
The companies announced Wednesday that representatives will be stationed in about 60 Best Buy stores in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon and New York. They can provide quick assessments for shoppers about their homes, and offer on-the-spot estimates of potential electricity savings if solar panels are installed.
SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive said in an interview:
People go to Best Buy to buy all sorts of devices and appliances, and almost everything you buy consumes a tremendous amount of electricity — your flat-screen TV, your dishwasher. Now we can sell a product that addresses those energy needs.
Rive also said SolarCity has found success in a similar partnership with big-box home improvement store operator Home Depot (NYSE: HD).
Shares of SolarCity were up 6.0% Wednesday morning, at $77.82 in a 52-week range of $16.18 to $88.35. Best Buy shares were down %1.7 to $25.53. The 52-week range is $20.30 to $44.66.