Valley cities rated high in solar growth

Source: The Business Journal

Fresno, Clovis and Visalia ranked in a list of 25 cities with the most solar clients, indicating how well the industry is doing in areas with lower incomes. In Sunible's recent PV Solar Report, Fresno was at No. 3 for the most California solar installations in the first quarter of the year, just behind Bakersfield and San Diego. Clovis came in at No. 7 while Visalia was down just a little farther at No. 20. The report shows that around 75 percent of new California solar homeowners choose solar leasing in which homeowners purchase power produced by their systems from a third-party installer. The method is growing faster in communities with modest incomes over direct ownership seen in higher numbers in affluent areas. "Many of the leading solar cities in California are median-income communities like Fresno, Clovis, El Cajon and Chico," said Rosana Francscato of Sunible, in a statement. "According to the most recent census data, Fresno's median annual income was just over $41,000. Yet Fresno is near the top of the Solar Cities list, at #3 in installs for Q1 2013. "In the cities with the most solar growth since 2008, third-party-owned solar has increased substantially—an average of more than 104% from Q1 2012 to Q1 2013. In that period, the city of Chico experienced a 153% increase in TPO (third-party-owned) solar installations." According to data from the California Solar Initiative, solar installers have completed 2,701 solar installations in Fresno totaling 34.62 megawatts in energy generating capacity since the rebate program began in 2006. Clovis claims 1,587 installations for 12.76 megawatts while Visalia has 887 installations for a total of 12.6 megawatts.

URL to original article: http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/energy-and-environment/9927-valley-cities-rated-high-in-solar-growth

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