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<\/p>\nGoogle sees solar panel rental as an undervalued proposition in a booming solar market. The solar space is getting even more crowded now that Google will rent solar panels to households. They have not announced where the panels will be available to rent. But the announcement was made on Google’s US and UK sites, and the company with whom Google is working is based in San Jose, Calif.<\/p>\n
“Together with SunPower Corporation we\u2019re creating a new $250 million fund to help finance the purchase of residential rooftop solar systems \u2014 making it easier for thousands of households across the US to go solar,” Google renewable energy specialist Rob Parker wrote in a company blog post.<\/p>\n
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Leasing solar panels is nothing new. The SunPower Corporation already leases solar panels to about 20,000 US households. Solar companies are trying to get more creative in ways to finance solar panels to the budget-conscious demographic and an influx of cash from Google helps do that.<\/p>\n
But while all of this is driving solar panel prices into a cheaper and more affordable range, it still costs about $10,000 to outfit your roof with a set of solar panels. Most homeowners are not able to make that kind of investment up front, and renting the panels makes more financial sense for them.<\/p>\n
Google makes its name as a search engine business, but they are uniquely suited to run solar energy in homes more efficiently. Because Google can monitor your every little behavior by tracking your email account, Maps usage and\/or Android phone, they know when you are home and when your energy use peaks. Traditional utility companies like PG&E do not have much personal data on you, other than what appears on your monthly bill.<\/p>\n
By collecting data on millions of people’s personal behavior, Google can play the energy-trader game better than any energy trader ever could. Google can collect excess energy from rented solar panels, and then use data modeling to determine where that excess energy can best be sold.<\/p>\n
It may be a nice advantage for Google to say that they reduced certain households’ carbon footprint. But their goal is not to pat themselves on for being tree huggers. Google’s goal is to exploit an advantage they see in the energy industry, and ultimately make the sun go down on yet another old-school sector of the economy.<\/p>\n
Source: http:\/\/www.allvoices.com\/contributed-news\/16941616-google-going-into-the-solar-panel-rental-business<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Google sees solar panel rental as an undervalued proposition in a booming solar market. The solar space is getting even more crowded now that Google will rent solar panels to households. They have not announced where the panels will be … Continue reading