Adapt, or go out of business and stop overcharging your customers.

Any consumer who is doing a major home improvement would be foolish not to get 2 or 3 bids. With the radical change in pricing in solar PV over the past year it is very likely that a better performing, less expensive system can be purchased from a qualified contractor, even when compared to a “bulk buy” purchase.

It seems to me that much of the savings is through the bulk purchase of panels, but if the program could buy and warehouse the equipment at bulk prices and sell them to installers in their project area – would that be a way to solve the issue?

Anyway, these numbers had nothing to do with the Solarization project that started in June of 2009. Koyaanisqatsi says the solarization project is not helping business, but I’m not sure where he is getting his facts. Current data from the Energy Trust of Oregon shows that non-Solarize installations increased over 350% during the Q4 of 2009 and Q1 of 2010 compared to the preceding year within the Portland area.

Solarize Portland is mobilizing community volunteers to get their neighborhoods educated about solar. Interest and awareness of solar power has never been higher. Massive demand has sustained manufacturing jobs in Oregon (Solarword, Sanyo and PV Power) and have caused the costs of solar to plummet for everyone.

Solarize Portland is not a race to the bottom in terms of price as Koyaanisqatsi suggests. The criteria for the contracts promote healthy business models with local family wage jobs and sustainable business practices – All that in conjunction with a good price.

Solarize Portland is not about a “herd mentality”. It’s called community organization; neighbors organizing to help their neighbors. These projects help to streamline a process that is complex, intimidating and expensive for the average person. We make it accessible to them. We teach them and help them to be informed so they can make the decision that is right for them. Then we help them to do something really good for Portland, something they might not otherwise do – go solar.

Do these effort results in a lower price for our neighbors? You bet! But that is because we have passionate volunteers doing the leg work. What better way to get more people to go solar then to make it cheap and easy?

The mission of Solar Energy Solutions (Koyaanisqatsi’s company) is “to move Portland, the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the world towards an environmentally sustainable future”. A PSA on their website says “Do your part to make out city more sustainable. Be an energy leader and go solar now”. Solarize Portland volunteers are being the leaders. We are making our city environmentally sustainable by organizing these not-for-profit volunteer driven initiatives. Koyaanisqatsi seems to be speaking out of both sides of his mouth going on the radio and contributing to articles that trash the very structures that are helping to realize his mission.

What’s Koyaanisqatsi strategy? Based on what he says in the article, he wants people get their own bids one at a time, and he “is sorry if people think solar is too expensive”, but he needs this to happened, not because he is fighting to promote his mission, but “for the life of his company”. But maybe he needs to evaluate his business model.

He says that the Solarization projects are leaving 30 companies in the cold, but 4 of the 12 applicants for the southwest contract were only created in the last few years. One relative newcomer just won 2 significant residential contracts not related to the solarize initiative. The industry is growing.

With his experience and public personality Koyaanisqatsi could amplify the wave of interests and excitement around solar. He could help solarize Oregon in a way that competes with world solar leaders like Germany and Japan. Instead Koyaanisqatsi drags his feet and denigrates this amazing community driven initiative.