Press Release

Woman's grassroots solar project called a success

Jennifer Upshaw
April 20, 2008

GoSolarMarin, launched by a San Rafael woman hoping to unite homeowners to curb the cost of going solar, has wrapped up so successfully that organizers say they want to do it again.

"This whole thing was like serendipity - I started out with this small idea," said Lisa Max, founder of GoSolarMarin. "I think it's much greater than I thought it would be."

The project, started in November 2007, resulted in a coalition of more than 500 interested homeowners. More than 100 new photovoltaic systems were purchased through the program from Novato-based SPG Solar.

By buying in bulk, the group discount program brought the price of solar power down to $7.94 per watt from $9.32. Homeowners saved more than $4,000 for the average 3 kilowatt installation, organizers said.

The systems represent a total of more than 400 kilowatts of solar power, the equivalent of removing 1,110 cars from the road and 210 tons of pollution from the air, proponents said.

Still boasting a 500-name e-mail list, Max said she's likely to launch a second campaign to rally homeowners to buy at group rates.

"There are plenty of people in Marin County that could still go solar," she said.

Cost is the biggest obstacle to most homeowners, she said. Encouraging programs that pay back solar purchasers is a necessary incentive.

Environmental advocates are tipping their hats.

"Sustainable San Rafael loves Lisa Max," said Kiki La Porta, co-founder of Sustainable San Rafael. "What she has created is just the kind of citizen community-oriented effort we think is required to make the ecology U-turn we're working on.

"What Lisa has done is to create a mechanism so that people can do what is their natural inclination is to," she said. "To do the right thing."