This past weekend I was shopping for various household items at Walmart in North Conway, NH when I saw the future of distributed renewable energy generation right before my eyes.  My wife and I turned the corner into the gardening section and there was a half an aisle of solar powered outdoor lights. Small spot lights, lights made to look like a rock, lights for pathways, and more – similar to this.

As I marveled at these simple, yet highly effective devices, I thought to myself how many people are really buying these things?  What can the industry do to help people understand how important and easy it is to provide outdoor security lighting for your house for just $20 – yup, $20 for a set of two Westinghouse Spotlights or $20 for a set of 8 Pathway lights?

Illuminating my Path in NH

I wanted to buy a few of the lights that look like a rock but there were none in a box. So I asked a representative in the garden center to please check their stock. Using her SKU device she concluded that they had sold out but more were due in the following day. Sold out, I thought, sold out. That’s right, the representative told me that all of their solar powered yard lights were flying off the self; they could not keep enough in stock and people were telling her that neighbors were telling neighbors about how they now light their yards, driveways and walk ways without paying PSNH (Public Service of NH, the local power company) one red cent.

Clearly the value proposition was a winner in an old New England community like North Conway.

We bought one of the spot light sets and one of the pathway sets and drove home quite enthusiastic. Not so much about our new solar toys, but more about what this means for the distributed generation renewable energy marketplace. You see, I’m a consumer marketing guy, and I believe in the model/concept put forth by Geoffrey Moore is his book Crossing the Chasm. Simply summarized – but read the book because it’s prescient – innovations are purchased by ‘early adopters’ who like new things and are willing to spend a premium for them. The ‘mass market’ want to wait for the Jones on the street to buy first and test the innovations’ capabilities before they are willing to buy one, and the mass market will not pay a premium. The ‘chasm’ is between the early adopter and mass market. It is the hurdle that radio, TVs, phones, PCs, the Internet, virtually every high tech innovation has had to overcome.

Shining light on my front step in NH

Today, many people wonder whether or not the current renewable energy enthusiasm will stick.   Or, as has happened several times in the past, it is a fad that will fade as gas prices recede again (only to rise again in the near future)?  Will we cross the chasm this time or will renewable energy again be just a fad among early adopters?

Well I can tell you, when solar powered garden lights, developed by a major manufacturer like Westinghouse, are flying off the shelf of the largest retailer on the planet, in a small town where the sun is in short supply for much of the year – we have crossed the chasm.

No more whether, when, if – just build baby build – at home, in your community, and in your state. Every watt that you generate yourself moves us one step closer to becoming a nation of ‘energy locovores’

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