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Wikipedia

SolarCity

December 01, 2023

Not to be confused with Solar Cities in Australia or City Solar.

SolarCity Corporation was a publicly traded company headquartered in Fremont, California that sold and installed solar energy generation systems as well as other related products and services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company was founded on July 4, 2006, by Peter and Lyndon Rive, the cousins of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016, at a cost of approximately US$2.6 billion (equivalent to $3.2 billion in 2022) and reorganized its solar business into Tesla Energy.

SolarCity Corporation
Original SolarCity headquarters in Foster City, California
TypePublic
Nasdaq: SCTY (unlisted November 21, 2016)
IndustrySolar energy generation
FoundedJuly 4, 2006 (2006-07-04)
FoundersLyndon and Peter Rive
DefunctNovember 21, 2016 (2016-11-21)
FateAcquired by Tesla, Inc.
SuccessorTesla Energy
Headquarters
Fremont, California
,
United States
Key people
Websitesolarcity.com (defunct)
Footnotes / references
[1]

SolarCity heavily focused on door-to-door sales of leased systems, where customers would pay no upfront costs, but agreed to purchase the power generated by those panels from the company for 20 years. The business model became the most popular in the US and made the company the largest residential solar installer, but it caused SolarCity to have over $1.5 billion in debt by the time of its acquisition in 2016 (equivalent to $1.8 billion in 2022).

Prior to its acquisition by Tesla, the two companies had a co-marketing relationship, announced in the 2006 first Tesla master plan. Tesla CEO Elon Musk served as the chairman of SolarCity, SolarCity offered free charging to Tesla Roadster owners at its charging stations, and SolarCity became one of the first installers of the Tesla Powerwall home energy storage battery.

History edit

SolarCity was founded in 2006 by brothers Peter and Lyndon Rive,[2] based on a suggestion for a solar company concept by their cousin, Elon Musk, who was the chairman and helped start the company.[3] By 2009, solar panels it had installed were capable of generating 440 megawatts (MW) of power.[4][5]

In 2011, the company launched their expansion to the East Coast with the acquisition of the solar division of Clean Currents[6] and groSolar.[7] Following the acquisitions, SolarCity expanded operations on the East Coast and opened in Connecticut,[8] Pennsylvania,[9] South Carolina,[10] Florida,[11] Vermont,[12] and New Hampshire.[13]

In 2013, SolarCity was the leading residential solar installer in the U.S.[14] Solar Power World magazine listed it as the number two overall solar installation company in the U.S.[15] In 2013, SolarCity purchased Paramount Solar from Paramount Equity for $120 million.[16] By 2015, its installed panels were capable of generating 870 MW of solar power[17] and accounted for approximately 28% of non-utility solar installations in the U.S. that year.[4]

In October 2014, SolarCity announced it would be offering up to $200 million in solar bonds in its first registered public offering of bonds in the United States.[18] In March 2016, SpaceX bought $90 million of SolarCity stock.[19]

In net metering in Nevada case in late 2015, SolarCity withdrew from solar sales and installation in Nevada, following the decision by the state's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to raise the monthly service charge for rooftop solar customers and progressively reduce the return on solar energy sold back into the grid under the net metering rule.[20] Under the new rules, the monthly service charge imposed on Nevada Power's rooftop solar-generating customers rose from $12.75 to $17.90 and was scheduled to rise to $38.51 by January 1, 2020; simultaneously, the rates given to rooftop solar generating customers for their surplus solar energy were also clawed back and were to continue to decline over the ensuing four years.[20] As a result, SolarCity eliminated more than 550 jobs in Nevada.[20]

Workforce reduction edit

 
SolarCity installation vehicles

During 2015, the number of employees had grown by 69%;[21] at the end of 2015, SolarCity had 15,273 employees. To preserve cash,[22] SolarCity eliminated 20% of its total workforce in 2016,[23] ending 2016 with 12,243 employees.[23] This was the first time in the company's history that it cut its workforce.[24]

The job cuts affected workers across the entire company:[23][21] 22% of jobs were cut in operations, installations, and manufacturing; and 27% in sales and marketing. In August 2016, the company announced that it planned to take up to $5 million in charges to cover its planned layoffs. The company also cut the salaries of its two co-founders from $275,000 to $1 per year.[25]

Acquisition by Tesla, Inc. edit

On August 1, 2016, Tesla announced that it would be acquiring the company in an all-stock $2.6 billion transaction as Tesla's mission since its inception has been "to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy."[26] As part of Elon Musk's "The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan," Tesla sought to expedite the world's move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy.[27] The proposal for acquisition was approved by antitrust regulators.[28][29]

More than 85% of unaffiliated shareholders (affiliated shareholders are those who hold executive positions at either company[30]) from Tesla and SolarCity voted to approve the acquisition on November 17, 2016,[31][32] allowing the acquisition to close on November 21, 2016.

Some investors criticized the deal, calling it "a misguided effort to rescue two companies that depend on investors and the government for operating cash."[33] In April 2022 a Delaware court ruled in favor of defendant Elon Musk in a shareholder lawsuit over Tesla's $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity. “[The] Tesla Board meaningfully vetted the Acquisition, and Elon did not stand in its way,” read the opinion by Vice Chancellor Joseph Slights. “Equally if not more important, the preponderance of the evidence reveals that Tesla paid a fair price — SolarCity was, at a minimum, worth what Tesla paid for it,” Slights added.[34][35] The court also noted that since the acquisition "Tesla’s value has massively increased".[36]

In April 2017, the chief policy officer of SolarCity, John Wellinghoff, left SolarCity.[37] In June 2017, Lyndon Rive left SolarCity,[38] and Peter Rive left shortly thereafter.[39] By 2019, Tesla's solar panel market share was falling, prompting the company to cut its sales force. Revenue from Tesla's energy generation and storage operations from January to September 2019 fell 7% from a year earlier to $1.1 billion.[40]

Products and services edit

Solar leasing edit

In 2008, SolarCity entered the solar leasing market with a new solar lease option for homeowners: leasing rooftop solar to customers who would pay no upfront costs. In exchange, customers paid for 20 years for power generated by those panels.[41] SolarCity's solar lease allowed some homeowners to pay less each month than they previously paid for electricity from the utility company.[42][43]

The "no-money-down solar" business model became the most popular in the U.S.[44] and increased installations, but it also added considerably to SolarCity's debt, accounting for about half of the company's over $3 billion debt in 2016.[45] The business model was also criticized by consumer advocates and government regulators.[46][47]

Commercial solar panels edit

In May 2008, SolarCity completed what was, at the time, the largest commercial solar installation in San Jose, at the North Campus of eBay. In July 2008, SolarCity completed what was, at the time, the largest commercial solar installation in San Francisco, consisting of 1,606 solar photovoltaic panels for British Motor Car Distributors.[48][49] SolarCity introduced additional financing options for businesses in 2009[50] and built multiple solar projects for other large organizations, including Walmart,[51][52] Intel,[53] and the U.S. military.[54] In 2013, the company established GivePower as a non-profit branch of its solar business, which is an independent enterprise.[55]

Installation technology edit

SolarCity used proprietary mounting hardware that "snaps together" on rooftops eliminating the need for rails and utilized skirts to hide the hardware and panel edges.[56][57][58] SolarCity acquired the mounting technology when it purchased Zep Solar in 2013. The "railless" system allowed installers to install solar panels on the roof more quickly than other installation approaches. Traditionally, solar panel installation had required workers to first outfit roofs with mounting rails and then attach solar panels to those rails. Tesla Energy continues to use the technology for its solar panel installations.

Energy efficiency evaluations and retrofits edit

In 2010, SolarCity acquired Building Solutions, a home energy audit firm and began to offer energy efficiency evaluations and upgrades.[59] SolarCity expanded its energy efficiency services to the East Coast and worked with Admiral's Bank of Boston in March 2012 to make a new loan available to finance energy efficiency improvements.[60][61]

Electric vehicle chargers edit

See also: Charging station

In 2009, SolarCity entered the electric car charging business by buying the SolSource Energy business of Clean Fuel Connections, Inc.[62] In 2011, SolarCity announced a partnership with Rabobank to make electric car charging available for free to owners of Tesla Roadster cars traveling on U.S. Route 101 in California between San Francisco and Los Angeles.[63] However, in 2012, Tesla independently started deploying their own Supercharger stations.

