Today, we announced an exciting new partnership with Lowe’s that will offer homeowners the easiest and most affordable solar solutions in the marketplace, marking a significant step in the mainstream adoption of residential solar. Get ready for more maraca shaking in the halls of Sungevity hq! As part of the agreement, Lowe’s also has taken an equity position in our company.

Through the partnership, Lowe’s will provide consumers with our quick and easy iQuote experience in their stores. The partnership will allow consumers to view a rendering of the proposed installation and get a firm understanding of the cost-savings related to our innovative solar lease program.
Our CEO Andrew Birch said:

“We are thrilled about reaching out to Lowe’s 15 million weekly customers at their more than 1,750 retail locations. The partnership marks a major acceleration point in Sungevity’s mission to make solar power easily accessible and affordable to homeowners nationwide.”

The partnership will begin with interactive Sungevity displays at select Lowe’s stores, beginning Summer 2011, and will continue to roll out at all Lowe’s stores in states where we provide service, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, but don’t worry -we’re not going to circulate yet another list of all the eco-friendly gifts you can buy for your mom. (After all, how many bamboo salad bowls does a woman need)?

Instead, we want to tell you about an incredibly exciting youth-led international day of action called the iMatter March.  iMatter is “a march for a planet worth inheriting.” It’s the brainchild of Kids vs. Global Warming founder, 16-year old Alec Loorz, who says:

Our society’s addiction to fossil fuels is messing with the perfect balance of nature and threatening the survival of our generation, the youth. It needs to stop, and we will not sit idly by as our leaders make decisions that affect our future…The iMatter March is our opportunity stand up and be heard on the most important issue of our time.

Dozens of local marches will take place on May 8, from Baltimore to Sebastopol to Seoul. Visit the iMatter website to find a march near you. If you can’t make it to the march, you can sign the petition calling on the government to protect our atmosphere. Your mother will be proud of you!

Cal State Fullerton is installing 5,000 solar panels and saving $8 million on their electricity bills. The system will have a combined rating greater than 1MW of power, and will be installed at 4 sites around campus. Additionally, the system will remove a total of 16,000 tons of CO2 emissions for the campus over the 25-year life of the panels.

With the prospect of a carbon price in California soon, the University is looking to make even more money from it’s solar solution. “If we used an average value for CO2 offsets, this would equate to an approximate value of an additional $1.5 million of savings to the campus that would bring the total value of the Solar PV Project to $9.5 million to the campus,” said Doug Kind, manager of commissioning and energy at the Physical Plant.

Schools and colleges going solar have had some tough love lately, so it is great to see Cal State going through with this money-saving leadership move at Fullerton. Students will be inspired by it and so am I. Shine on and thanks to Kamy West at the Daily Titan, CSU Fullerton’s student newspaper for this California Brightspot!

-Danny Kennedy