Veranda Solar

Veranda Solar was launched at Stanford University in spring of 2008 by Emilie Fetscher and Capra J’neva. Their unique approach to solar panel production and implementation started as their product design thesis and is now in the first steps of larger scale production.

Now here is what makes Veranda Solar so different: their systems are intended to be built in pieces. In other words, customers buy a system that they can afford and slowly add to it as they wish. The solar systems are simple and can be installed by anyone (no electrician required). Each complete Veranda Solar system comes with the photovoltaic panel, mounting brackets, all required cables, and a “Plug-&-Play” power inverter so that you can immediately start using the power you generate. The panels serve to reduce the energy consumption of a home by reducing its demand on the energy grid. According to their website:

“We optimized our panels for people interested in starting small and growing their system over time, intending that our customers will generate part of their power usage, not necessarily all of it.”

If you do generate more electricity than your home consumes, all you need do is install a net meter. This allows you to feed power into the grid during the day and to use it yourself at night. While creating a battery system will save you more money on your electricity bill (most power companies do not buy power at the save price that they sell), it usually isn’t worth the hassle or the costs.

Finally, what sets Veranda Solar apart from ever other solar energy company you can find: they want their solar panels to be attractive, artistic even. Small, affordable, and attractive; I’m not sure there is a better combination to turn consumers onto solar energy systems.

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