SolarStrong project edit

SolarStrong was SolarCity's 5-year plan to build more than $1 billion in solar photovoltaic projects for privatized military housing communities across the United States. It was announced in late 2011.[64]

SolarStrong was carried out by SolarCity in cooperation with Lend Lease Group involving 124 military bases in 33 states.[65][66][67] The financing included Bank of America Merrill Lynch, USRG Renewable Finance, and U.S. Bancorp.[65][68] It had a partial $344 million federal loan guarantee through the U.S. Department of Energy Financial Institution Partnership Program; however, the guarantee was withdrawn after the project implementation started.[65][68]

The project started in 2011 with development of the Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam in Hawaii, followed by Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.[65][68] In 2012, the project continued with the Los Angeles Air Force Base in California, and Peterson Air Force Base, and Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado.[68][67]

Energy storage edit

Main article: Tesla Powerwall

In 2016, SolarCity ran a pilot project to test a grid backup resource by installing GridLogic software and 10-kilowatt-hour Tesla Powerwall battery packs in 500 California homes.[69][70][71] This concept was also tested in Vermont.[72]

Giga New York edit

Main article: Giga New York

In 2014, SolarCity announced plans to build a new manufacturing facility (now known as the Gigafactory 2) in Buffalo, New York, in coordination with the SUNY Polytechnic Institute, after acquiring Silevo, a maker of high-efficiency solar modules. The initial manufacturing complex would be a 1.2-million-square-foot (110,000 m2) facility that would cost $900 million and employ 1,500 workers in Buffalo and 5,000 statewide.[73] With a planned capacity of one gigawatt of solar panels annually by 2019, the new plant would be the largest solar plant in the U.S.[74] Groundbreaking for the project occurred in September 2014 with a target completion date of early 2016.[75]

The facility would be the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.[76][77] Panasonic was to handle production at the Buffalo plant, investing $256 million.[78] Panasonic and SolarCity/Silevo were developing similar but somewhat different HIT-technology, and Panasonic hoped to use SolarCity's 6-inch (150 mm) wafers combining the two companies' technologies at an efficiency of 22%.[79][80] SolarCity expected demand to outstrip the Buffalo production of 10,000 solar panels per day and bought solar equipment from other manufacturers until more factories could be built.[81] SolarCity was required to spend $5 billion over the next decade on the facility and create more than 1,460 direct manufacturing jobs.[82]

In February 2016, CEO Lyndon Rive announced that due to delays incurred in the supply of machinery for the plant, production would begin in summer 2017.[83] New York State owns the building and most of the equipment, leasing it to SolarCity. Most of the work was completed by November 2016, when the Buffalo Billion project was under investigation, delaying state payments to contractors, but not influencing progress on completion of construction.[84] SolarCity started hiring for the facility in December 2016.[85]

Elon Musk announced in 2017 that production of Tesla's solar roof products would be moved to the Buffalo facility at the end of 2017.[86] It was reported that as of August 2017, production of solar roof tiles had begun at the facility, and Tesla expected to continue to ramp up production through the rest of the year.[87] By the end of 2018, the facility employed about 800 workers.[88] The state of New York required the company to employ at least 1,460 workers at the facility by April 2020 or face a $41.2 million penalty,[89] and in February 2020, the company reported having 1,500 workers at the facility.[90] Panasonic announced that they would cease operations at the facility in May 2020.[90]

Lawsuits and investigations edit

Buffalo Billion edit

Buffalo Billion is a billion-dollar program launched by the administration of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to revitalize Buffalo, New York. One of the main features of the program was the solar panel factory to be leased by SolarCity in the High-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend. The state appropriated $750 million in funding for the hub. According to Daily Energy Insider, "The facility will have one gigawatt of annual solar capacity when it reaches full production and is expected to produce about 10,000 solar panels per day."

On April 29, 2016, then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara (of the Southern District of New York) began an investigation into state construction projects and contracts, including the Buffalo Billion. SolarCity was not the subject or focus of the investigation and was not involved in the vendor selection or contracting.[91] SolarCity said that it was cooperating with federal agents who had been in contact with the company.[92]

According to The New York Times, Buffalo Billion would benefit "a tangle of well-connected players – including developers and frequent donors to the governor – who have feasted on Buffalo Billion money".[92] Cuomo strongly defended the project, noting that there had been a decrease in unemployment and an increase in spending around the Buffalo area.[92]

Three executives who worked for LPCiminelli Development faced a 14-count indictment for wire fraud and bribery and alleged bid rigging of the SolarCity RiverBend construction contract. Additionally, five other people have been charged with related crimes.[82]

On May 18, 2016, the Public Authorities Control Board delayed a meeting at which it was set to approve $485 million in new funds for SolarCity. The New York state legislature planned to approve a budget in April 2017 that would give $500 million more into the Buffalo Billion program. In return, the legislature wanted the Cuomo administration to put more transparency into how the money is spent.[82]

Oregon Attorney General investigation edit

On March 30, 2017, The Oregonian said that Campaign for Accountability, a D.C.-based consumer advocacy group, and other groups have asked Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to investigate solar panel sales practices[93] that "are designed to trick homeowners into buying or leasing solar panels" in violation of Oregon's Unlawful Trade Practices Act.[94] According to The Oregonian, the request to Rosenblum "singled out one company: California-based SolarCity. It outlined several complaints filed against the solar giant by Oregonians who claimed they'd been misled about costs, tax credits and energy savings by the company."[94]

The Campaign for Accountability reviewed 58 complaints that consumers filed with the Oregon Department of Justice and said that the complaints indicated "a widespread pattern of apparent fraud and abuse by solar companies."[94] The Oregon Solar Energy Industry Association, however, said that it examined the complaints and "found the numbers to be relatively low – lower than those being cited by the Campaign for Accountability."[94]

Investigators determined that SolarCity attempted to "cheat the system" by inflating the cost of 14 commercial solar projects by more than 100% to qualify for higher state tax credits.[95] SolarCity and its accountant were required to pay back $13 million to the state of Oregon.[95] The investigation also found that "phony and misleading documents" were submitted for some projects, and there was a bribery scheme involving the projects' energy consultant and a state Energy Department manager.[95] One of SolarCity's solar panel suppliers employed prisoners at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Oregon, to keep costs down.[95]

"Solar by Degree" project edit

The company is involved in a case concerning Martin Shain, the lead energy consultant in a solar power project at two Oregon universities. Shain was indicted for forgery in Marion County in August 2016. He is a consultant for BacGen Technologies in Seattle, a key player in the controversial $24 million "Solar by Degree" project and is accused of "creating a phony invoice from a fictional subcontractor that was pivotal in getting nearly $12 million in tax credits from the Oregon Department of Energy".[96] The project began in 2013 and was sponsored by the Oregon University System; thousands of solar panels, generating millions of kilowatt hours of energy per year, were constructed on 21 acres on the campuses of Oregon State University and the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls.

