An impressive residence was recently completed on 2 ½ acres in the Burbank Hills — and one of the most enviable views from the 12,000 square-foot home comes from the new 17kW solar installation that powers it. Seeming to float in midair, the system is cantilevered off a 30-foot-high retaining wall and hidden by an infinity pool overlooking downtown Los Angeles and world-famous movie studios. One of Burbank’s largest residential solar projects was recently completed by Go Green Solar Solutions using Kyocera photovoltaic (PV) solar modules and SMA inverters.
Total installation costs were reduced by half — from $63,000 to just over $30,000 — through a federal investment tax credit of $18,957 and a rebate of $13,812 from Burbank Water and Power. By eliminating the home’s monthly utility electric bill, which currently averages $433, and protecting against future rate increases, the system is expected to give a full return on investment in about five years. The solar installation is expected to save the residence more than $250,000 in monthly utility electric bills over the next 25 years*.
“This homeowner wanted to create a state-of-the-art residence, and installing a solar system to power 100% of the electricity needs for the home and pool was an important eco-build element,” said Greg Johanson, owner, Go Green Solar Solutions. “The structure mirrors the look of a beautiful infinity pool with no visible hardware to obstruct the view of wildlife in the hills and the city below. We selected Kyocera because of the difficult installation location and the proven reliability of these solar modules, which is even more critical when they’re hanging 30 feet in the air without access from below.”
“California leads the nation in solar installations and Los Angeles County leads the state with more than 250 megawatts,” said Cecilia Aguillon, Kyocera’s director of market development for solar energy. “Financial incentives are helping more homeowners to take advantage of solar and it’s easy to forget the engineering expertise some unique projects require. This is a compelling example of design meeting function with proven materials that will stand the test of time.”
