Compiled by Staff

Solar Financing

Boulder-based Lighthouse Solar has joined SolarRun and SolarCity in essentially offering Colorado homeowners in the Xcel Energy service territory a “no money down” deal to install a PV system.

The company is offering two financing options for the program: The SolarSaver Lease and the SolarSaver PPA.

According to Lighthouse Solar, customers opting for SolarSaver PPA (power purchase agreement) need to pay only for the electricity produced by their solar photovoltaic systems at a fixed rate, which is usually about the same cost as the utility rate or even less. With this set-up, customers pay only for the power produced by their systems. Customers selecting the SolarSaver Lease have to a pay a fixed amount every month, regardless of the power produced by their solar systems.

Scott Franklin, President of Lighthouse Solar, says that iniital capital investment is the main obstacle for homeowners considering installation of a PV system, and his new financing program eliminates it.

Juwi Solar Sells Blue Wing Solar Project to Duke Energy

Duke Energy Generation Services, Inc. (DEGS) has acquired the Blue Wing solar project in San Antonio, Texas from Juwi Solar, Inc., a developer and turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor of solar power facilities, based in Boulder. DEGS is the renewable power unit of energy company Duke Energy Corporation.

The Blue Wing solar project is a 14-megawatt project that will consist of 214,500 ground-mounted First Solar thin film panels The deal comes with a 30-year agreement to sell the power from the solar farm and associated renewable energy credits to CPS Energy, the municipal utility in San Antonio.

Construction will start after the deal closes, which is expected by the end of March. The 139-acre project should be running by the end of the year. No other terms were disclosed.

Blue Wing will be the first commercial solar project Duke will own and operate. Duke Energy Carolinas, part of Duke’s regulated business, is installing solar panels on the rooftops of selected business and residential customers as part of a $50 million program.