The state's case revolves around two documents, which include an invoice from Solar Foundations Systems dated February 25, 2011, and a December 2011 letter signed by Ryan Davies, the former head of RedCo, a Utah-based company, which was the second developer on the project. According to KOIN-TV, "The Davies letter reported $210,000 had been spent toward the project and that construction was progressing."[97] The Solar Foundations invoice contains details of the construction of solar arrays. The invoice was necessary to provide proof of work on the project to get tax credits from the state. The "Solar by Degree" project received the tax credits, but it was later shown that the company named on the invoice, Solar Foundations, does not exist. In addition, Davies claims he did not write nor has ever seen the RedCo letter in question and that his name was forged. Relying on this evidence, the state claims Shain forged both documents. Shain denies forging the invoice and claims it was given to him by someone else involved in the project.[98] The tax credits involved were given to SolarCity, the third developer in the project, along with its financial backers. According to The Oregonian, "Those backers provide upfront financing for the projects in exchange for a share of the project revenues and the federal and state tax credits, which they can use to offset their own taxes."[96] SolarCity stated, "We financed and constructed the projects in accord with the requirements of the Oregon Department of Energy."[96] The company argues that the state hired Shain, and it had no knowledge of the phony documents in question; otherwise, it would have not pursued the endeavor.[96]

Treasury Department inquiries edit

In 2012, the Treasury Department began investigative interviews of solar firms regarding their fair market value calculations for constructed solar energy systems. SolarCity stated that its values were correct and complied with the Treasury Department guidelines.[99] SolarCity received roughly $501.2 million in credits up until December 31, 2015. In 2017, SolarCity settled the investigation by agreeing to pay $29.5 million without any admission of guilt or liability.[100]

Customer litigation edit

Since 2006, SolarCity has lowered the minimum FICO score required for customers to get the leasing deals. It uses the score of 650 (a "fair" credit rating) as the cutoff. However, between 2014 and 2017, SolarCity signed long-term lease agreements with at least 14 homeowner customers right before the customers defaulted on their mortgages. The company has been named in 139 lawsuits where it is the defendant in legal proceedings based on "residential foreclosure action."[101]

In its response, SolarCity said in a statement to the New York Times, "Out of more than 305,000 installed customers, SolarCity is currently involved in 139 such proceedings. The litigation is not adversarial – being named in the foreclosure proceeding provides us with advance notice that we need to reassign a contract, and many are immediately resolved with the relevant bank."[101]

Customer cancellation investigation edit

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began investigating Sunrun and SolarCity in May 2017 and were looking into whether they adequately disclosed canceled contracts. "Some customers say they canceled contracts after being strong-armed into solar-energy deals" and there have been hundreds of complaints to state attorneys general.[102]

The federal government is investigating whether solar companies are "masking how many customers they are losing." The SEC is involved because "investors use that cancellation metric as one way to gauge the companies' health."[102] According to the Wall Street Journal, "To generate business, solar companies have long relied on thousands of salespeople who knock on doors, make hundreds of cold calls and even trail people as they shop at retailers like Home Depot Inc., according to salespeople, executives and homeowners."[102]

FCC receiving radio interference complaints edit

SolarCity installed SolarEdge inverter systems with a type of DC-DC converter called an optimizer. These systems cause radio interference as documented in April 2016 QST magazine a publication of the ARRL.[103]

Vermont projects without approval edit

In June 2017, the Vermont Public Service Board found that SolarCity was implementing solar projects in Vermont without approval required by law. According to Vermont Public Radio, Public Service Board Chair Anthony Roisman sent a letter to SolarCity warning the company that it needed to get regulatory approval before installing solar generation equipment and attaching it to the state's electrical grid. Roisman wrote, "Over the past few months, my office has observed a pattern of procedural issues with net-metering applications being pursued by your company." Officials at the company worked quickly to respond to the issue.[104]

Allegations of faked sales numbers edit

In July 2018, three former employees filed a lawsuit against SolarCity, alleging that the corporation had approved the creation of "fake sales accounts", which resulted in an "unreasonably high valuation of SolarCity" for investors.[105][106] After allegedly informing management, including CEO Elon Musk, of these incidents, the employees were allegedly fired, which they argue contravenes California's whistleblower protection laws. A Tesla spokesman denied these allegations.[105] On June 5, 2020, the case was dismissed with prejudice.[107]

Walmart lawsuit and Project Titan edit

SolarCity installed and manages solar panels on the roofs of more than 240 Walmart stores. On August 21, 2019, Walmart filed a lawsuit against Tesla, seeking reimbursement for millions of dollars in damages and release from contracts, claiming that fires on the roofs of seven of those stores since 2012 were caused by SolarCity's "negligent installation and maintenance."[108] The suit was settled on November 5, 2019, and the terms were not disclosed. A joint statement provided by Tesla stated the companies said they were "pleased to have resolved the issues raised by Walmart" concerning the installations, and looked forward to "a safe re-energization of our sustainable energy systems." Walmart had accused Tesla of "widespread, systematic negligence" and ignoring prudent industry practices by relying on untrained and unsupervised personnel to install and maintain its panels, and prioritizing speed and profit over safety.[40]

At around the start of the lawsuit, it was revealed that Tesla had initiated a secretive program, called Project Titan, to "replace solar-panel parts that could cause fires" as early as the previous summer.[109] From a resource perspective, Project Titan involved "ordering supplies including ladders and tool belts and sent crews out around the United States" to approximately 50 cities as well as replacements for the specific parts believed to be causing fires: Amphenol H4 connectors and SolarEdge optimizers.[110]

The Checks and Balances Project edit

SolarCity indirectly funds a political advocacy group known as the Checks and Balances Project. The project has criticized the elected members of the Arizona Corporation Commission (the regulatory body that oversees electricity and utilities in Arizona) for being too well-connected to utility companies. The Checks and Balances Project has filed several requests for public records from the Arizona Corporation Commission. In July 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed the head of Checks and Balances as part of a larger criminal investigation into the financing of certain Arizona statewide races in 2014.[111]

Project financing and the Google Fund edit

SolarCity partnered with banks, large corporations, and the asset-backed[112] market to create project finance funds to finance its lease and power purchase agreement (PPA) options. Among SolarCity's better-known financing partnerships was a $280 million fund created with Google to finance residential solar installations in June 2011. The Google Fund was the largest fund of its kind in the U.S., and Google's largest investment in clean energy.[113]

Trade organization and collaboration edit

The company is one of the founding members of The Alliance for Solar Choice, or TASC, which is a rooftop photovoltaic power station solar trade organization.[114]

Government-funded collaboration edit

The SunShot Initiative is a national effort to support solar energy adoption to make solar energy affordable for all Americans. It is run by the US Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Office and funds research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects. It is a collaboration of private companies, universities, state and local governments, and nonprofits, as well as national laboratories. The program began in 2011 with the initial goal of making solar energy competitive with traditional forms of electricity by 2020. By 2016, the program achieved 70% of the progress towards the 2020 goal.[115]

In the fiscal year 2012 Congressional budget, the program was appropriated $457 million. According to the US Department of Energy's appropriation request for that year, "The program also encourages Systems Integration by developing radically new approaches to reduce the cost and improve reliability and functionality of power electronics and supporting industry development through test and evaluation standards, and tools for understanding grid integration issues."[116]

SolarCity was involved in a collaboration with the program along with the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Hawaiian Electric Industries. Using government and taxpayer funds, SolarCity helped 2,500 Hawaii residential customers connect their solar power systems to the grid by the end of December 2015.[117]

