Sonoma’s Financing Program and groSolar’s Group Rebate Make Now the Time to Go Solar

August 18, 2009, SONOMA, Calif. --- Sonoma County’s Energy Independence Program (SCEIP) is the most successful municipal solar financing program in the nation, and is proving to be the silver bullet for renewable energy development. Local solar installer groSolar is taking the program to the streets with a month-long door-to-door and event campaign to offer a group rebate to Santa Rosa and Petaluma residents, which makes solar power more affordable than ever before.

“There are incredible economic advantages these days for going solar, and people are taking action, particularly here in Sonoma,” said Kevin Gage, groSolar’s regional manager. “groSolar knows how to leverage these incentives for people, and we make it fast, easy, and cost-effective for both residential and commercial property-owners in California to generate their own electricity from the sun. To top it off, we’re offering to cover 33 percent of the first year of solar-loan payments for Petaluma and Santa Rosa homeowners if we can get 50 people in those towns signed up for the program by the end of 2009.”

“This is a great idea for homeowners and anyone else thinking about solar power,” said SCEIP participant and Petaluma resident, Patricia Moscato. “The program helps people make a practical investment that’s good for the environment. I would highly recommend this program to all my neighbors.”

groSolar, a leading national solar installation and distribution company with offices nationwide, expanded its presence in California last February with the purchase of Borrego Solar’s residential division. A mission-driven company dedicated to making solar power accessible and affordable, groSolar is now the largest 100 percent U.S.-owned distribution company in the solar industry.

groSolar is kicking this program into high gear at the Sonoma County Home Show, September 18-20, featuring veteran energy consultants from Petaluma and Santa Rosa. “Our dedicated Petaluma and Santa Rosa teams have been working in Sonoma since 2001,” said Gage. “groSolar is about building a sustainable community as well as lowering the price for solar power, and we’re excited to be taking this message to the streets.”

groSolar recently hired three local interns from Petaluma and Santa Rosa to promote the program throughout the county and will be canvassing neighborhoods on door-to-door awareness campaigns throughout the fall. "This is not about brand or competition, this is about the best program in the United States for solar and efficiency,” said Adam Galler a groSolar energy consultant. "Our interns learn about solar, and we ask them to promote the SCEIP program and all the solar installers in our area.”

The door-to-door teams will employ an electric bike that can travel 20 miles unassisted on $.10 worth of electricity, and will also be hosting events with eye-catching vehicles that have solar panels installed on their rooftops at local community centers to educate as many people as possible about the benefits of solar power. There are also two community-focused websites where local residents can sign up for more information at www.petalumasolar.com and www.santarosasolar.com

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About groSolar
groSolar is North America’s premier distributor, installer and integrator of solar energy solutions for residential and commercial installations. Founded in 1998, groSolar is the largest 100 percent U.S.-owned distribution company in the solar industry. The company has offices and warehouses across the continent, distributing solar electric and solar hot water systems from offices in VT, NJ, NY, CT, MA, MD, DE, PA, CO, MT, and CA. groSolar integrates components from leading solar manufacturers including Evergreen Solar, PanelClaw, Motech, Heliodyne, SMA, Fronius and UniRac into simple solar energy solutions for customers that generate clean, reliable energy for decades. groSolar is a mission-driven company dedicated to providing high quality solar energy solutions and whole energy appreciation. groSolar’s venture capital investors include NGP Energy Technology Partners, SJF Ventures, and Calvert Social Investment Fund. Learn more at groSolar.com or call 800.374.4494.