Readers’ Choice 2020: RepowerYolo — Best Solar Company

We are extremely grateful to be named the 2020 Best Solar Company in Yolo County, as selected by Davis Enterprise readers. Our appreciation is buoyed by a singular emotion: We love what we do, and we take great pride in helping members of our community go solar. The trust our community places in Repower fuels our ambition to work harder and amplify our impact. Thank you!

From The Enterprise’s Best of Yolo issue:

“Wow,” said Chris Soderquist, who owns RepowerYolo along with John Walter. “We are beyond honored to be selected as the No. 1 solar company in our community. Our commitment to help property owners go solar — with the highest quality equipment, workmanship and service — is galvanized by the trust Repower homeowners place in our work.”

Since its inception in 2014, Soderquist says Repower has helped more local homeowners go solar than any other (local or national) solar company. In 2019, its business doubled — they helped more than twice as many homeowners go solar. “Since we do not advertise, market or employ salespeople,” Soderquist said, “we are thankful for the trust homeowners place in Repower. In total, we have helped more than 350 property owners in our community go solar.”

Repower’s mission is to simplify the process, improve the quality and reduce the cost of going solar for Yolo County property owners. It have a triple bottom line: When property owners go solar, they reduce PG&E costs, shrink their carbon footprint and support the community (through the YoloShines program, which donates $500 to the property owner’s favorite local nonprofit).

What makes them special? “We are hyper-focused solar geeks,” Soderquist said, “simpletons who do one thing: Solar PV systems for Yolo County property owners.”

Past accolades include the city of Davis’ 2018 Environmental Recognition Award and NextDoor’s No. 1 rated solar company in Yolo County. YoloShines has made more than $125,000 donations to local nonprofits.

Investing in solar or stocks: A look at long-term returns

Solar is a long-term investment that generates predictable financial and environmental returns. I know, no duh! And, of course, solar does not make sense for everyone. It’s an option — vis-a-vis purchasing electricity from PG&E — much like making an investment in the stock market is an option.

This week we have fielded a surprising (given all that’s going on with COVID-19) number of calls from homeowners in our community. What surprising, too, was their rationale: The financial markets are cratering, there’s great uncertainty, perhaps now is the time to evaluate investing in solar for my home. 

To wit, here’s a comparison of the returns generated via a hypothetical $20,000 investment in the stock market and in solar for your home.

First, if you invested $20,000 in an S&P 500 index fund in January 1995, over 25 years (by December 31, 2019) you would have generated an 8.015% annualized return. Not bad. And, of course, this does not account for the past three weeks of volatility; the S&P (as of March 20) is down 29% since the beginning of February 2020.

Regardless, let’s stick with the 8% annualized return metric for the stock market.

Next, if you invested $20,000 in a solar system for your home, here’s a summary of your 25-year returns:

- Total investment: $20,000

- Less, 26% federal tax credit: $5,200

- Net investment: $14,800

This solar system (standard size for a home in Yolo County) would generate the following returns:

- Year-one PG&E savings: $2,153

- 25-year PG&E savings: $86,394 (assumes 4.5% annual PG&E rate inflation)

Simplified: In the first year, solar will generate a 14.5% annual return. Over its 25-year warrantied life, solar will generate an annualized return of 23%, buoyed by annual PG&E rate increases.

And, homeowners do not pay taxes on their solar investment returns … utility savings are not taxable. But, we do pay capital gains on our stock market investments.

Net-net, if you invest in solar today and if PG&E’s rates increase 4.5%/year, you will generate a 23% annualized return over the next 25 years that is immune to the volatility of the stock market and the macro economy.

Perfunctory caveat: Consult your investment and/or tax advisor for investment advice. Or, of course, feel free to contact us if you would like to evaluate solar.

Most important: Be well, stay well, take care of our community. We will get through this.

Another trip around the sun

On New Year’s Eve, we encapsulated the past year in a 15-thread Twitter communique. Here’s a summary:

‘tis the end of the year and thus time to recollect our 2019 trip around the sun. We are extremely grateful to our collective community for its support in a record-setting Repower year. A few highlights to share …

• In 2019 we helped 125+ Yolo County homeowners go solar. In aggregate, our 2019 solar clients will save $8.1 million in utility costs and retire 19,101 metric tons of CO2 (over the next 25 years), the equivalent of taking 4,055 cars off the road or planning 315,841 trees. Very cool.

• Solar is now. Primary motivations to go solar are uncertainty about (and mistrust in) PG&E, a desire to reduce and hedge utility costs, and strong ideals about confronting climate change (e.g., “Doing my part.”). A smart, sustainable investment.

• Rewarding projects we orchestrated this year included the Marriott Residence Inn Davis, Davis ACE Hardware, Davis Community Church, Hyatt Place Vacaville, Millennium Child Development Center Dixon, Yolo Food Bank, Lincoln40, Lutheran Church of the Incarnation Davis, and myriad advisory projects for First Northern Bank.

• Kudos to our comrades Valley Clean Energy for fighting the good fight. In particular, thank you to VCE for amending their solar net-metering program, per our recommendations, to make it viable for Yolo County solar owners. The future is bright for VCE.

• Many thanks to THE GREAT Chris Granger and our fellow board members and volunteers at the Cool Davis Foundation, the little engine that CAN make a difference in reducing our community’s carbon footprint. Cool Davis rocks.

• Great appreciation to fellow Davis Community Meals and Housing board members and Paul’s Place capital campaign colleagues for their inspiring + tireless work to help less fortunate members of our community. Paul’s Place is happening.

• To fellow volunteers and capital campaign members who propelled Yolo Food Bank’s beyond successful ($7 million) capital campaign to build and open a new distribution center … wow! You did it. And, thanks too for entrusting Repower to solarize the new facility.

• This is great fun: When homeowners go solar, we donate $500 to their favorite Yolo County nonprofit organization. We call this YoloShines. On behalf of Repower homeowners, we supported 37 organizations this year; over the past week alone, we donated $40,500 to local causes. 2019 YoloShines beneficiaries: Citizens Who Care, City of Davis Housing Trust Fund, CommuniCare Health Centers, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cool Davis Foundation, Cub Scout Pack 111, Davis Chapter of Project Linus, Davis Community Meals & Housing, Davis Little League, Davis Media Access, Davis Schools Foundation, Empower Yolo, Esperanza Rising Foundation, Family Hope Network, UC Davis Guardian Scholars Program, NorCal Trykers, Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter, iHouse Davis, Norcal GSP Rescue, Patwin School PTA, Purebreds Plus Cat Rescue, Rivendell Nursery School, Robert E Willett Elementary School, Rotts of Friends, STEAC, Suicide Prevention Yolo County, Paul’s Place, Sutter Davis Hospital Foundation, Davis Phoenix Coalition, University Covenant Church, Yolo Food Bank, Yolo CASA, Yolo SPCA, Yolo Crisis Nursery, Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network and Yolo Land Trust. What a year, with great thanks to Repower homeowners for their support of our community.

We remain humbled, thrive on the opportunity to earn trust, to enrich full and meaningful lives. Solar simpletons, yes, but beyond helping neighbors save money and reduce their carbon footprints, our commitment to strengthen our community is galvanized by the day. Happy 2020.