See also edit

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External links edit

 
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  • Official website  

December 01, 2023
solarcity, confused, with, solar, cities, australia, city, solar, corporation, publicly, traded, company, headquartered, fremont, california, that, sold, installed, solar, energy, generation, systems, well, other, related, products, services, residential, comm. Not to be confused with Solar Cities in Australia or City Solar SolarCity Corporation was a publicly traded company headquartered in Fremont California that sold and installed solar energy generation systems as well as other related products and services to residential commercial and industrial customers The company was founded on July 4 2006 by Peter and Lyndon Rive the cousins of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016 at a cost of approximately US 2 6 billion equivalent to 3 2 billion in 2022 and reorganized its solar business into Tesla Energy SolarCity CorporationOriginal SolarCity headquarters in Foster City CaliforniaTypePublicTraded asNasdaq SCTY unlisted November 21 2016 IndustrySolar energy generationFoundedJuly 4 2006 2006 07 04 FoundersLyndon and Peter RiveDefunctNovember 21 2016 2016 11 21 FateAcquired by Tesla Inc SuccessorTesla EnergyHeadquartersFremont California United StatesKey peopleLyndon Rive CEO Peter Rive CTO Elon Musk Chairman Websitesolarcity com defunct Footnotes references 1 SolarCity heavily focused on door to door sales of leased systems where customers would pay no upfront costs but agreed to purchase the power generated by those panels from the company for 20 years The business model became the most popular in the US and made the company the largest residential solar installer but it caused SolarCity to have over 1 5 billion in debt by the time of its acquisition in 2016 equivalent to 1 8 billion in 2022 Prior to its acquisition by Tesla the two companies had a co marketing relationship announced in the 2006 first Tesla master plan Tesla CEO Elon Musk served as the chairman of SolarCity SolarCity offered free charging to Tesla Roadster owners at its charging stations and SolarCity became one of the first installers of the Tesla Powerwall home energy storage battery Contents 1 History 1 1 Workforce reduction 1 2 Acquisition by Tesla Inc 2 Products and services 2 1 Solar leasing 2 2 Commercial solar panels 2 3 Installation technology 2 4 Energy efficiency evaluations and retrofits 2 5 Electric vehicle chargers 2 6 SolarStrong project 2 7 Energy storage 3 Giga New York 4 Lawsuits and investigations 4 1 Buffalo Billion 4 2 Oregon Attorney General investigation 4 3 Solar by Degree project 4 4 Treasury Department inquiries 4 5 Customer litigation 4 6 Customer cancellation investigation 4 7 FCC receiving radio interference complaints 4 8 Vermont projects without approval 4 9 Allegations of faked sales numbers 4 10 Walmart lawsuit and Project Titan 5 The Checks and Balances Project 6 Project financing and the Google Fund 7 Trade organization and collaboration 7 1 Government funded collaboration 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistory editSolarCity was founded in 2006 by brothers Peter and Lyndon Rive 2 based on a suggestion for a solar company concept by their cousin Elon Musk who was the chairman and helped start the company 3 By 2009 solar panels it had installed were capable of generating 440 megawatts MW of power 4 5 In 2011 the company launched their expansion to the East Coast with the acquisition of the solar division of Clean Currents 6 and groSolar 7 Following the acquisitions SolarCity expanded operations on the East Coast and opened in Connecticut 8 Pennsylvania 9 South Carolina 10 Florida 11 Vermont 12 and New Hampshire 13 In 2013 SolarCity was the leading residential solar installer in the U S 14 Solar Power World magazine listed it as the number two overall solar installation company in the U S 15 In 2013 SolarCity purchased Paramount Solar from Paramount Equity for 120 million 16 By 2015 its installed panels were capable of generating 870 MW of solar power 17 and accounted for approximately 28 of non utility solar installations in the U S that year 4 In October 2014 SolarCity announced it would be offering up to 200 million in solar bonds in its first registered public offering of bonds in the United States 18 In March 2016 SpaceX bought 90 million of SolarCity stock 19 In net metering in Nevada case in late 2015 SolarCity withdrew from solar sales and installation in Nevada following the decision by the state s Public Utilities Commission PUC to raise the monthly service charge for rooftop solar customers and progressively reduce the return on solar energy sold back into the grid under the net metering rule 20 Under the new rules the monthly service charge imposed on Nevada Power s rooftop solar generating customers rose from 12 75 to 17 90 and was scheduled to rise to 38 51 by January 1 2020 simultaneously the rates given to rooftop solar generating customers for their surplus solar energy were also clawed back and were to continue to decline over the ensuing four years 20 As a result SolarCity eliminated more than 550 jobs in Nevada 20 Workforce reduction edit nbsp SolarCity installation vehiclesDuring 2015 the number of employees had grown by 69 21 at the end of 2015 SolarCity had 15 273 employees To preserve cash 22 SolarCity eliminated 20 of its total workforce in 2016 23 ending 2016 with 12 243 employees 23 This was the first time in the company s history that it cut its workforce 24 The job cuts affected workers across the entire company 23 21 22 of jobs were cut in operations installations and manufacturing and 27 in sales and marketing In August 2016 the company announced that it planned to take up to 5 million in charges to cover its planned layoffs The company also cut the salaries of its two co founders from 275 000 to 1 per year 25 Acquisition by Tesla Inc edit On August 1 2016 Tesla announced that it would be acquiring the company in an all stock 2 6 billion transaction as Tesla s mission since its inception has been to accelerate the world s transition to sustainable energy 26 As part of Elon Musk s The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan Tesla sought to expedite the world s move from a mine and burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy 27 The proposal for acquisition was approved by antitrust regulators 28 29 More than 85 of unaffiliated shareholders affiliated shareholders are those who hold executive positions at either company 30 from Tesla and SolarCity voted to approve the acquisition on November 17 2016 31 32 allowing the acquisition to close on November 21 2016 Some investors criticized the deal calling it a misguided effort to rescue two companies that depend on investors and the government for operating cash 33 In April 2022 a Delaware court ruled in favor of defendant Elon Musk in a shareholder lawsuit over Tesla s 2 6 billion acquisition of SolarCity The Tesla Board meaningfully vetted the Acquisition and Elon did not stand in its way read the opinion by Vice Chancellor Joseph Slights Equally if not more important the preponderance of the evidence reveals that Tesla paid a fair price SolarCity was at a minimum worth what Tesla paid for it Slights added 34 35 The court also noted that since the acquisition Tesla s value has massively increased 36 In April 2017 the chief policy officer of SolarCity John Wellinghoff left SolarCity 37 In June 2017 Lyndon Rive left SolarCity 38 and Peter Rive left shortly thereafter 39 By 2019 Tesla s solar panel market share was falling prompting the company to cut its sales force Revenue from Tesla s energy generation and storage operations from January to September 2019 fell 7 from a year earlier to 1 1 billion 40 Products and services editSolar leasing edit In 2008 SolarCity entered the solar leasing market with a new solar lease option for homeowners leasing rooftop solar to customers who would pay no upfront costs In exchange customers paid for 20 years for power generated by those panels 41 SolarCity s solar lease allowed some homeowners to pay less each month than they previously paid for electricity from the utility company 42 43 The no money down solar business model became the most popular in the U S 44 and increased installations but it also added considerably to SolarCity s debt accounting for about half of the company s over 3 billion debt in 2016 45 The business model was also criticized by consumer advocates and government regulators 46 47 Commercial solar panels edit In May 2008 SolarCity completed what was at the time the largest commercial solar installation in San Jose at the North Campus of eBay In July 2008 SolarCity completed what was at the time the largest commercial solar installation in San Francisco consisting of 1 606 solar photovoltaic panels for British Motor Car Distributors 48 49 SolarCity introduced additional financing options for businesses in 2009 50 and built multiple solar projects for other large organizations including Walmart 51 52 Intel 53 and the U S military 54 In 2013 the company established GivePower as a non profit branch of its solar business which is an independent enterprise 55 Installation technology edit SolarCity used proprietary mounting hardware that snaps together on rooftops eliminating the need for rails and utilized skirts to hide the hardware and panel edges 56 57 58 SolarCity acquired the mounting technology when it purchased Zep Solar in 2013 The railless system allowed installers to install solar panels on the roof more quickly than other installation approaches Traditionally solar panel installation had required workers to first outfit roofs with mounting rails and then attach solar