Crowdfunding Seen Topping $5 Billion for Rooftop Solar

A growing number of rooftop solar developers

are soliciting funds directly from retail investors,

often through websites that tap a large number of small contributions. This so-called crowdfunding model has attracted almost $100 million in the U.S. to date, Newell said. It offers one of the few ways for individuals to back renewable energy projects, which give steady, long-term returns from selling electricity.

That would represent more than a quarter of all annual investment

25% rooftop solar Crowdfunded - next 5 years

in that segment of the solar industry, said Tim Newell, vice president of financial products for San Mateo, California-based SolarCity Corp. (SCTY), which is the biggest U.S. solar power provider by market value.

U.S. homeowners installed 792 megawatts of solar 2013

up 60 percent from 2012, according to data compiled by the Solar Energy Industries Association.

source: bloomberg.com