Plug-In Solar Presentation at 9Zero SF
This past week our Community Partnerships Lead, Nick Rojas, hosted a 'Plug-In Solar 101 session' with the Energy Generation Cluster at 9Zero, the climate innovation hub in downtown San Francisco. 9Zero, for those unfamiliar, is a members-only community of founders, investors, scientists, and builders working on climate solutions. These are folks who have spent their careers thinking hard about climate and energy solutions. Nick is a member, and along with the rest of the team, was curious how balcony solar would land with such a technically fluent crowd.
Bright Saver Co-Founders Rupert Mayer and Cora Stryker led the session, opting not to do a typical slide deck presentation but instead told a story. Plug-in solar started decades ago as something tinkerers messed around with on their own balconies and in their own garages. About ten years ago it started catching on in Germany; today it's a staple there.
You can walk into a hardware or electronics store and buy a kit off the shelf, the same way you'd pick up a microwave or air fryer, for example.
Rather than telling the crowd how simple plug-in solar is, Rupert figured it'd be best to show them. A panel, micro inverter, and a cord---he set up the kit live right in front of the group. Watching a room of energy professionals lean in and realize how genuinely simple it is to set up was definitely a highlight of the night.
Rupert and Cora's framing definitely stuck with the audience: none of this required a technological breakthrough. The panels, the micro inverters, and the cables are all widely produced around the world already. Plug-in solar didn't need new technology to make it possible. It needed a new mindset about how to apply the technology we already have!
If you're part of an organization like 9Zero, whether that's a community coalition, a professional network, an employee resource group, a faith community, or a neighborhood association, we always love an opportunity to talk with your group. Nick leads Community Partnerships here at Bright Saver and you can reach him directly at [email protected].