panels to those rails Tesla Energy continues to use the technology for its solar panel installations Energy efficiency evaluations and retrofits edit In 2010 SolarCity acquired Building Solutions a home energy audit firm and began to offer energy efficiency evaluations and upgrades 59 SolarCity expanded its energy efficiency services to the East Coast and worked with Admiral s Bank of Boston in March 2012 to make a new loan available to finance energy efficiency improvements 60 61 Electric vehicle chargers edit See also Charging station In 2009 SolarCity entered the electric car charging business by buying the SolSource Energy business of Clean Fuel Connections Inc 62 In 2011 SolarCity announced a partnership with Rabobank to make electric car charging available for free to owners of Tesla Roadster cars traveling on U S Route 101 in California between San Francisco and Los Angeles 63 However in 2012 Tesla independently started deploying their own Supercharger stations SolarStrong project edit SolarStrong was SolarCity s 5 year plan to build more than 1 billion in solar photovoltaic projects for privatized military housing communities across the United States It was announced in late 2011 64 SolarStrong was carried out by SolarCity in cooperation with Lend Lease Group involving 124 military bases in 33 states 65 66 67 The financing included Bank of America Merrill Lynch USRG Renewable Finance and U S Bancorp 65 68 It had a partial 344 million federal loan guarantee through the U S Department of Energy Financial Institution Partnership Program however the guarantee was withdrawn after the project implementation started 65 68 The project started in 2011 with development of the Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Hawaii followed by Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona 65 68 In 2012 the project continued with the Los Angeles Air Force Base in California and Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado 68 67 Energy storage edit Main article Tesla Powerwall In 2016 SolarCity ran a pilot project to test a grid backup resource by installing GridLogic software and 10 kilowatt hour Tesla Powerwall battery packs in 500 California homes 69 70 71 This concept was also tested in Vermont 72 Giga New York editMain article Giga New York In 2014 SolarCity announced plans to build a new manufacturing facility now known as the Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo New York in coordination with the SUNY Polytechnic Institute after acquiring Silevo a maker of high efficiency solar modules The initial manufacturing complex would be a 1 2 million square foot 110 000 m2 facility that would cost 900 million and employ 1 500 workers in Buffalo and 5 000 statewide 73 With a planned capacity of one gigawatt of solar panels annually by 2019 the new plant would be the largest solar plant in the U S 74 Groundbreaking for the project occurred in September 2014 with a target completion date of early 2016 75 The facility would be the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere 76 77 Panasonic was to handle production at the Buffalo plant investing 256 million 78 Panasonic and SolarCity Silevo were developing similar but somewhat different HIT technology and Panasonic hoped to use SolarCity s 6 inch 150 mm wafers combining the two companies technologies at an efficiency of 22 79 80 SolarCity expected demand to outstrip the Buffalo production of 10 000 solar panels per day and bought solar equipment from other manufacturers until more factories could be built 81 SolarCity was required to spend 5 billion over the next decade on the facility and create more than 1 460 direct manufacturing jobs 82 In February 2016 CEO Lyndon Rive announced that due to delays incurred in the supply of machinery for the plant production would begin in summer 2017 83 New York State owns the building and most of the equipment leasing it to SolarCity Most of the work was completed by November 2016 when the Buffalo Billion project was under investigation delaying state payments to contractors but not influencing progress on completion of construction 84 SolarCity started hiring for the facility in December 2016 85 Elon Musk announced in 2017 that production of Tesla s solar roof products would be moved to the Buffalo facility at the end of 2017 86 It was reported that as of August 2017 production of solar roof tiles had begun at the facility and Tesla expected to continue to ramp up production through the rest of the year 87 By the end of 2018 the facility employed about 800 workers 88 The state of New York required the company to employ at least 1 460 workers at the facility by April 2020 or face a 41 2 million penalty 89 and in February 2020 the company reported having 1 500 workers at the facility 90 Panasonic announced that they would cease operations at the facility in May 2020 90 Lawsuits and investigations editBuffalo Billion edit Buffalo Billion is a billion dollar program launched by the administration of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to revitalize Buffalo New York One of the main features of the program was the solar panel factory to be leased by SolarCity in the High Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend The state appropriated 750 million in funding for the hub According to Daily Energy Insider The facility will have one gigawatt of annual solar capacity when it reaches full production and is expected to produce about 10 000 solar panels per day On April 29 2016 then U S Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York began an investigation into state construction projects and contracts including the Buffalo Billion SolarCity was not the subject or focus of the investigation and was not involved in the vendor selection or contracting 91 SolarCity said that it was cooperating with federal agents who had been in contact with the company 92 According to The New York Times Buffalo Billion would benefit a tangle of well connected players including developers and frequent donors to the governor who have feasted on Buffalo Billion money 92 Cuomo strongly defended the project noting that there had been a decrease in unemployment and an increase in spending around the Buffalo area 92 Three executives who worked for LPCiminelli Development faced a 14 count indictment for wire fraud and bribery and alleged bid rigging of the SolarCity RiverBend construction contract Additionally five other people have been charged with related crimes 82 On May 18 2016 the Public Authorities Control Board delayed a meeting at which it was set to approve 485 million in new funds for SolarCity The New York state legislature planned to approve a budget in April 2017 that would give 500 million more into the Buffalo Billion program In return the legislature wanted the Cuomo administration to put more transparency into how the money is spent 82 Oregon Attorney General investigation edit On March 30 2017 The Oregonian said that Campaign for Accountability a D C based consumer advocacy group and other groups have asked Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to investigate solar panel sales practices 93 that are designed to trick homeowners into buying or leasing solar panels in violation of Oregon s Unlawful Trade Practices Act 94 According to The Oregonian the request to Rosenblum singled out one company California based SolarCity It outlined several complaints filed against the solar giant by Oregonians who claimed they d been misled about costs tax credits and energy savings by the company 94 The Campaign for Accountability reviewed 58 complaints that consumers filed with the Oregon Department of Justice and said that the complaints indicated a widespread pattern of apparent fraud and abuse by solar companies 94 The Oregon Solar Energy Industry Association however said that it examined the complaints and found the numbers to be relatively low lower than those being cited by the Campaign for Accountability 94 Investigators determined that SolarCity attempted to cheat the system by inflating the cost of 14 commercial solar projects by more than 100 to qualify for higher state tax credits 95 SolarCity and its accountant were required to pay back 13 million to the state of Oregon 95 The investigation also found that phony and misleading documents were submitted for some projects and there was a bribery scheme involving the projects energy consultant and a state Energy Department manager 95 One of SolarCity s solar panel suppliers employed prisoners at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan Oregon to keep costs down 95 Solar by Degree project edit The company is involved in a case concerning Martin Shain the lead energy consultant in a solar power project at two Oregon universities Shain was indicted for forgery in Marion County in August 2016 He is a consultant for BacGen Technologies in Seattle a key player in the controversial 24 million Solar by Degree project and is accused of creating a phony invoice from a fictional subcontractor that was pivotal in getting nearly 12 million in tax credits from the Oregon Department of Energy 96 The project began in 2013 and was sponsored by the Oregon University System thousands of solar panels generating millions of kilowatt hours of energy per year were constructed on 21 acres on the campuses of Oregon State University and the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls The state s case revolves around two documents which include an invoice from Solar Foundations Systems dated February 25 2011 and a December 2011 letter signed by Ryan Davies the former head of RedCo a Utah based company which was the second developer on the project According to KOIN TV The Davies letter reported 210 000 had been spent toward the project and that construction