New report shines light on solar power marketing

Posted on August 25, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized |

solar Working with the non-profit Clean Energy Group, Smartpower has just rolled out a new report show states how they can stimulate demand for solar power. The bottom line is that states need to think–and act–more like retailers. Solar power is a product, and consumers need to understand the costs and benefits associated with it.

“Solar programs must understand and address the major barriers to solar market growth,” said Brian Keane, President of SmartPower. “In seven years of message research, we have learned that the ‘environmental message’ is not the answer to motivating consumers to purchase clean energy. Unless the solar industry begins to market solar energy like Coca-Cola sells soda or McDonald’s sells hamburgers, they are not going to create a strong, robust marketplace. Essentially, the industry must create a greater demand for solar energy that does not exist right now. From a marketing perspective, if granite counter-tops are in demand, solar should be too.”

The report describes four barriers to the growth of solar energy technologies:

Up-front costs are high and the payback is long
It is not perceived as a reliable source of energy, even though it is
The complexity of solar energy installation is a deterrent
The decision-making process and financial complexity make the solar sale difficult

The report describes the effective solar power marketing practices that have been developed to overcome these barriers and stimulate demand. You can read the entire report here.

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