Solar Group Purchasing Goes National with One Block Off the Grid

SAN FRANCISCO, July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar group purchasing company One Block Off the Grid today announced the launch of 2,081 group deals on solar energy in 34 states as well as a powerful new interactive map designed to promote job creation at the state level. The project, called One Nation Off the Grid, signifies an unprecedented level of national reach for a single residential solar organization and is comprised of 175 new partnerships between One Block Off the Grid and solar installers across the country.

In addition to providing widespread access to group deals on solar energy, One Nation Off the Grid is aimed at promoting job growth at the state level.

"For us, this campaign isn't about selling solar. It's about moving the U.S. economy forward," said One Block Off the Grid Founder and CEO Dave Llorens. "There is now crystal clear evidence that a state's clean energy goals and solar incentives are the single greatest factor in whether a solar market can take off in that state and solar job creation with it, yet 37 out of 50 states still don't have strong policies in place. We got tired of waiting for politicians to do something, so we're asking the American people start a dialogue with their state leaders, right now. We're trying to light a fire."

To help U.S. citizens start the conversation with state leaders, the One Nation Off the Grid program is launching the U.S. Solar Market Map, an interactive, data-driven map that shows real-time levels of homeowner solar activity all the way down to the county level, as well as an estimated number of jobs that would be created in each state if solar policies were stronger. The map reveals whether group pricing on solar is available in a given county and includes a frank assessment of each state's clean energy policies.

One Block Off the Grid will contribute all profits from the national program to Kiva City, the new U.S.-based arm of Kiva.org's microlending platform. The Kiva City program, kicking off in Detroit, was launched as part of a commitment announced earlier this month by President Bill Clinton on stage at the Clinton Global Initiative America conference in Chicago.

"We're thrilled that One Block Off the Grid has created an easy way for citizens to promote solar in their communities and the local job creation that goes along with that," said Premal Shah, president of Kiva.org. "We share One Block Off the Grid's belief that healthy local communities are key to U.S. economic renewal and that clean energy will play a big part in this renewal."

Many States Ripe for a Solar Job Boom

According to new estimates by One Block Off the Grid, approximately 107,000 U.S. state and local level jobs could be created within a short period of time if solar energy policies were established or improved in the U.S. The figure represents six to ten percent of total U.S. job creation over the last two years.

Among the states the report identifies as having the greatest potential for solar job creation were: Texas, Florida, Virginia, Missouri, Georgia, Washington, Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Michigan.

The report also estimates that roughly 245,000 jobs could be created over a longer period if U.S. states were to establish a policy known as a feed-in tariff, which pays above-market rates to homeowners for the solar energy they feed back into the grid. This policy has been strongly linked to high rates of residential solar adoption in Germany, where there is one solar job for approximately every 1,000 people. By comparison, the report estimates there is currently one solar job for every 4,000 people in the United States.

The full results of the report, entitled, "Solar Saves America: Job Creation Estimates by State" will be published on August 1, 2011.

Small Businesses Endorse Study Findings

In an opinion poll conducted by One Block Off the Grid, 19 out of 23 solar company CEOs said they "strongly agreed" that strengthening state solar policies would lead to more hiring at their companies. Below is a sampling of the responses to the poll.

"As soon as Wisconsin lawmakers create stronger solar policies like SRECs here, I can start hiring and putting solar panels on all the homes, farms, and businesses that want them," said Todd Timmerman of Timmerman's Talents LLC in Platteville, Wisconsin. "Our state does have some incentives, but not enough to allow me to expand my business the way I'd like."

"Georgia is ideal for solar, but utilities here have far too much sway over our state energy policy," said Steve Barker, CEO of Walker Solar Power in Mansfield, Georgia. "Before I can start hiring, lawmakers have to stand up to them and create real solar policies in our state. It's time."