was progressing 97 The Solar Foundations invoice contains details of the construction of solar arrays The invoice was necessary to provide proof of work on the project to get tax credits from the state The Solar by Degree project received the tax credits but it was later shown that the company named on the invoice Solar Foundations does not exist In addition Davies claims he did not write nor has ever seen the RedCo letter in question and that his name was forged Relying on this evidence the state claims Shain forged both documents Shain denies forging the invoice and claims it was given to him by someone else involved in the project 98 The tax credits involved were given to SolarCity the third developer in the project along with its financial backers According to The Oregonian Those backers provide upfront financing for the projects in exchange for a share of the project revenues and the federal and state tax credits which they can use to offset their own taxes 96 SolarCity stated We financed and constructed the projects in accord with the requirements of the Oregon Department of Energy 96 The company argues that the state hired Shain and it had no knowledge of the phony documents in question otherwise it would have not pursued the endeavor 96 Treasury Department inquiries edit In 2012 the Treasury Department began investigative interviews of solar firms regarding their fair market value calculations for constructed solar energy systems SolarCity stated that its values were correct and complied with the Treasury Department guidelines 99 SolarCity received roughly 501 2 million in credits up until December 31 2015 In 2017 SolarCity settled the investigation by agreeing to pay 29 5 million without any admission of guilt or liability 100 Customer litigation edit Since 2006 SolarCity has lowered the minimum FICO score required for customers to get the leasing deals It uses the score of 650 a fair credit rating as the cutoff However between 2014 and 2017 SolarCity signed long term lease agreements with at least 14 homeowner customers right before the customers defaulted on their mortgages The company has been named in 139 lawsuits where it is the defendant in legal proceedings based on residential foreclosure action 101 In its response SolarCity said in a statement to the New York Times Out of more than 305 000 installed customers SolarCity is currently involved in 139 such proceedings The litigation is not adversarial being named in the foreclosure proceeding provides us with advance notice that we need to reassign a contract and many are immediately resolved with the relevant bank 101 Customer cancellation investigation edit The Securities and Exchange Commission SEC began investigating Sunrun and SolarCity in May 2017 and were looking into whether they adequately disclosed canceled contracts Some customers say they canceled contracts after being strong armed into solar energy deals and there have been hundreds of complaints to state attorneys general 102 The federal government is investigating whether solar companies are masking how many customers they are losing The SEC is involved because investors use that cancellation metric as one way to gauge the companies health 102 According to the Wall Street Journal To generate business solar companies have long relied on thousands of salespeople who knock on doors make hundreds of cold calls and even trail people as they shop at retailers like Home Depot Inc according to salespeople executives and homeowners 102 FCC receiving radio interference complaints edit SolarCity installed SolarEdge inverter systems with a type of DC DC converter called an optimizer These systems cause radio interference as documented in April 2016 QST magazine a publication of the ARRL 103 Vermont projects without approval edit In June 2017 the Vermont Public Service Board found that SolarCity was implementing solar projects in Vermont without approval required by law According to Vermont Public Radio Public Service Board Chair Anthony Roisman sent a letter to SolarCity warning the company that it needed to get regulatory approval before installing solar generation equipment and attaching it to the state s electrical grid Roisman wrote Over the past few months my office has observed a pattern of procedural issues with net metering applications being pursued by your company Officials at the company worked quickly to respond to the issue 104 Allegations of faked sales numbers edit In July 2018 three former employees filed a lawsuit against SolarCity alleging that the corporation had approved the creation of fake sales accounts which resulted in an unreasonably high valuation of SolarCity for investors 105 106 After allegedly informing management including CEO Elon Musk of these incidents the employees were allegedly fired which they argue contravenes California s whistleblower protection laws A Tesla spokesman denied these allegations 105 On June 5 2020 the case was dismissed with prejudice 107 Walmart lawsuit and Project Titan edit SolarCity installed and manages solar panels on the roofs of more than 240 Walmart stores On August 21 2019 Walmart filed a lawsuit against Tesla seeking reimbursement for millions of dollars in damages and release from contracts claiming that fires on the roofs of seven of those stores since 2012 were caused by SolarCity s negligent installation and maintenance 108 The suit was settled on November 5 2019 and the terms were not disclosed A joint statement provided by Tesla stated the companies said they were pleased to have resolved the issues raised by Walmart concerning the installations and looked forward to a safe re energization of our sustainable energy systems Walmart had accused Tesla of widespread systematic negligence and ignoring prudent industry practices by relying on untrained and unsupervised personnel to install and maintain its panels and prioritizing speed and profit over safety 40 At around the start of the lawsuit it was revealed that Tesla had initiated a secretive program called Project Titan to replace solar panel parts that could cause fires as early as the previous summer 109 From a resource perspective Project Titan involved ordering supplies including ladders and tool belts and sent crews out around the United States to approximately 50 cities as well as replacements for the specific parts believed to be causing fires Amphenol H4 connectors and SolarEdge optimizers 110 The Checks and Balances Project editSolarCity indirectly funds a political advocacy group known as the Checks and Balances Project The project has criticized the elected members of the Arizona Corporation Commission the regulatory body that oversees electricity and utilities in Arizona for being too well connected to utility companies The Checks and Balances Project has filed several requests for public records from the Arizona Corporation Commission In July 2016 the Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed the head of Checks and Balances as part of a larger criminal investigation into the financing of certain Arizona statewide races in 2014 111 Project financing and the Google Fund editSolarCity partnered with banks large corporations and the asset backed 112 market to create project finance funds to finance its lease and power purchase agreement PPA options Among SolarCity s better known financing partnerships was a 280 million fund created with Google to finance residential solar installations in June 2011 The Google Fund was the largest fund of its kind in the U S and Google s largest investment in clean energy 113 Trade organization and collaboration editThe company is one of the founding members of The Alliance for Solar Choice or TASC which is a rooftop photovoltaic power station solar trade organization 114 Government funded collaboration edit The SunShot Initiative is a national effort to support solar energy adoption to make solar energy affordable for all Americans It is run by the US Department of Energy s Solar Energy Technologies Office and funds research development demonstration and deployment projects It is a collaboration of private companies universities state and local governments and nonprofits as well as national laboratories The program began in 2011 with the initial goal of making solar energy competitive with traditional forms of electricity by 2020 By 2016 the program achieved 70 of the progress towards the 2020 goal 115 In the fiscal year 2012 Congressional budget the program was appropriated 457 million According to the US Department of Energy s appropriation request for that year The program also encourages Systems Integration by developing radically new approaches to reduce the cost and improve reliability and functionality of power electronics and supporting industry development through test and evaluation standards and tools for understanding grid integration issues 116 SolarCity was involved in a collaboration with the program along with the Energy Department s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Hawaiian Electric Industries Using government and taxpayer funds SolarCity helped 2 500 Hawaii residential customers connect their solar power systems to the grid by the end of December 2015 117 See also editCharging station Efficient energy use List of energy storage projectsReferences edit Management Team at SolarCity solarcity com Archived from the original on May 4 2014 Retrieved March 15 2014 Solarcity Archived May 11 2021 at the Wayback Machine Time Magazine April 17 2008 Newsmaker Elon Musk on rockets sports cars and solar power Archived January 29 2014 at the Wayback Machine news cnet com Michael Kanellos February 15 2008 a b Solar Industry Data Solar Industry Breaks 20 GW Barrier Grows 34 Over 2013 SEAI Research amp Resources Solar Energy Industries