Sunedison

SunEdison is a leading global solar energy service provider to commercial, government, and utility customers. Since its founding in 2003, SunEdison has engaged in photovoltaic solar projects for states, businesses, and private customers, exceeding business volume of competitors. In April 2009, it marked a milestone in solar energy history by delivering more than 100 gigawatt-hours of electricity from photovoltaics, which essentially can offer electricity to 13,700 residents on an annual basis. SunEdison offers customers the opportunity to purchase solar energy produced by SunEdison's solar equipment to complement the array of energy sources a customer may already enjoy. There are no capital outlays; SunEdison's pricing is competitive. Customers pay only for the energy produced by SunEdison's power plants. If SunEdison does not deliver, customers do not pay. SunEdison's services include renewable power, monitoring, marketing, renewable portfolio standards, and solar tariff services. In its most recent expansion, SunEdison entered into a partnership with Developers Diversified to install solar energy systems at more than 130 shopping centers throughout the United States.

SunEdison is a limited liability corporation that owns and operates 221 solar power plants in North America and Europe. These 221 installations have decreased the carbon footprint by 124 million pounds of carbon dioxide. The company's main offices are in Beltsville, Maryland, with satellite offices in San Clemente, Sacramento, and Ontario, California. Its European offices are located in Spain, Italy, France, and Germany. On its website, SunEdison makes its corporate mission clear: to make solar services available, and to make them available at prices that turn them into rewarding alternatives to traditional energy portfolios. Based on SunEdison's business success in promoting renewable energy, Fast Company, a popular trade publication for the business sector, named SunEdison among its annual “Fast 50” listing in 2007.

As the public's demand for sustainable energy sources is growing, and solar energy is one of the few readily available renewable energy technologies, SunEdison works with its customers in assessing the viability of solar power installation. Its most popular customers to date are Whole Foods, Staples office supply store, Sacramento (California) Municipal Utility District, and Kohl's department store. According to the claims of the corporation, SunEdison leads the solar energy industry because of its record of fiscal stability, learned [Page 479]staff, integrity as a corporation, extensive esteemed reputation among a network of suppliers, and a commitment to quality.

Solar energy is marketed to customers generally in one of three ways: integrators, installers, and solar energy providers. A company that engages in solar integration sells solar equipment and necessary products to governments, businesses, and consumers. The system is installed at a given site, but not necessarily by the provider. It may be contracted with another supplier. Assistance with ongoing maintenance is the responsibility of the purchaser who may choose to use the original provider's subcontractors. In this first type of business arrangement, the provider generally steps aside once the sale is made and the customer assumes responsibility for the solar power system. A second type of solar energy commerce focuses mainly on the installation of the system itself. Installers are subcontracted by manufacturers of integrators to install systems. They may have training in installing solar power systems, but generally their expertise is broad, and such installations are one among several other skills they might have.

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