Isra-Mart srl : Sungevity lands Lowe's deal to promote speedy solar sales

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Residential solar firm Sungevity has signed home improvement company Lowe's as a distributor, significantly expanding its reach into the fast expanding market for domestic solar panels.

The company, which currently uses web-based tools to provide fast quotes for solar installation, said the new partnership will allow it to deliver in-store consultation and sales for Lowe's customers.

Lowes will provide customers with in-store access to iQuote, the Sungevity system that uses satellite images and aerial photography to estimate the cost of a residential solar installation.

Displays branded with Sungevity's material will begin appearing in the chain's stores this summer, before rolling out across eight states.

Sungevity launched three years ago in California, setting itself up as the 'Dell of solar cells'. It provided an automated sales process that used a geometric algorithm to calculate the angle of the roof and the available surface area for installation. This enables it to give a next-day quote to potential customers, who access its sales tools online.

The company is attempting to penetrate the mass-market for solar installations, and the firm said the Lowe's deal will help educate the market and make its products more available to a wider base of people.

Sungevity offers solar leasing products, in what it calls its "solar as a service" program. It monitors and maintains its systems, fixing them if it detects that they are operating suboptimally.

The company raised $15m in series C funding last December, bringing its total to more than $25m.