Solar power delivers recognized benefits, but how and where those benefits accrue – and to whom – can vary drastically from provider to provider and from user to user. To learn more about this growing industry, we spoke with Thomas Neyhart, the CEO, and founder of PosiGen. As per Mr. Neyhart, the mission of his company is to make it easier for working families to install residential solar energy solutions. PosiGen does not discriminate on income, credit ratings, or employment, and the only criteria that qualifies a user for a solar installation in their home is if it can be shown that an install will save them money. This is a drastic departure from industry norms in which the financial well-being of a would-be client is often the only factor considered before moving ahead with an install.

PosiGen was founded in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Many of the affected communities were low-income families and people of color, and once the rebuilding of New Orleans commenced, many of these communities were filtered out by clean energy companies that screened customers based on finances. Seeing this as an opportunity, Thomas Neyhart built PosiGen to provide the unprivileged with access to the benefits of solar power – benefits that had long been reserved for the wealthy. The company has since established a presence in Louisiana, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Florida.

The number of workers in the solar industry involved in solar PV installations has grown significantly, and the solar industry generates billions of dollars every year. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects as much as 70% of all newly added energy capacity to come from wind and solar energy. The solar revolution has the potential to shift how we plan for energy production and how we consume it over the years and decades to come.

As more renewable and efficient systems of power generation, storage, and smart energy management come online, more capacity is added to the grid at large. This means that traditional planning, which includes coal-burning plants, becomes a less viable option for energy generation. The sheer capital investment required for such traditional options would be cost-prohibitive in comparison to the aggregate savings and demand capacity added by a wave of solar innovation in residential and commercial markets, which is proof of the viability and the importance of getting the right solar solution in place at the right time.

Solar-Proofing Your future

Although the right solar solution can deliver cost savings for decades after an installation, maintenance, upgrades, and other costs can quickly add up. According to PosiGen, to offset these losses, the company offers quality workmanship on your roofing for 25 years. Combined with its leased solar power solution, users can have the best of both worlds: a complete solution for their energy needs today and savings that are guarded well into the future. PosiGen users also receive a fixed bill throughout their lease term. When done right, solar solutions can lead to direct saving, and even when energy costs fluctuate, you will be guaranteed savings.

Sans major changes in the energy markets, energy costs will continue to rise as our aggregate energy demand increases and capacity struggles to keep up. In such a climate, a solar solution offers the opportunity to offset energy costs in a predictable and stable manner. This is why build quality is so important for enjoying long-term solar benefits.

Thomas Neyhart Guaranteeing Quality

Thomas Neyhart has stated that PosiGen uses quality material for its panels so that the efficiency gains its customers achieve are not eroded over time. For example, Mr. Neyhart has stated that PosiGen’s Everest System Racking, Solar Edge Inverters, and Silfab/Hanwha Q-Cell Panels ensure quality and durability for every installation, and they also keep maintenance costs down over the longer term.

An important aspect of being able to decide on your solar power solution is to factor in degradation. Degradation of your system refers to how quickly a system – such as your solar installation – loses its ability to produce energy. Rooftop panels by virtue of their location are exposed to extreme elements all the time. The weathering of the panels places a significant amount of stress on the cells and, over time, this can harm the efficiency of the cells. According to Thomas Neyhart, PosiGen uses high-quality solar panels to lower the overall maintenance and servicing costs of its customers’ installs and ensure savings when they need them most.

The efficiency you achieve by not just installing quality material solar panels but also undertaking a comprehensive energy audit is more than the savings enjoyed by, for example, adding a few panels to run your fridge. To address this issue, PosiGen uses a multi-point inspection that identifies key points of energy loss and air leaks. The company’s full audit includes windows and doors, ceilings, walls, attic access, and ducts systems to guarantee that its users minimize their energy needs, lower their power usage, and save wherever they can – with distinct services tailored and delivered based on the unique profile of every family and the layout of their home.

What Are the Benefits?

PosiGen solution aims to provide its users with a cleaner and more effective energy alternative. As per Thomas Neyhart, some of the immediate benefits of a PosiGen installation include the following:

• Lower power bills: By undergoing a comprehensive audit, users can fully seal their home from air leakages and the effect that leakages can have on energy efficiency. The combined effect of a well-maintained and efficient energy system is lower energy consumption and lower power bills.
• Improved health and comfort: With air sealing, weather stripping, and/or entryway sealing, users can better manage, predict, and control their home’s power consumption. With more predictable, consistent, and efficient heating, cooling, and air filtering, users can improve their long-term health and enjoy long-term savings along the way as well.
• Enhanced home value: By investing in energy efficiency, closing air leakages, filtering air, sealing the attic, and taking other efficiency measures, users can add to the life – and the value – of their home. Regular maintenance of your solar panel solution, along with efficiency upgrades, can slow the wear and tear of the installed system and improve its durability.

Safe, clean, renewable, and cost-effective home energy solutions are powering a new wave of commercial and residential savings on energy usage, and solar companies such as PosiGen are using a wide range of creative innovations to help drive penetration in the market.