At a recent neighborhood gathering, my fellow community members complained about their electric bills, citing rising costs and limited opportunities to lower their own energy consumption. Outside of heating, individuals felt that other domestic uses were irreplaceable, declaring that they couldn´t reasonably stop doing laundry or other similar tasks. With little say in the prices they were charged yet burdened with the obligation to pay their rising bills, community members felt trapped and powerless. Many also expressed distrust towards distributors, sharing anecdotes about erratic bills.

After a while, one previously-silent neighbor joined the conversation, smugly bragging about the drastic drop in his energy bill since he installed solar panels. His comment–and my neighbors´response–is an example of the effectiveness of candid, authentic publicity; many neighbors now privy to his success have since quoted the installation of panels on their own homes, and some have even finished the installation process. The sentiments and solutions shared at my neighborhood meeting are just one example of the conditions affecting the growing popularity of residential solar nationwide. In Chile, there are already more than 21 thousand solar-paneled houses, and their installed power totals to more than 53 MW. In the last eight years, the number of houses installing panels has been approximately doubling.

This increase in residential solar installations is not solely because of increased interest, but also due to increased availability; the number of installers offering residential photovoltaic systems has both doubled in quantity and geographical coverage offered in the last two years. Today, the vast majority of the country has access to self-generated solar energy. Additionally, financing alternatives that do not require an initial investment–such as our long-term loans at Alza–are now available. By eliminating a major financial barrier, structures like ours that remove financial stress have helped facilitate a transition to a greater reliance on solar energy.

While Chile is still far from installing solar energy at a majority of the houses that could enjoy the benefits of photovoltaic solar energy (there are more than 3 million!), at Alza we are nonetheless ecstatic about the national trend towards its adoption. We believe that this initial surge in demand for residential solar installations is just the beginning of a cultural shift that reflects a proactive attitude towards climate change and energy independence, and we are thrilled to be promoters of a clean energy system that can be installed right at home.

Vicente Rencoret – Alza Renewable Energies

• Translated to English by Sadie Cheston Harris.