The South Bay represents forward thinking, engineering, and the entrepreneurship of Silicon Valley. So it’s only natural that the green-minded residents and business dwellers of this region would be looking ahead to solar and renewable energy as the next big revolution in energy savings and conservation. The Real Goods Solar South Bay offices (formerly Regrid Power) provide expert solar sales and installation services to the residents and businesses of San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Benito counties, including such major cities as Burlingame, Redwood City, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountian View, Sunnyvale, Hollister, and San Jose. We look forward to serving you!

ATTENTION REGRID POWER CUSTOMERS: We'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Real Goods Solar. Regrid Power is now part of a larger team of solar experts at Real Goods Solar offering the same great customer service and solar solutions you've grown accustomed to with Regrid Power but with an even wider array of products and services. You can still drop in at our local offices in Campbell anytime to talk to a solar specialist. To read more about our merger, click HERE.

Let the Sun Shine In: A Cause for Celebration!

article_FUHSD1 Once in a while, the forces of nature, community interest, and government funding come together to create a real cause for celebration for everyone involved. That’s exactly what happened on a sunny day in Fremont, Calfornia when students, staff, and community leaders joined together to “flip the switch” on a newly installed solar array at Lynbrook High School. With student choirs singing “Let the Sun Shine In,” the solar electric system was brought to life, generating clean energy from the sun to power one of five local high schools, an adult and community education complex, and school district offices.

California Rebate Drops Soon! Reserve Your Rebate TODAY!

article_rebatedrpNC The California Solar Rebate will drop 41% well before this summer, from $1.10/watt to $0.65/watt. If you do nothing to reserve your solar rebate, you will lose well over $1,000 in rebate money you could have saved to offset the cost of your solar system.

Now is the best time to go solar with the lowest prices and the highest rebate.

For example: if you act now you will save:

$1,240 rebate on a 3.5 kW system*
$1,845 rebate on a 5.2 kW system
$2,536 rebate on a 7.1 kW system

If you are considering solar contact one of our Solar Power Consultants to schedule a site visit or to update your solar proposal, and we will lock-in your rebate at $1.10 for 12 full-months! You can sign up for a free solar consultation by clicking HERE.

*Rebates vary based on system size, array tilt, orientation, equipment, and weather.

PG&E Raises Rates for 2nd Time in 2010

article_solarchart Have you checked your electricity bill lately? Did you know PG&E raised your electricity rates on January 1, 2010 and again on
March 4?

Since December 2009, what you pay PG&E for power has
increased by:

Tier 1 = now $.118 (up 3.0%)**
Tier 2 = now $.135 (up 3.0%)
Tier 3 = now $.286 (up 9.5%)
Tier 4 = now $.425 (up 11.6%)
Tier 5 = now $.497 (up 12.2%)

Simply put, electricity from PG&E is getting very expensive. If you install a solar system on your home or business today, you can take control of your cost for power. Solar system prices have decreased 49% over the last 18 months and incentives are at their highest level. With inflation on the horizon, the best time to go solar is now.

**Source: http://www.pge.com/tariffs/electric.shtml

Real Goods Solar Merges with Regrid Power!

logo_Regrid We are happy to announce our business has expanded through a merger with Regrid Power, Inc. of Campbell, CA. Regrid Power joins our family of local solar integrators who have established market leadership and reputations for quality and service excellence. Regrid has offices in Campbell, Richmond and Fresno, CA.

Regrid Power Provides State-of-the-Art Solar Power Installation for San Jose Water Company

Large-Scale Solar Project Provides Clean Power to Silicon Valley Utility

San Jose, CA, October 26, 2007

Regrid Power, a leading Northern California power system provider, today announced the completion of a 76.5 kilowatt solar power system for the San Jose Water Company atop the San Jose Water Company’s Columbine Reservoir. This solar array generates the equivalent energy to power approximately 75 homes during the day.

Silicon Valley Leadership Group and SolarTech Launch the Solar Center for Excellence at Energy Summit 2007 in San Jose

San Jose, CA, June 1, 2007

SolarTech, a collaborative solar industry initiative created by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, today announced the establishment of the Solar Center for Excellence in Silicon Valley, a technical and educational resource focused on regional economic development and cost competitive solutions for the industry and its customers.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the Energy Summit 2007, a major daylong conference of top industry officials and companies hosted by Cypress Semiconductor in San Jose, featuring a keynote address by former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz.

Regrid Power Contributes to Rebuilding Together Program – Helping to Equip Homes with Solar Power in New Orleans, and Refurbish Homes in California

Company Undertakes Volunteer Efforts to Install Solar Power Systems in New Orleans Communities

Regrid Power, a Bay Area solar design and installation company, recently volunteered on solar power initiative in New Orleans, and collaborated with the charitable organization Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley on home refurbishment projects in San Jose. In recent weeks, Regrid principals and employees lent their time, talent and material to helping several Bay Area homeowners – making their homes safer and more energy efficient. Additionally, Regrid employees traveled to New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward to help install solar power systems on homes in neighborhoods that had experienced devastation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Vindu's View: Berkeley sees a way to get homeowners to go solar

November 25, 2007 01:45:34 AM PST -- By Vindu Goel, San Jose Mercury News

Every once in a while, somebody in government comes up with an idea so brilliant, that everyone else ought to copy it.

Cisco DeVries, chief of staff to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and a former official in the Clinton administration, dreamed up one of those just-gotta-steal-it notions.

DeVries crafted a plan, just approved in concept by the city council, to help Berkeley homeowners and businesses pay for solar electric systems, solar water heaters and other energy-efficiency improvements through a customized, voluntary surcharge on their property taxes.

A Dot-Com Feel to Solar Growth

Innovation, Excitement, Lots of Hiring in Valley

November 20, 2007 01:49:31 AM PST -- By Matt Nauman, San Jose Mercury News

Tom McCalmont came to Silicon Valley in the '70s to work in the tech industry. He likens the time to the anything-goes atmosphere of the Wild West. There was lots of talk about big ideas and fabulous riches from hundreds of companies backed by flush investors.

"The opportunity was there," he said, "but nobody quite knew what innovation was going to trigger it." It turned out to be the personal computer. He's now in the solar-power industry and senses a similar vibe.

"It feels to me as if we're in the same phase," said McCalmont, who runs ReGrid Power, a solar installation company in Campbell. "There's a lot of excitement, a lot of innovation."

Valley Leaders Join to Push Solar Power

Goal: Make Equipment Cheaper, Easy to Install

June 2, 2007 01:36:17 AM PDT -- By Sarah Jane Tribble, San Jose Mercury News (front page)

Sure, it's cool to be green these days. But Silicon Valley says it's something much more: It's good business.

Regional leaders in business, government and policy announced an alliance Friday to advance solar power by making it cheaper and easier to install. The group, led by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, will work to improve the solar workforce and promote research that will make solar panels more efficient.