PowerGrab
Hey Grok, power is right around the corner, literally.
Colossus is hungry for more electricity, fast.
We can help.
We Created the Fastest and Cheapest way to Install Residential Solar:
Wall-mount solar panels and connect them directly to the electric meter.
One guy on a step ladder can wall-mount three to four systems a day.
A meter socket adapter connects solar in 15 minutes.
A hundred guys with no special skills could install over 100 MW in about four months. Check our math:
100
x
3.5 installs/day
x
4 kW
=
1,400 kW/day
x
75 days
=
105 MW in 4 months
How it works
Fast & Simple
4 step Installation
Step 1
Screw two upper brackets into the wall below the overhang.
Step 2
Hook the solar frame onto these brackets to support the weight.
Step 3
Screw two lower brackets to connect the support bars and place the panel in position. Repeat along the wall.
Step 4
Utility rep or electrician connects the system directly to the electric meter in 15 minutes.
No one needs to go inside or mess with the house electrical panel.
Each modular unit weighs only 42 pounds (520W) and arrives already assembled.
It’s like mounting a smart TV, except outside.
Customizable & Aesthetic outdoor amenity
The systems can be customized with dozens of color and style combinations. Solar never looked so good!
Suggested Approach
Utility Owns Systems, Pays “Rent”
for Wall Access
Rather than finding 25,000 homeowners to buy the systems, either MLGW or TVA could own them and give bill credits to households for providing wall access.
There are 145,000 single-story homes in Shelby County, so we’re talking one in six.
Benefits To TVA:
Pricing is on par with utility-scale solar, including “rent” payment to household
Leverages existing transmission infrastructure
Doesn’t use farmland
No interconnection queue
Eligible for 10% low-income ITC adder
May be able to monetize carbon attributes with "co-benefits"
Advances TVA towards its solar generation goal
Frequently Asked Questions
Why single-story homes?
The system can attach to two-story homes, but it’s faster and safer for one installer to work with a step ladder.
Is a meter socket adapter (“MSA”) required?
Not at all, but it’s much, much faster and less costly than hiring an electrician to connect the system to the main panel.
What do the financials look like?
With a 30% ITC and MSA, we’re around $.90/Watt installed, and about five cents higher if we connect to the main panel. Spread over 30 years of production, that’s $35/MWh with a 30% ITC and $50/MWh with no ITC, including payments to the households. That’s utility-scale pricing, which is unheard of for residential. Plus, TVA would likely have transmission and land acquisition benefits if they were to choose this approach over rural ground mounts.
Isn’t there also a carbon attribute benefit?
Each system will possess carbon attributes, which in theory can be sold. Like forward purchase commitments in the carbon capture market, we are proposing a forward purchase of future carbon attributes, the proceeds of which will go to households as an up-front payment. Carbon credit buyers generally pay a “co-benefits” premium, which would reduce the amount the system owner (for example, TVA) would pay to the household. As an example, if a buyer did a 20 year forward purchase at $10/MT for one 4kW system, it would cost about $1,000. As a reference, solar cook stoves in Africa range from $19 - $25/MT.
Does it work with batteries?
Of course, but we didn’t include them in the financials because there’s no Time of Use pricing to justify it on strictly financial grounds.
What if the utility doesn’t want to own them?
We think there are local and national NGOs that would be interested, with financing from impact funding sources and banks seeking to meet their CRA obligations.
Why can’t the household own them?
They could but we think the adoption rates wouldn’t be nearly as fast as we need. If instead you think of the homeowner as a Landlord that’s renting their wall, their calculus becomes more about upside and a lot of their hesitations—and possible financing issues—go away.
Apart from “rent” payments, does the household get anything else?
Research shows that awnings can significantly lower interior temperatures in southern homes, so that will lower bills even more. We could also attach cameras and satellite receivers to our mounting frame as a means to enhance neighborhood security and provide higher-value internet connectivity, respectively. This level of real-time anonymized imagery fed through an AI model could lead to breakthroughs in public safety and other municipal services.
What happens to the system when a tornado strikes?
FEA and CFD done according to ASCE 7-16 show the product withstanding upward forces exceeding 115 mph winds and 93 psf downward snow loads, with room to strengthen further. As a reference, Minnesota building code requires 42 psf for rooftop snow loads. Each modular unit can also be adjusted flush against the wall or even detached in a matter of minutes.
Is this the fastest way to 1 Terawatt?
Consider it the fastest first leg in the race. There are 86 million single-family detached homes in the US; about 50 million are single-story. Twenty-five million 4kW systems would get us .1 TW. Maybe we could double it with a combination of larger system sizes and higher household penetration, especially in our Household Rents Wall scenario. Getting the other 80% to 1 TW is beyond my pay grade.