Clean Solar's 2016 Year In Review

With the ITC being extended until December 2021 and the solar industry hitting its 1 millionth solar installation, it’s obvious that 2016 was a year for the books. Let’s take a closer look at what happened to Clean Solar in all of 2016.

January – March

 

  • Clean Solar wins the Cool California award for Small Business Climate leader
    • Clean Solar was named Small Business Climate Leader by Cool California. This award recognizes companies for their innovation and leadership amongst all small businesses in California that have taken voluntary action to reduce their own greenhouse gases. Clean Solar CEO, Randy Zechman, was in attendance at the awards ceremony to accept the Small Business Climate Leader award.
April – June

  • San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum goes green with the help of Clean Solar
    • Clean Solar donated their services to installed 90 solar panels on the Children’s Discovery Museum. During the installation, Clean Solar installers trained the youth of the San Jose Conservation Corp to install rooftop solar ensuring they learn how to properly install rooftop solar. Clean was honored to be a part of such a monumental moment in San Jose. On site and major supporter was San Jose Mayor, Sam Liccardo, who got on top of the roof to be a part of the solar installation.
  • Best In Silicon Valley
    • The people have spoken. For the 5th year in a row Clean Solar has been name Best Solar Installer in Silicon Valley. Clean Solar continues to change the way people look at solar by making the process as easy and seamless as possible.
  • PG&E rate E-6
    • PG&E decided to discontinue their Time-Of-Use rate E-6 option. Many solar homeowners benefited from this rate because it offered a summer peak window of 1pm – 7pm when solar production was the highest. Clean Solar recommended that all who had solar, or were thinking of going solar, make the switch to rate E-6 before it was too late. Clients on E-6 before March 2016 are grandfathered under those terms until 2020.
  • Clean Solar installer, Eddie Wiltz, hits the front page of the Mercury News
    • With his starring debut in the award winning documentary, Catching the Sun, Eddie Wiltz received much recognition for his starring role in the film. The film focused on the future of the solar industry and followed the lives of people involved in the industry. After newspaper and red carpet interviews, Eddie Wiltz got a taste of what it’s like to be a star.
July – September

  • Clean Solar on Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies list again
    • For the 3rd consecutive year Bay Area local company, Clean Solar ranks on Inc. 5000 national fastest growing private companies. Clean Solar is constantly pushing boundaries for continued growth and success. This award is validation of Clean Solar’s commitment to their clients and employees. This list represents a very important segment of our economy, America’s independent entrepreneurs.
  • Clean Solar listed on Solar Power World’s Top Contractors List 2016
    • For the 4th consecutive year, Clean Solar was listed on Solar Power World’s Top Contractors List. The top contractors list is the most recognized annual listing of North America’s utility, residential and commercial markets. Of the solar companies operating and installing in California, Clean Solar ranked in the top 5 solar installers serving the Bay Area. Clean Solar also ranked #45 for Top Rooftop Solar Contractors and #93 for Top Solar Residential Contractors nationwide.
October – December

 

  • NEM cap is reached
    • As 2016 came to an end, so did Net Energy Metering (NEM) 1.0. December 2016, NEM 1.0 finally reached its 5% cap. This cap was highly anticipated throughout the year. Clean Solar kept a very close watch on the cap to ensure as many of our solar installations were under NEM 1.0 as possible. As the megawatts got closer and closer to the 5% cap, the number of solar installations increased. Many people understood the benefits of NEM 1.0 and wanted to be grandfather under these terms for 20 years.
  • New President and the solar industry…What’s to come?
    • The biggest change in the solar industry and in America that took place was the Presidential election. Our new President, Donald Trump, is raising a lot of concern with his views of the environment, jobs and climate change, including the solar industry. With his threats to demolish the Clean Energy Plan, it’s hard to tell the future of the industry. But, with California being a leader for renewable energy, industry jobs growing at a historic pace and solar laws placed at a State level, not a Federal level, it safe to say that solar is here to stay.