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Starting Small

Read about this creative solar panel solution that seems to address a number of adoption issues. We had our local utility provider try to sell us on installing solar panels on the roof a few months ago. They way they went about it was so underwhelming that it is no surprise that it is close to zero percent adoption.

 There were no incentives, a bunch of upfront cost and no clarity on when all that would start to pay for itself. What if a person wanted to sell their home along the way and the new owner did not want to pay a premium for the solar panels, worse ask for them to be removed before closing. Something more manageable in size and the ability to realize value in a short time horizon are the two things that make Solago a winner for the average consumer. 

The so-called plug-in systems involve routing the direct current generated by the panels to an inverter, which converts it to an alternating current. They can then be plugged into a conventional wall socket to feed power to a home.

Janik Nolden, who together with two friends founded Solago, a German start-up that sells rooftop solar panels and the plug-in versions, said most of his customers were interested in installing the panels on their own.

Our utility company (if they are serious about driving solar adoption), should think about promoting a solution like this instead of running their ridiculous sales campaign that is yet to produce any results.

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