Association 2015 Archived from the original on September 1 2017 Retrieved June 29 2015 Sweet Cassandra Tracy Ryan May 6 2013 Solar Installer Sues for U S Grant Funds Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on March 4 2023 Retrieved August 11 2013 SolarCity buys Clean Currents www bizjournals com January 24 2011 Archived from the original on March 4 2023 Retrieved February 26 2019 Wesoff Eric February 17 2011 SolarCity Acquires groSolar s Residential Installation Business www greentechmedia com Archived from the original on March 16 2021 Retrieved February 26 2019 PODSADA JANICE February 7 2012 SolarCity Solar Panel Company Establishes Hartford Office courant com Archived from the original on July 10 2021 Retrieved February 26 2019 Solar City eyeing growth in Pittsburgh region opens operations center Pittsburgh Post Gazette Archived from the original on May 24 2021 Retrieved March 1 2019 SolarCity expands services into South Carolina cleantechnica com October 6 2016 Archived from the original on May 24 2021 Retrieved March 1 2019 Santana Marco Elon Musk s SolarCity expanding in Clermont OrlandoSentinel com Archived from the original on March 2 2019 Retrieved March 1 2019 SolarCity launches new solar loan program in Vermont Vermont Business Magazine August 6 2016 Archived from the original on May 24 2021 Retrieved March 1 2019 Evans Brown Sam April 28 2015 Solar Energy Giant To Move Into N H Market www nhpr org Archived from the original on March 14 2021 Retrieved March 1 2019 Is the SolarCity Model the Only Way to Scale Residential Solar Archived August 22 2019 at the Wayback Machine greentechmedia com Nicole Litvak March 31 2014 2013 Top 250 Solar Contractors Solar Power World Archived from the original on October 10 2017 Retrieved April 19 2015 SolarCity Completes Acquisition of Paramount Solar September 11 2013 Archived from the original on November 18 2016 Retrieved November 17 2016 SolarCity 2015 Impact Report PDF Archived PDF from the original on January 3 2017 Retrieved January 2 2017 SolarCity offers 200 million solar bonds in first public offering Archived November 29 2021 at the Wayback Machine Reuters October 16 2014 SolarCity Current Report Archived from the original on March 30 2016 Retrieved August 1 2016 a b c Whaley Sean January 6 2016 SolarCity cuts 550 Nevada jobs blames new net metering rate Las Vegas Review Journal Archived from the original on June 10 2016 Retrieved May 30 2016 a b Tesla s SolarCity Cut 20 of Its Staff Last Year Fortune March 2 2017 Archived from the original on March 14 2021 Retrieved March 2 2017 Rosen Ben March 2 2017 SolarCity s workforce shrinks but predictions for solar point up Christian Science Monitor ISSN 0882 7729 Archived from the original on March 2 2017 Retrieved March 2 2017 a b c Robinson David March 2 2017 SolarCity gearing up to begin work here cut 3 000 jobs in 2016 The Buffalo News Archived from the original on November 14 2019 Retrieved March 2 2017 Why Tesla Had to Lay Off 3 000 SolarCity Employees Madison com March 2 2017 Archived from the original on May 27 2021 Retrieved March 2 2017 Allana Akhtar WGRZ SolarCity announces layoffs cuts executive pay to 1 Archived March 4 2023 at the Wayback Machine August 19 2016 August 23 2016 Desjardins Jeff April 28 2018 Here s what the future of Tesla could look like Business Insider Archived from the original on May 1 2018 Retrieved January 22 2020 Musk Elon August 2 2006 The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan just between you and me No 124 Tesla Motors Archived from the original on August 2 2010 Retrieved October 3 2010 self published source Tesla Has Won Antitrust Approval to Buy SolarCity August 25 2016 Archived from the original on April 20 2021 Retrieved August 25 2016 Tesla and SolarCity confirm merger in 2 6BN stock deal August 1 2016 Archived from the original on May 9 2021 Retrieved August 1 2016 Tesla shareholders OK SolarCity deal Your faith will be rewarded Elon Musk says GeekWire November 17 2016 Archived from the original on May 10 2021 Retrieved August 20 2020 Tesla s Acquisition of SolarCity Receives Shareholder Approval November 17 2016 Archived from the original on March 11 2018 Retrieved November 17 2016 Early Christmas Present For Elon Musk As Shareholders Bless Tesla SolarCity Merger Forbes November 17 2016 Archived from the original on August 3 2017 Retrieved November 22 2016 Shareholders to vote on Tesla SolarCity merger next month Los Angeles Times October 12 2016 Archived from the original on March 7 2021 Retrieved April 27 2020 Elon Musk wins 13B suit over Solar City deal Tesla shareholders called a bailout techcrunch com April 27 2022 Archived from the original on April 27 2022 Retrieved April 27 2022 Elon Musk wins shareholder lawsuit over Tesla s 2 6 billion SolarCity acquisition cnbc com April 27 2022 Archived from the original on May 24 2022 Retrieved April 27 2022 Kolodny Lora and Jessica Bursztynsky 1 Archived May 24 2022 at the Wayback Machine Elon Musk wins shareholder lawsuit over Tesla s 2 6 billion SolarCity acquisition CNBC April 27 2022 Shallenberger Krysti April 25 2017 Former FERC chair Jon Wellinghoff no longer at SolarCity Utility Dive Archived from the original on April 25 2017 Retrieved April 26 2017 Groom Nichola May 15 2017 Former SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive will leave Tesla Reuters Archived from the original on October 23 2018 Retrieved May 16 2017 Logan Bryan July 18 2017 SolarCity cofounder Peter Rive is leaving Tesla months after multibillion acquisition Business Insider Archived from the original on May 10 2021 Retrieved April 19 2020 a b Tesla settles with Walmart over solar panel installations fires Reuters November 5 2019 Archived from the original on May 11 2021 Retrieved November 5 2019 Solar power for less than your cable bill Environment Forum Blogs reuters com April 24 2008 Archived from the original on April 29 2008 Retrieved October 15 2011 Earnest John September 27 2008 Leasing a solar power system SignOnSanDiego com Archived from the original on October 1 2008 Retrieved October 15 2011 Sistek Hanna July 18 2008 SolarCity provides SF power below grid price Green Tech CNET News News cnet com Archived from the original on January 11 2011 Retrieved October 15 2011 Why Lease When You Can Own Rooftop Solar Facing Tough Question Bloomberg com May 24 2016 Archived from the original on May 10 2021 Retrieved December 15 2017 Tesla SolarCity merger How risky is all that debt The Buffalo News November 15 2016 Archived from the original on January 7 2018 Retrieved December 15 2017 Sickinger Ted March 30 2017 Consumer group asks state to investigate solar companies sales practices The Oregonian Archived from the original on April 1 2017 Retrieved April 20 2017 Sickinger Ted October 11 2018 Oregon claws back 13 million for inflated tax credits The Oregonian Archived from the original on June 25 2020 Retrieved June 23 2020 Solar Panel Installation Commercial British Motors SolarCity Archived from the original on November 8 2015 Retrieved December 27 2015 Solar Powered Business Leader San Francisco Department of the Environment November 7 2011 Archived from the original on May 3 2021 Retrieved August 22 2019 SolarCity increases the scope of its PPA Program Gartner expects commercial solar PPA market to account for 26 of the solar PPA market in 2009 solarserver com Archived from the original on April 2 2013 Retrieved April 19 2015 Francisco San September 21 2011 SolarCity to put solar on 60 more California Wal Mart stores Archived from the original on August 3 2017 Retrieved August 22 2019 SolarCity to install solar panel amp battery combo for Walmarts Gigaom com August 7 2012 Archived from the original on January 24 2013 Intel To Install 6 Acre Solar Installation in CA Solar Energy solarenergy net Archived from the original on July 28 2012 Retrieved March 15 2014 Sun helps power new Davis Monthan homes airforcetimes com Archived from the original on July 16 2012 Retrieved March 15 2014 Morgan McFall Johnsen August 1 2019 A solar powered system can turn salt water into fresh drinking water for 25 000 people per day It could help address the world s looming water crisis Business Insider Archived from the original on March 17 2020 Retrieved January 21 2020 Tesla Just Unveiled Its Newest Solar Panels Futurism Archived from the original on May 11 2021 Retrieved August 28 2020 Wang Ucilia SolarCity Buys Zep To Cut Labor Time For Rooftop Solar Forbes Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved August 1 2016 SolarCity Aims Zep Solar Technology at Commercial Rooftops Archived from the original on March 2 2016 Retrieved August 1 2016 Solar City Adds Energy Efficiency to Solar Finance Design and Monitoring Greentech Media October 14 2010 Archived from the original on March 14 2012 Retrieved October 15 2011 SolarCity Charges Into Home Efficiency With Admirals Bank Greentech Media greentechmedia com Archived from the original on March 17 2014 Retrieved March 15 2014 How SolarCity Makes Energy Efficiency Easy Time March 28 2012 Archived from the original on July 7 2012 Retrieved April 30 2012 SolarCity Installs Electric Car Chargers Along Cal Highway Greentech Media greentechmedia com Archived from the original on September 24 2015 Retrieved March 15 2014 SolarCity Installs Electric Car Chargers Along Cal Highway Greentech Media September 22 2009 Archived from the original on October 3 2011 Retrieved October 15 2011 Cardwell Diane November 30 2011 SolarCity Wins Financing for Military Housing Plan The New York Times Archived from the original on April 13 2017 Retrieved February 28 2017 a b c d Woody Todd September 7 2011 Military Deal To Double The U S s Rooftop Solar Installations Forbes Archived from the original on April 29 2012 Retrieved September 