Want Solar? Head to Sam's Club

Getting a solar system installed on your house is decidedly complicated. There is no centralized system, only contractors who you may or may not be able to trust. Prices for installation vary wildly, as do prices for the modules themselves.

{digg}http://digg.com/environment/Want_Solar_Head_to_Sam_s_Club{/digg}But in California, where things are getting a bit more consolidated and simplified, one retailer is trying to make solar easy. And it's Wal-Mart. Or, Sam's Club in nine California stores: Corona, Murrieta, Glendora, Ontario, La Habra, Chino, Long Beach, Fountain Valley, and Torrance.

The solar kiosks will hook consumers up with established solar sellers and installers including Borrego Solar and BP Solar. The kiosks also offer $100 off every kilowatt of installed solar power. Honestly, that's not very much, considering a kilowatt of installed solar can cost up to $10,000, but Sam's Club members expect savings...so savings they will have!

Borrego, however, is intent on selling the future savings of the system. According to them, a $35k system will save homeowners $96k over the life of the panels. I'm not arguing with their data (at least in California) but that's a big pill to swallow for a lot of folks. But exposing people to the potential benefits of solar is apparently half the battle.

We imagine that Wal-Mart gets some commission on sales that come through the Sam's Club kiosks, but the image it gives them may be more important in the end. But if these things will make it simpler and more common for Californians to buy personal home solar systems, we certainly aren't going to complain.

Via Wal-Mart and CNet

Email this

Comments (19) Add Comment

Subscribe to this comment's feed

...
written by Peter Chee, August 15, 2008

That's awesome. Making solar available to everyone in a common place like Sam's Club is great. You don't have to go to some really expensive high end mechanical engineering company to buy a system. I wonder how they are going to handle the installation of these, as it's not trivial. It would be interesting to see a DIY kit.

never gonna be DIY
written by jello5929, August 15, 2008

To meet code, you need a certified electrician connecting the inverter to the grid.

I'm sure you can DIY. It's not that hard. But a place like Sam's Club wouldn't want the liability.

Goes Great With a Tesla Roadster
written by MiniFortunes, August 16, 2008

I wouldn't go with the economic motivation for solar...the savings just aren't there yet. But for those who want to make an ecological statement regardless of the cost, solar is the way to go. Get a solar panel to recharge your Tesla roadster and you can have a truly zero-emission vehicle!

...
written by Free Xbox 360 Elite, August 16, 2008

That's great that solar is becoming readily available. Despite the high price point, which will keep the majority of consumers from purchasing the product, the ones who do purchase are making a great investment for a healthier earth in the future.

Coolness
written by Jim McDish, August 16, 2008

Sams Club has been around for a long time and is very trusted.

JT
www.FireMe.To/udi

...
written by Joe, August 16, 2008

It would be nice if they could do this elsewhere. definitely be helpful to the people that want o try this but don't really have a place to go for it in other states.

Fantastic News!
written by CB, August 16, 2008

IKEA also has plans to start selling solar panels.

The price isn't a huge concern, it's gotta start somewhere and it's only going to drop.

...
written by Terry, August 17, 2008

Solar voltaic energry is not economicallly feasible at current prices. The cost of a system, that you install yourself, after tax rebates, costs enough that the 5% interest you lose by spending the money rather then investing it will never be recovered let alone any of your investment. The cost of a self installed system, that produces 1KW, is about $6000. Do the math. Figure out how much electricity it would produce monthly, See how much that saves you and then compare it to what you would gain from investing your $6000 in a 5% CD. Where I live I could get $2500 in tax rebates but even the loss of income on a $3500 investment, at 5%, is not recovered by the electricity it would generate. A 1KW system would only save me about $11.20/month at current rates. When 225 watt solar panels cost under $100 solar will be feasible but not at $600-$800 for used and $1100 for new.

When will this happen in SC?
written by Viji Sashikant, August 17, 2008

This is great news! I am full of admiration for Wal-Mart and Sam's Club - they seem to have their finger on the pulse of the clued-up customer. By promoting solar in their stores, they are creating a huge awareness and hopefully, a huge demand.

This is the only way we can bring down the exorbitant price of solar panels.

As always, California is 1st. When do you think this will trickle down to Sam's Clubs in SC?

Control power costs
written by Bhagat, August 17, 2008

With the cost of these solar systems being so high it is cheaper to make a direct connection to the grid, thereby obtaining the cost benefit of unmetered power for just the price of strong alligator clips and rubber boots.

Great step
written by Alex Kelley, August 18, 2008

As the article states, Sam's Club won't doing any installation work or even selling system components to their customers. In essence, Sam's is just brokering the deal. I can't see any problem with this idea as qualified installers are doing the work for the going rate plus the homeowner will actually own the system unlike with some of the PPA companies out there.

Coming of an age
written by Valerie, August 18, 2008

I also just read in The Mother Earth News that Home Depot is also carrying small pv panels such that you could use to power a farm gate. They also do consultations on home systems. I think it is just a few years away for every one. Consumer demand will be the driving force.

economically feasible???
written by b, August 23, 2008

considering energy is going to be only more and more expensive as fossil fuels are phased out and the dollar is becoming less and less of value you can keep your cds and bonds i think home energy production may be a much greater asset. and anyone working at a 5% return on an investment is in a losing battle with inflation right now.

Both Sam's Club and Ikea Need To Conside
written by EcoConnoissuer, August 23, 2008

My wife and I are using Envision’s flat-pack products, the LIfeTree™ and LIfeShade™ products on our PA property because:

-these are flat-pack options (solar in a box)
-they offer a nice backyard feature and provide shade without messing up your roof
-the price point is lower than almost any roof install ($15,500 for the LifeShade™ and $16,500 for the LIfeTree™)
-they use the latest technology micro-inverters so you don’t need equipment at your meter, it’s just an AC line that any electrician can connect
-the micro-inverters come with an online system that tracks the production of clean energy graphically (great education tool for the kids!)

...
written by Bobulator, August 25, 2008

Look carefully at the "solar calculator" on Borregos website! For example if you select $100/mo, x 12mo x 25 yr. you get $30,000, not $87,727 which they say as your cost. Obviously they are factoring some inflation of energy prices, but nowhere mention that, or what factor it is. The numbers are NOT so nice when you figure in the CURRENT savings at $30,000, vs. current cost of $26,900. I find most of these "calculators" end up with fluff, and the tree hugging promise of all the CO2 you're reducing, etc. While no doubt true, the economics are at this time more snake oil than reality.

Bob

Great Marketing
written by Riley, August 26, 2008

I think if more retailers are carrying solar it can only benefit the public. Educating family's about a better/cleaner technology to power their home will only make it more likely for them to purchase solar in the future.