SolarCity Corporation was a publicly traded company headquartered in, that sold and installed systems as well as other related products and services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company was founded on July 4, 2006, by Peter and, the cousins of and CEO. Tesla acquired SolarCi.
SolarCity's business model entails designing, developing, and installing its systems. The company buys key system components from various manufacturers. Its main solar panel suppliers are Trina Solar Limited, Canadian Solar, AUO Green Energy America, Hanwa Qcells America. REC Americas, and Kyocera Solar.
And that it turn makes the business less straightforward to manage. But it means that SolarCity is also a hybrid, providing a solar solution no matter how the customer wants to set it up. SolarCity can also operate like a mortgage originator with its sales/leasing model.
Who owns SolarCity?
The company was founded on July 4, 2006, by Peter and Lyndon Rive, the cousins of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016, at a cost of approximately US$2.6 billion (equivalent to $3.3 billion in 2023) and reorganized its solar business into Tesla Energy.
It's really the leasing and PPA arrangements that are innovative in SolarCity's business. Of course, both of these choices make the company a service-provider, rather that simply a seller and installer of panels. And that it turn makes the business less straightforward to manage.
In 2013, SolarCity was the leading residential solar installer in the U.S. Solar Power World magazine listed it as the number two overall solar installation company in the U.S. In 2013, SolarCity purchased Paramount Solar from Paramount Equity for $120 million.
info: Tanguy earned a Bachelor's degree from ESCP in Paris. He previously served as CEO of Vivint Solar and as a Vice President at TPG Capital, a private equity investment firm. He heads finance, operations, accounting, and investor relations at SolarCity. Mission SolarCity's mission is to accelerate the mass adoption of sustainable energy.