11 2012 Dearen Jason Daly Matthew September 7 2011 SolarStrong Project Obama Administration Backs SolarCity Military Energy Program The Huffington Post Archived from the original on April 6 2012 Retrieved September 11 2012 a b SolarStrong expands to bases in California and Colorado Recharge NHST Media Group July 18 2012 Retrieved September 11 2012 a b c d Woody Todd July 17 2012 Big Military Solar Project Expands To New Bases Forbes Archived from the original on September 3 2012 Retrieved September 11 2012 Why Tesla s battery for your home should terrify utilities The Verge February 13 2015 Archived from the original on November 15 2017 Retrieved December 19 2017 Solar City Announces Power Wall SolarCity July 7 2015 Archived from the original on December 28 2015 Retrieved July 7 2015 PG amp E to Plug Enphase Smart Inverters and SolarCity Storage Systems into Its Grid Control Platform Archived from the original on April 19 2017 Retrieved May 14 2017 Tesla and Green Mountain Power Get Your Behind the Meter Battery for 15 a Month May 12 2017 Archived from the original on May 16 2017 Retrieved May 14 2017 Robinson David August 26 2016 SolarCity construction nears completion The Buffalo News Archived from the original on November 14 2016 Retrieved November 13 2016 Gold Russel June 17 2014 SolarCity Buys Silevo a Module Maker Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on June 19 2014 Retrieved June 19 2014 SolarCity investing 5B in Buffalo creating 3 000 jobs LIN Television Corporation September 23 2014 Archived from the original on October 4 2014 Retrieved September 24 2014 Craig Susanne October 25 2015 Despite Risks Cuomo Bets on Solar Power to Lift Buffalo New York Times Archived from the original on October 26 2015 Retrieved October 27 2015 Governor Cuomo Celebrates Topping Off of SolarCity Gigafactory New York State August 4 2015 Archived from the original on September 8 2015 Retrieved October 27 2015 Osborne Mark January 16 2017 Tesla SolarCity Silevo Panasonic 1GW Buffalo fab s known unknowns PV Tech Archived from the original on January 17 2017 Retrieved January 20 2017 Stromsta Karl Erik October 24 2016 Panasonic to integrate SolarCity s PV technology at New York factory Recharge Retrieved October 24 2016 Robinson David November 3 2016 SolarCity moving into its giant new RiverBend factory The Buffalo News Archived from the original on November 21 2016 Retrieved November 20 2016 Panasonic and SolarCity are using similar technology to produce high efficiency solar panels which Rive believes will allow the companies to combine elements from each firm s technology leading to the production of a hybrid solar cell Miner Dan October 23 2015 Expect New York state to have input in next SolarCity factory Buffalo Business First American City Business Journals Archived from the original on November 23 2016 Retrieved November 22 2016 a b c Riley Kim March 24 2017 Success of Buffalo Billion backed SolarCity factory remains elusive Daily Energy Insider Archived from the original on June 10 2017 Retrieved March 28 2017 Robinson David February 10 2016 SolarCity delaying Buffalo factory production The Buffalo News Archived from the original on December 9 2016 Retrieved December 9 2016 Robinson David November 28 2016 State is late paying Riverbend contractors again The Buffalo News Archived from the original on November 29 2016 Retrieved November 29 2016 Robinson David December 5 2016 SolarCity begins its hunt for factory workers The Buffalo News Archived from the original on December 8 2016 Retrieved December 9 2016 Robinson David Tesla says it will start making solar roofs in Buffalo by end of year Archived August 2 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Buffalo News August 2 2017 Ayre James Solar Roof Tile Production At Tesla s Buffalo Gigafactory Now Up amp Running Archived January 12 2021 at the Wayback Machine CleanTechnica com September 7 2017 Did Elon Musk Forget About Buffalo Bloomberg November 20 2018 Retrieved March 25 2020 Tesla Panasonic will reportedly stop joint solar cell production at Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo CNBC February 26 2020 Archived from the original on August 8 2020 Retrieved March 25 2020 a b Tesla Now Has 1 800 Employees In New York Panasonic Quits Gigafactory 2 In Buffalo The Solar One CleanTechnica February 28 2020 Archived from the original on March 19 2020 Retrieved March 25 2020 Harrington Mark May 12 2016 Solar firm acknowledges subpoena in probe Newsday Archived from the original on May 16 2016 Retrieved May 16 2016 a b c Mckinley Jesse Yee Vivian May 24 2016 1 Billion Went to Buffalo Cuomo Donors Benefited The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 3 2017 Retrieved January 2 2017 Solar Group wants Oregon AG to investigate sales practices The Washington Times March 31 2017 Archived from the original on April 21 2017 Retrieved April 20 2017 a b c d Sickinger Ted March 30 2017 Consumer group asks state to investigate solar companies sales practices OregonLive com Archived from the original on April 1 2017 Retrieved April 20 2017 a b c d Sickinger Ted October 11 2018 Oregon claws back 13 million for inflated tax credits The Oregonian Oregon Live Archived from the original on June 25 2020 Retrieved June 23 2020 a b c d Manning Jeff August 29 2016 Consultant to university solar project charged with forgery The Oregonian Archived from the original on November 8 2016 Retrieved November 7 2016 Solar project consultant charged with fraud in Oregon KOIN 6 August 30 2016 Archived from the original on November 8 2016 Retrieved November 7 2016 Solar project consultant charged with fraud in Oregon The Washington Times August 30 2016 Archived from the original on November 8 2016 Retrieved November 7 2016 Mullins Brody Dugan Ianthe Jeanne Rubin Richard September 15 2016 Lawmakers Probe Tax Incentives Received by Solar Energy Firms Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Archived from the original on November 23 2016 Retrieved November 23 2016 SolarCity to pay 29 5 mln to resolve U S government allegations Reuters September 22 2017 Archived from the original on March 22 2022 Retrieved March 22 2022 a b Ivory Danielle Cardwell Diane February 22 2017 SolarCity s Ties to Foreclosure Cases Raise Questions on Vetting Policies The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on February 25 2017 Retrieved March 17 2017 a b c Grind Kirsten May 3 2017 SEC Probes Solar Companies Over Disclosure of Customer Cancellations Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Archived from the original on May 5 2017 Retrieved May 5 2017 Brock Fisher Tony April 2016 Can Home Solar Power and Ham Radio Coesist PDF Archived PDF from the original on June 13 2020 Retrieved June 13 2020 Dobbs Taylor June 30 2017 State Says SolarCity Wasn t Following Permit Process Vermont Public Radio VPR Archived from the original on October 16 2017 Retrieved October 18 2017 a b Farivar Cyrus July 31 2018 Ex SolarCity employees We were fired after reporting millions in fake sales Ars Technica Archived from the original on August 14 2018 Retrieved August 14 2018 Assis Claudia August 1 2018 Ex SolarCity workers sue Tesla claiming it inflated sales with fake accounts MarketWatch Archived from the original on August 14 2018 Retrieved August 14 2018 Accessing Court Records for the San Diego Superior Court Archived from the original on June 14 2021 Retrieved August 20 2020 Civil case 37 2018 00037100 CU WT CTL case 37100 in the year 2018 On 6 5 2020 Complaint dismissed with prejudice as to White Anqunetta Complaint dismissed with prejudice as to Ray Robert Complaint dismissed with prejudice as to Staples Andrew Complaint dismissed with prejudice as to Tesla Inc Complaint dismissed with prejudice as to Solarcity Corporation After seven roof fires Walmart sues Tesla over solar panel flaws August 21 2019 Archived from the original on December 7 2020 Retrieved August 22 2019 Lopez Linette Last year Tesla initiated Project Titan a stealth nationwide program to replace solar panel parts that could cause fires Business Insider Archived from the original on May 10 2021 Retrieved August 19 2020 Here s everything we know about Project Titan Tesla s covert program to replace solar panel parts that could cause fires Business Insider Archived from the original on May 10 2021 Retrieved August 19 2020 Advocacy group briefs FBI in Arizona Corporation Commission inquiry Arizona Republic July 6 2016 Archived from the original on March 4 2023 Retrieved July 22 2016 SolarCity Announces Proposed Securitization Archived September 14 2017 at the Wayback Machine Company press release November 4 2013 Google invests 280 million in SolarCity CNN June 14 2011 Archived from the original on September 5 2020 Retrieved August 3 2020 The Alliance for Solar Choice About Us TASC Archived from the original on November 3 2013 Retrieved March 10 2015 About the SunShot Initiative Department of Energy energy gov Archived from the original on February 8 2017 Retrieved February 14 2017 Overview Appropriation by Program Archived May 4 2017 at the Wayback Machine Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy U S Department of Energy Retrieved February 14 2017 EERE Success Story SunShot funded Advanced Inverter Testing Enables 2 500 Solar Energy Systems to Connect to Hawaii s Electric Grid Energy gov Archived from the original on February 15 2017 Retrieved February 14 2017 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to SolarCity External image nbsp 38 photos of factory constructionOfficial website nbsp Portals nbsp Companies nbsp Renewable Energy Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title SolarCity amp oldid 1186934903, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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