Retrograde Power Meters

SolarCity recently expanded into Oregon and claims more than 10,000 customers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington D.C., which means companies like eBay have already discovered that leased SolarCity solar systems are not only good for the environment, they're also good for the bottom line. SolarCity is a full-service solar provider that provides solar power system design, financing, installation and power-monitoring services to homeowners, businesses and government organizations with little or no up-front costs.

SolarCity solar services include the design of solar energy systems for a specific site, installation of the photovoltaic panels, the necessary equipment to track power production and ongoing maintenance. Once in place, the company leases the fully functioning system to the site owner. Power generated from the systems is fed back to the grid and runs the property owner's electrical meters backwards! This lowers power costs for the lessee, increases micro-power-production for utilities, and has less environmental impact than standalone systems -- arrays are usually installed on existing structures. The end result is an eco-friendly, consumer-savvy model of sustainable business that makes a lot of sense, especially in America's sun belt.