"Many, many homeowners want to go solar in New York, but without better incentives in place, they don't have a framework for doing that yet," said George Demakos, President & CEO of Renewable Energy Solutions Systems in Port Washington, New York. "If the New York Solar Jobs Act passes here and SRECs are put in place, consumer demand for solar will be unleashed, and I'll probably have a hard time hiring as many people as I need to keep up with demand."

"Virginians want solar but the policies and incentives in Virginia limit the development of a good solar market," said Ken Stadlin, President of Kenergy Solar. "Dominion Power is too powerful and dominant in their influence of Virginia politics. I grew up in Virginia and I would love to open a Virginia office and expand our company, but until Virginia puts a reliable policy framework in place we would not choose to invest there."

"Solar is a bright and shining addition to Arizona's economic development portfolio," said Dan Maher, VP of Business Development for Solar Plus in Tucson. "And it promises to only get better. With as little as 10 percent penetration in the residential market alone, the skilled labor required to install solar power arrays would create thousands of jobs and millions in wages. Talk about a stimulus package."

Dave Llorens says the One Nation Off the Grid program is designed to support local solar businesses.

"Typically when a big solar company announces they're adding jobs, they're only doing so in the handful of U.S. states that already have strong solar incentives," said Llorens. "We want to bring strong solar job growth to all fifty states, and especially to small businesses that have already shown a commitment to solar in their communities."

How the Program Works

The One Nation Off the Grid program will allow a greater number of U.S. residents to take advantage of One Block Off the Grid's group deals on solar energy. Whenever a critical mass of a county's residents sign up on the One Block Off the Grid website, all residents in that county gain access to One Block Off the Grid's fixed and transparent solar group pricing for that county.

If the homeowner likes the solar pricing presented, he or she can choose to be connected with One Block Off the Grid's trusted local solar installation partner in the area for a free on-site roof evaluation. If that homeowner ends up deciding to purchase or lease solar energy, One Block Off the Grid will provide the homeowner with a $500 cash rebate, which reflects the group discount component of the deal.

One Block Off the Grid will donate all profits from the program to the Strong America Today Fund, a microlending fund sponsored by One Block Off the Grid and hosted on the Kiva.org platform. The fund will provide microloans to U.S. small business owners in the United States' most economically challenged cities.

Because group pricing may not be enough to bring down the cost of solar for many homeowners in many U.S. states, the One Nation Off the Grid program will also encourage homeowners to visit the interactive U.S. Solar Market Map, which displays a frank summary of each state's energy policies along with state lawmakers' contact information.

Group deals have already tipped in 232 of the possible 2,081 U.S. counties where it is available. One Block Off the Grid said that it would continue to bring on new installation partners and group deals in the interest of providing the broadest possible access to fair, transparent solar pricing.

In addition to the interactive U.S. Solar Market Map, homeowners also have access to a sophisticated solar estimate tool, which uses satellite photography to examine the homeowner's roof and estimate how much a solar system would cost for their home.

To see if your county has an active group deal on solar or view job creation estimates by state, visit http://1bog.org/nation. To generate a solar free estimate for your roof, visit http://1bog.org/solar-estimate

About One Block Off the Grid

One Block Off the Grid is the country's largest provider of group deals on solar energy. Since 2008, One Block Off the Grid has run over 50 group deals in ten states and helped thousands of homeowners go solar. In addition to providing group discounts, the company hand picks reputable solar installers on behalf of homeowner and acts as the homeowners' advocate throughout the process of going solar. The company has been featured in dozens of publications including The New York Times, The Economist, Wired, The Wall Street Journal, and GOOD Magazine. In 2010, One Block Off the Grid sponsored the first-ever solar Groupon and received The Daily Green's Heart of Green Award for "Best New Innovation." For more information, visit www.1bog.org.

About Kiva.org

Kiva.org is the world's first personal microlending website, empowering individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. Founded in 2005, Kiva.org's mission is to connect people, through lending, to alleviate poverty. Over 598,000 people have loaned more than $226 million to 586,000 entrepreneurs in 59 countries. Kiva.org is headquartered in San Francisco.

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SOURCE One Block Off the Grid