

Interesting idea, but...

I like the idea of bringing down the startup costs for consumers, but I don't see how their model can handle the depreciation of photovoltaic (pv) systems. A pv system generally pays for itself in about 10 years given the current market rates for electricity, but that's also the life expectancy of the unit. Soon after you've broken even, you need to replace it. Their rental pricing will need to take that into account, so it will likely be the same price as getting a home equity loan to purchase the system.

[tonycecala]

25 years, more likely.

Most solar panels come with a 20 to 25 year warrranty because the panels last for at least that long. The Citizenre business model has been carefully thought out, yet heavily criticized. If it were easily understood, or simple to implement, it would have been done already by someone else. (Disclaimer: Yes, I am an Independent Rep. for Citizenre--no need to Google me, or "out me.")

[Vegaman_Dan]

And power companies will then charge more

Power companies base their budgets on anticipated income from their customers. If the customers start using less, then they will be forced to raise the rates to compensate so that they still get the same (or more) money for the missing power.

I wish I could say this was fantasy, but even in my own state after a particularly nasty winter storm that left much of the region without power for a week, the power company applied for and was approved to enforce a temporary rate hike to make up for the missing power. The power company was going to get that money whether or not they actually produced it.

[dcmille290]

Love it or hate it, here comes Citizenre!

One of the things that seem to get peoples attention is when someone or some company decides to do something no one has done before. David Gregg's vision has secured and impressed our investors so to me that says they know something Citizenre doubters don't. I have seen many things that are not available to the public yet, but when the public announcement is made people will be impressed and eating some crow.
Yes, I am an Independent Ecopreneur for Citizenre.

D Miller

[crsolar]

Good Luck Citizenre

I pray this is real, we need a simple way to get people over to Solar & other simple solutions.

[dcmille290]

re: Good Luck Citizenre

Hey CRSOLAR,
Thanks for the best wishes. This is as real as any company, doing something that has never been done before, can be.
As an I.E. with Citizenre, I have been privy to some behind the scenes info, via Non Disclosure Agreement, and the public and naysayers will be amazed at what has been put together in such a short period of time.
Please consider investigating our mission, you can always contact me directly and talk about why this is everyones responsibility to help combat Global Warming, reduce our demand on foreign oil and strengthen our National Security.
NWArkansasSolar.com

Thanks,
DC Miller
Ind. Ecopreneur

[dcmille290]

IDS are nto the installers

Dear Martin,
Please get the story right. We will have a network of franchises, the actual Solar System installers, installing both commercial and residential systems.
The IDS (Independent Direct Sellers) or Ecopreneurs, are responsible for helping educate the public on how to supplement their homes with Solar power, and sign them up for our ReNu systems. Helping to educate folks about Global Warming, the damages of continuing to burn fossil fuels, are also a big part of our position.

Thanks,
David Miller
Ecopreneur

[dcmille290]

IDS's are not the installers

Dear Martin,
Please get the story right. We will have a network of franchises, the actual Solar System installers, installing both commercial and residential systems.
The IDS (Independent Direct Sellers) or Ecopreneurs, are responsible for helping educate the public on how to supplement their homes with Solar power, and sign them up for our ReNu systems. Helping to educate folks about Global Warming, the damages of continuing to burn fossil fuels, are also a big part of our position.

Thanks,
David Miller
Ecopreneur