Some exciting news from a clean-tech startup based in Seattle: Clarian Power has developed a plug-and-play solar array with a starting price tag of $799. Just plug the array into an outside electrical outlet, connect the solar panel (the array can handle up to five) and the system starts feeding power into your system and slowing your power meter down.

The New York Times has a great write-up on the Clarian Sunfish:

Today’s typical roof-mounted solar power systems start at $10,000 and go up from there depending on the amount of electricity generated and the home’s location. The bigger and more expensive systems can meet most of a house’s energy needs and even put electricity back on the utility grid, essentially turning the meter backwards.

A contractor usually installs the solar power system and turns it over to the homeowner in ready-to-use condition. An electrician will connect the system to the home’s electric panel through an inverter, a device that converts the DC power generated by the solar panels to the AC power used by lights and appliances.

Clarian is hoping to simplify this process through the use of its patented micro-inverter, which does not require a dedicated panel or circuit. In fact, they say that a handy homeowner can set up Sunfish in less than hour without the need for a contractor or electrician.

The company expects to retail a starter kit with one solar panel for $799. The system can handle up to five solar panels with the purchase of add-on kits, which would bring the retail price to $3,000 to $4,000.

Plug the Clarian micro-inverter, which they call the “power module,” into any electric socket in your house, typically an outdoor outlet. Connect up to five solar panels to the power module. The panels can be mounted anywhere on the house with the best sun exposure. Finally, plug in the kit’s circuit monitor into any outlet, and Sunfish will start feeding solar-generated power directly into the home’s electrical system.

It’s a challenge to make solar pencil right now. Even with a starting price point of $799, the return on investment for a Sunfish system will be long-term. But we’ve come a long way in the last fifteen years. Entrepreneurial innovation like this is the path to a clean energy future that makes energy more plentiful and less costly for all Americans.