SolarCity to provide service to 10 R.I. communities

NATIONAL solar power provider SolarCity said it will begin providing service in 10 Rhode Island municipalities.
NATIONAL solar power provider SolarCity said it will begin providing service in 10 Rhode Island municipalities.

PROVIDENCE – A national solar power provider announced on Monday it will begin providing service in 10 Rhode Island municipalities, increasing its national footprint to 18 states.
SolarCity touts its business model that offers homeowners solar installation at no upfront cost and savings of up to 20 percent less than current their current utility costs, according to the company’s announcement.
A publicly traded company, California-based SolarCity will provide service in Coventry, Cranston, Cumberland, East Providence, Johnston, North Providence, South Kingstown, Warwick, West Warwick and Woonsocket. Although the company focuses primarily on the residential market, it also operates in commercial and municipal markets, according to a spokesman.
“Residents outside of the initial service area can sign up to be alerted as soon as service is available to their homes,” according to a press release.
SolarCity’s model is largely based on its “MyPower” solar loan, which bases payments on individual solar system energy production, but unlike a solar power purchase agreement, homeowners retain ownership of the solar panels once payments are completed.
“The company is currently providing one out of every three new solar energy systems in the U.S.,” according to the release.
Elon R. Musk, CEO of SpaceX Corp. and Tesla Motors Inc., is chairman of SolarCity.
In New England, SolarCity also offers service in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The company will start out operating in Rhode Island out of its Fall River, Mass., office, but expects to open its first Rhode Island operating center “in the coming months,” according to a spokesman.
The company has already begun posting job listings on its website: www.solarcity.com/jobs.
Once up and running, operating centers on average employ about 80 to 100 people. Currently, SolarCity employs about 600 people in Massachusetts alone, according to a spokesman.

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