I am a little loath to post this because this is not much a forum for individual equity and bond recommendations. But many here are retired or close and/or interested in reliable nonlow conservative investments. So here goes. As a SolarCity (SCTY) customer/user/renter, I got email today about SC 4%/7y bonds, available to anyone, payments to bondholders coming from the customer contract stream. It has been widely written up the last week; I just had not read about it.
fwiw:
https://solarbonds.solarcity.com/
Comments
The Key Is; The largest installer of residential solar systems in the U.S. ( SCTY ) has already amassed some $325 million selling asset-backed securities to institutional investors—a strategy that has made it a standout in the industry. Every time the company has gone out to the securitization or institutional market, the offerings have always been significantly oversubscribed.
Regards,
Ted
https://fortune.com/2014/10/17/solarcity-solar-bonds/?xid=yahoo_fortune
It is open to the public, not just SC renters.
Scott:
I know this will seem total shilling, but dealing with SC was the biggest no-brainer I have ever done for anything involving a house (or car, or indeed anything else), over 45y. It was not just free in all respects but seamless --- they did all the work, all the permitting, all the scheduling, all the install of course, including sistering attic rafters for increased weightbearing, all the town coordination, all the utility coordination, blah blah. they asked me to patch a spot of roof, which I did for under $2k. Obvs they do not want to come back ever, until they uninstall the panels after the 20y lease is up (wink, wink). The savings are significant, and for my >5kWh installation I pay $58/mo (supposed to go up 3%/yr, though it has not in 3y).
Anyway, they sized it, scoped it, and did everything, and never once failed to show or call when they said they would. It was actually kind of an odd experience. So could not be happier, in sum.
If you kick in something at the front, like $1k or half that, you get different deals and better terms, slightly, I believe.
I am outside Boston and southerly-facing with a ton of sun, but, you know, it's still lat 42deg, so not a ton of sun for those of you used to more.
My wife does clamber out after big snowfalls and brooms off the panels, which they ask/suggest you do, also don't let trees grow too high over the decades, though I don't think they do much tracking, really. Maybe if the stream to the util died they would notice.
It cannot and does not serve as backup system; it goes out when the util power goes out. (Safety.)
With a loooong roof rake/broom and a lot of upper-body strength you could clear most of them from the ground.