This article originally appeared on the SolarCity blog. It is reprinted here with permission.
Don’t look now, but solar power in America is becoming a thing, and not just for environmental science professors. Last year solar power became the second-largest source of new electricity generating capacity in the U.S., behind only natural gas. Folks are starting to use the word “mainstream” to describe it.
But is solar really mainstream today? There are tens of millions of empty rooftops in the U.S., but still fewer than 500,000 photovoltaic (solar electric) installations. A survey of American homeowners in January found that while 62% of American homeowners are interested in solar power systems for their own homes, less than half realize that solar is much more affordable today than it was three years ago. Solar power is more affordable than it’s ever been, but too few people realize it’s a viable option for them.
SolarCity is trying to change that, with help from Best Buy. The nation’s largest residential solar power provider is teaming with the world’s largest multi-channel consumer electronics retailer to make residential solar electricity service available to customers through select Best Buy stores. SolarCity is now offering its services in approximately 60 Best Buy locations in Arizona, California, Hawaii, New York and Oregon.
To celebrate the new offering, SolarCity will give every customer a $100 Best Buy gift card, valid for any other purchase in the store, if they sign up for solar service through Best Buy before Earth Day (April 22, 2014). More information on the offer, including terms and a complete list of participating stores, is available at www.bestbuysolarcity.com.
SolarCity makes it possible for many homeowners to install solar panels for free and pay less for solar electricity than they pay for utility power. As the first national consumer electronics retailer to offer a solar service option in-store, Best Buy is helping to make solar power more accessible. A SolarCity representative at each participating Best Buy location will be able to provide Best Buy customers with a satellite-based assessment of their home’s solar power potential in minutes. When customers know that they have an option to do something positive for the environment and save money at the same, they often choose that option. Knowledge, as they say, is power.