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The New Face of Solar Panel Buyers

As music and film streaming becomes more on-demand, so do energy-efficient utilities

July 6, 2015

A residential photovoltaic installation in Bayview, Wis., in 2007. Photo: Mjmonty/Flickr

Just seven years ago, the typical solar panel buyer was an affluent Californian living in a McMansion. Today, even three-bedroom ranch starter homes can have PV panels.

According to Shelton Group, a sustainable energy marketing firm, solar panels continue to become more mainstream, especially as PV panel costs declined 20 percent in both 2011 and 2012.

“Yet while the target population for solar has shifted and greatly expanded, the underlying purchase drivers (control and independence) remain the same and connect with two closely related, cultural macro-trends: the on-demand economy and self-reliance,” Shelton Group reports.

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