We're addicted to fossil fuels, and we're running out of the stuff. Solar's helping us quit cold-turkey.
Despite the political climate we're in, 99 percent of all scientists can agree on one thing: climate change is very real. Thankfully, the Bay Area's solar-tech companies are paving the way toward a cleaner future—and putting money back in your wallet along the way.
A "Wall" We Can Agree On: SolarCity
SolarCity isn't just the largest solar retailer and installer in the Bay Area—it's the largest in the nation. At this point, you might be wondering where you've heard "SolarCity" before. (Hint: Tesla founder Elon Musk bought the company 10 months ago.) The company's hallmark technology is its off-the-grid "wall."
Two determined brothers, Lyndon and Peter Rive, founded SolarCity in 2006 to deliver clean, more affordable energy. The company has since grown to be a world leader in all aspects of harnessing the sun's power. On any given day, the solar radiation inundating our planet could supply our earth with a decade's worth of renewable energy. It's now just a matter of how it's harnessed.
The "Powerwall," as it's called, stores the excess energy collected by a building's solar panels. Think of the Powerwall as an oversized Tesla battery that's capable of storing enough clean and renewable energy to power the average home for more than two days. Another benefit of the Powerwall's off-the-grid storage: if there's an on-grid brownout our blackout, just roll out the reserves. // 3055 Clearview Way (San Mateo), solarcity.com
Simply put, the sun can supply all the energy will ever need; we just need to harness it.(Photo courtesy of towncountrysolar.com)
You Should Now Where All That Energy Is Coming From: UtilityAPI
We've all left the lights on when no one's home or, you know, turned on the TV for background noise during peak-meter hours. Then our jaws hit the floor when the bill comes. UtilityAPI's here to come and help pick it up for you.
Carbon emissions and footprints by resource—just imagine if we moved away from coal!(Photo courtesy of cgge.aag.org)
Elena Lucas—who was featured in Forbes' 30 under 30—founded UtliliyAPI to fill a gap between the consumer and the electric companies. Essentially, she and her team have managed to create a program that'll give real-time facts and figures correlating to where your energy is being sourced from (coal, solar, wind, etc.) and how much it's costing per kilowatt hour.
The program is comprehensive, adaptable, and most importantly, understandable. UtilityAPI will comb through your metered data and steer you toward more affordable options—including solar. No phone calls, no infinite Google searches, just a clean and clear answer.
With each account created, UtilityAPI is creating a data-packed library for customers to see where and when to adopt more cost-effective electricity. // 426 17th St, Suite 700 (Oakland), utilityapi.com
Understanding Is The Way Home: BrightCurrent
Science can seem daunting at times. Between the scrutiny of the scientific method and clean-energy clauses found in our domestic policy, it can be all a bit much. BrightCurrent helps you sort through the jargon and footnotes.
BrightCurrent has given a face, a place, and an overall sense of understanding to adopting clean-energy sources; it's also partnered with big brands such as Sears and Sunrun to help bring solar to masses. CEO and cofounders John Bourne and Jack Bertuzzi launched the business in 2012, and since then, BrightCurrent has revolutionized how the masses are being educated on solar energy. // 426 17th St, Suite 700 (Oakland),brightcurrent.com
Because we all need to save-up for that extra latte.(Photo courtesy of cleantechnica.corm)
