Instant-on Solar – Just Plug it in

This has to be the absolutely easiest way to go solar – in an instant. With this sunshine-yellow plug, you just plug in for instant solar power

This way to go solar would not have been possible before the age of Big Data. The plug is essentially an information transfer mechanism.

Each time the Sunport yellow plug is plugged in, solar SRECS are used up. Sunport’s SRECs are certified by ReChoice which develops solar projects for non-profits like schools.

SRECs are Solar Renewable Energy Certificates used in states with a “solar carve-out” in their Renewable Portfolio Standard (RES) which requires that utilities add more solar every year.

Any solar projects in these states, either utility-scale or from solar homeowners‘ roofs, can sell their SRECs. Utilities have to either build or sign contracts with developers for renewable projects or buy SRECs amounting to the same number of megawatt hours of solar generation they must meet for their RES.

Each time the Sunport yellow plug is plugged in, solar SRECS are used up. Sunport’s SRECs are provided by ReChoice and include a dollar-for-dollar match supporting solar projects for charitable organizations. SRECs cover the following areas:

By aggregating enough consumer demand for SRECs, Sunport hopes it’s little yellow plug will become a factor in driving solar forward by tightening the market supply.

If SRECs are in short supply, that drives up their price. This makes going solar more affordable.

So you really are using solar when you plug it in, but just not where you can see the solar panels necessarily. Its all on a balance sheet somewhere

SRECs do earn real money to incentivize the development of more solar and they do make real solar get built.

That’s because if people buy up all the SRECs being generated, so there are none left for utilities, that creates a market for more solar to get built to supply the replacement SRECs the utility must buy, because the price per SREC goes up.

But due to little public awareness of this mechanism to encourage solar, the market prices from SRECs drop if there are more solar projects being built (and thus, more SRECS flooding the market) than there are SREC buyers using up SRECs.

Sunport’s idea was to make the concept more “visible” and accessible to this wider audience that is needed to use up SRECs, in the form of the little yellow solar plug which comes preloaded with a one year supply of SRECs for just $20.

“If we’re going to draw in millions of consumers, we need to do something that is accessible and is compelling for lots of people. That’s why we believe SunPort’s ease of use and affordability are so crucial,” says Sunport

The longer you have it plugged in, the faster you use up its SRECs, so you can choose to deplete it fully and reload it with more, to create more solar.

Their successful Kickstarter campaign enabled making the Sunport a painless and easy gift of solar for the many. The go-anywhere yellow plug, which lights up green when in use, is a public solar statement that will prompt questions, spreading the concept of this widely available instant solar further.

And once a SREC customer, always a SREC customer. Just keep reloading it.

Image Credit: SUNPORT