General Jan 27, 2011 at 4:00 am

Experienced Contractor Says City's "Solarize Portland" Program Hurts Business

Comments

1
The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability offers a correction: Solarize is not a City of Portland program. Here's the history direct from our website: "Originally created by SE Uplift and a neighborhood leader in the Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association, the first iteration of the Solarize Portland project quickly expanded to become a partnership between several SE Portland neighborhoods and the SE Uplift Neighborhood Sustainability Program. ...The City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Energy Trust of Oregon and Solar Oregon offers strategic and technical assistance to neighborhood organizations that are interested in operating a Solarize project."
2
Solarize Portland started out as a community building project that would result in more sustainable neighborhoods. It was very successful on both counts. We had a competitive bidding process to select the contractor and chose a fantastic local company with six employees (not exactly Haliburton). We did not receive 'millions and millions' of dollars for marketing, although we did receive some to print flyers, which were distributed by volunteers from neighborhood sustainability committees.

There were 150 solar installations outside of Solarize Portland projects in 2010, as opposed to 38 in 2008. While it may be difficult for companies to compete with the low prices of Solarize, clearly some companies were still able to attract business. Even more so than in previous years.

It is inappropriate to point fingers at the people who participated in Solarize Portland for contributing to the sustainability of their community by taking advantage of affordable, and quality, solar options. They did not throw all 'ethics and reason out the window' by participating. They made a responsible decision to improve their community.
3
It's hard to know where to start with this interview. It is so full of misleading and downright incorrect information that it's utterly embarrassing.

Like @BPSCommunications said, Solarize Portland was born in the mind of a Mt. Tabor resident, evolving over time with the help of SE Uplift and countless hours of volunteering. It's unfortunate that Mr. Koyaanisqatsi has chosen such a defensive and negative position regarding the growth of the solar industry in his home town.

The company that won the original bid was about as far removed from "Haliburton" and "Walmart" as one could be. As @SEUplift mentioned, the original winner of Solarize Portland was a local company with just six employees. As the owner of a small business, Mr. Koyaanisqatsi could have just as easily won the bid had he submitted a proposal. Instead, he has chosen to continue to gripe about the injustice instead of crafting a new business strategy.
4
AWWW YOU GOT SERVED.
5
If Mr. Koyaanisqatsi is able to donate "generously" at a charity auction, I'd say he's doing a LOT better than most small business owners I know.
6
Wow. If the rebuttals posted here are even remotely accurate Mr. Koyaanisqatsi has clearly failed in his attempt to portray himself the victim but succeeded in making himself out to be far less than professional with all the ridiculous finger-pointing. This is clearly a thinly veiled attempt to elicit sympathy and increase business, neither of which will be a reality any time soon.
7
Complete fucking liar you are, Mr. Koyannisqatsi. I am embarrassed for you.
8
Ah when will folks begin to embrace the concept that price matters to consumers? Gee, I could get a sweet deal to go solar using Solarize Portland, or I could altruistically pay more to help Mr. Koyaanisqatsi remain uncompetitive. Methinks someone needs to open an econ 101 textbook to the chapter on supply and demand.
9
As a independant contractor who works in the solar industry, for companies including Solar Energy Solutions, I want to see the industry grow and foster competition. Will this happen if only a few companies install 402 systems(70%), while dozens of other companies try to make ends meat on the remaining 151 systems(30%)? Seems to me it would be good use to utilize the Solarize program to foster the growth of a greater number of companies, unless one likes not having much of a choice in the future. So, on that point, I fully agree with Andrew. It seems people responding are caught up in his passionate wording, instead of hearing his point. Solarize Portland has definitely been a vehicle for helping groups of people to go solar in Portland who wouldn't have been able to, but how is it beginning to affect the solar industry itself to grow?

Solarize Portland has had a tremendous affect on the industry as a whole outside of itself. There has been a state wide decrease in tax credits and incentives, partially to deal with the decreased cost of the Solarize projects, and account for solarize clients who could end up reclaiming more than was spent. So now if you are not a Solarize installer in Portland, or are working in a town where it's much harder to form a large purchasing group, and therefore your install cost is higher, the sale has become harder to quantify for a potential customer.

All in all, Solarize Portland has good intent and has helped many consumers to use solar, but it is also hurting portions of the industry to grow along with it. I have personally dealt with potential customers who didn't understand that contractors outside of Solarize Portland could install solar for them and still receive the same incentives and tax credits. Due to the amazing publicity of the program, residential consumers are seemingly less aware that they actually have choice. There is definitely no fault with consumers wanting solar to be an affordable choice, but I think, in an effort to continue to grow the solar industry, ETO and Solarize Portland could take time to consider how Solarize Portland's growth is affecting the industry as a whole.
11
It is unfortunate that the people commenting are much more willing to trust what the Energy Trust of Oregon wants you to believe then taking time to look at the facts. I know it is a lot easier to go with the mob mentality but sometime you have to deal with the fact that the Energy Trust isn't out for the consumers best interest. Like Walmart, the savings has to come for somewhere and unfortunately the savings made by Solarize Portland is coming from small businesses. Personal attacks on Mr. Koyaanisqatsi shows to me how scared people are that they may not look as noble as they liked to think they are.
12
I don't believe that it was the intent of the people that put together the Solarize Portland program to put small solar electric contractors out of business. It is difficult to foresee all the effect of programs that were implemented with all good intentions. But please don't ignore the devasting blow this program is having on contractors that have invested their lives and financial resources into this green industry over the past decade and gotten us to the point were at today.
Solarize Portland provides a monopoly to a bid winning contractor with large enough financial backing to do entire quadtants of the city, than the city and ETO helps the winning contractor with large amounts of free advertising. That's not a level playing field.
13
Andrew Koyaanisqatsi is passionate about solar energy and has given his professional energy to it for 20 years. He is an honest, caring, and loving human being who shows all of those attributes in how he treats others in business and in friendship and in how he treats Mother Earth. The attacks in these comments do not fit the man. The move by the city to pick one solar company to advertise by using city money has hurt not only Andrew, but many other solar companies trying to help the city become able to use solar power. Andrew cares deeply that there is justice in this for all of the business owners and the home owners. He does not want to see a monopoly cutting anyone out. He is a bigger spirited man than anyone commenting here can know or judge. He just wants to continue being able to give effectively as he has been for years. For him, it is not so much the money as to be involved in what is right and to not lose that ability by the city selecting only one company to advertise.
14
The only shortfall I have heard about for Solarized Portland is not enough trained people to do the installations that are now in demand due to the program. I have always been interested in the solar and wind energy and this seems to be the time to get in on the virtual "ground floor". I even stumbled across a solar training class that will be in Portland next month. I found the information here: www.ontility.com/training/ After enrolling in the class, I am now trying to find out everything about Portland and Solar and incentives to prepare for the class.

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