Solar Energy Investment Fund
It seems like the way to spin it is as a fund you invest in, to offset your electric bill, and you get something better than CD rates of return for 2 years and then you can roll it over and buy additional panels or get your principal back. To avoid SEC filing requirements we should start with friends, family, and people we have had some business dealings with before ( e.g. your corner grocer, or your barber).
Goal: Generate first solar power by March 31, 2007. We'll start with our own money and once that's working, we'll be looking for people that want to invest.
Another idea is that instead of us selling the panels after 2 years to the building where they reside, how 'bout the owners of those buildings buy into our fund and the fund buys more panels on someone else's building.
solar question
Ted, I was reading with much interest this solar panel business (I assume this is the same link you mention at another spot – I going to that web site). In terms of putting them on my own house, I contribute a current “wonder”, in hopes that addressing it will help increase sales, thinking other potential customers might have this same wonder, it potentially acting as a sales barrier.
As one that tracks technologies routinely I know that solar technologies are going to undergo some major changes in the not too distant future, due to novel R&D in fields such as electro polymers – which can lead to radically reduced cost and more durable structures – and from a visual perspective, “less ugly” (a market place reality is that many home owners don’t want solar panels because they view them as unsightly).
This changing technology picture raises the question, “what if I buy the panels and then this much better solar technology comes along – will I automatically get this upgrade?”, or “what if I want the old panels removed at this future time, what will that cost me?”
Seems to me from a business perspective the solar company installing the initial panels can only get payback and profit if the original panels remain in place for the duration of the contract, thus would not be able to make this upgrade.
Has this situation or scenario been factored into the business plan? MartinPfahler
for reference
- Eesolar.com
- http://www.aboutus.org/Special:AboutUsSearch?auSearch=solar&fulltext=Find%21
- http://www.worldchanging.com/local/chicago/archives/006251.html