Sarasota, Florida-based solar installer Solar Direct has launched an online public offering (OPO) which features its solar-to-scale accelerator.
“We saw a disruption coming. For the past year we have been developing a unique innovative business strategy which we believe could capture a significant share of the solar and energy storage ‘gold rush’ utilizing our solar-to-scale accelerator plus solar buyers’ club platform,” said Kirk Maust, Solar Direct CEO. “The company is seeking capital in this initial offering as we embark on a national expansion effort.”
Analyst Tona Seba from Stanford University, and Ray Kurzweil, one of the leading thinkers when it comes to the future of technology, both agree that the solar and battery storage industries are about to explode. Both predict that these technologies will go from 2% to nearly 100% market penetration within the next 10 to 12 years, providing electrical power and almost entirely eliminating the need for fossil fuels. The technology already exists to fulfill these predictions.
“For solar, for batteries… we are on the cusp of the most transformative disruption in history since the industrial revolution,” Seba said in an online interview.
The reason why solar and storage hasn’t yet taken off is because of its expense. In many cases, those who go solar pay a $150 monthly finance payment to save $150 per month on electricity.
“Going green with solar is currently just a tradeoff of payments,” said Dale Gulden, president of Solar Direct. “While it’s a good thing for the environment, it is not a strong motivator for most consumers. Now that’s about to change.”
“There is little doubt that new cutting edge technologies will help further reduce the price, and we will use technology innovations as they come to market, but lower hardware costs are no longer the biggest roadblock, and will not be enough to bring solar to the masses,” Maust continued. “Solar Direct believes new energy technology cannot innovate its way to global solar adoption. It’s not just the science that must evolve; obsolescence along the entire value chain must also be modernized. That’s what our new platform can achieve.”
Using new crowd funding vehicles such as StartEngine.com, Solar Direct is raising capital to push it into the national forefront and bring solar at a price average consumers can afford using the “solar-to-scale accelerator.” The core concept of the strategy is to dramatically reduce hard and soft costs of a solar energy and battery storage system, which will drive retail cost down to a compelling price point for consumers. Every aspect of the value chain is evaluated, from the manufactured product to the installation and the customer experience, and each one is recreated to reduce waste, increase efficiency and cut costs.
A core component of this accelerator strategy launched in April—customer acquisition engine SolarBuyers.Club. This platform uses social media and grass-roots people-power to capture a new wave of entrepreneurial spirit where average people can tap into the greatest transfer of wealth in history. Members (individuals, groups and businesses) earn cash rewards for spreading the word about the advantages of solar. The platform has already driven acquisition costs down over 80%—just one way the company is driving down the retail cost.
The unique selling proposition provides consumers the ability to pay dramatically less for solar than the status quo of paying the power company, offering them the possibility of significant positive cash flow plus the other great benefits of going solar from day one. It’s no longer a matter of being able to afford solar; now you can’t afford not to go solar.
News item from Solar Direct
Glen Gibellina says
Long Overdue
Solar Direct has been in business of over 30 Y E A R S
That alone speaks volumes to this renewable citizen