Earlier this week I discussed the market penetration of solar water heating (SWH) in the United States and how states and utilities are incentivizing these systems. This article discusses how the private sector has responded to this emerging market by creating new business models for third-party ownership of domestic solar hot water.

Third-party ownership, through solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs), has led to increased penetration of solar PV in the United States. By Greentech Media’s estimate, third-party owned systems made up 17% of all residential solar PV projects and 43% of non-residential installed in 2010 [1]. While third-party ownership is less common for SWH, it could be attractive to customers.

via Solar Power for Your Shower! Business Models for Third-Party Ownership of SWH (Part 2 of 2) | Renewable Energy Project Finance.