Liberty Lake-based Itron Inc. says it has expanded on its relationship with Sunrun Inc., one of the nation’s largest solar companies.

Sunrun will be purchasing more solar meter devices from Itron and relying on its staff to process data generated by the meters, says Itron spokeswoman Sharelynn Moore. The move is part of Itron’s ongoing effort to move deeper into the growing solar energy field, Moore says.

“The cost has come down for the mainstream, making installation more affordable,” she says of residential solar usage.

Itron is a maker of automated meter reading technology and offers related services. The company last month launched Itron Total Solar, through which it intends to increase its production of solar meters. Meanwhile, it will dedicate more staff to helping solar companies measure and monitor the information generated by Itron-made solar products, Moore says.

Sunrun is based in San Francisco, and California is currently experiencing high solar demand, she says, adding that Pacific, Gas & Electric Co., an energy company also rooted in San Francisco, is enrolling on average 1,000 new customers per month who are seeking to offset their normal energy bills through the use of solar power. 

The U.S. Department of Energy says since 2008, U.S. solar installations have grown from 1.2 gigawatts to an estimated 20 gigawatts now.  That’s enough energy to power the equivalent of 4 million average American homes or to supply the combined electricity needs of Austin, Texas, and Seattle for a year, based on electricity consumption data for 2012, says the energy department’s website.

Sunrun Vice President Steve Kent says, “Sunrun has used Itron’s solar monitoring services for several years to provide accurate and reliable home solar monitoring to our customers. With Itron Total Solar, we have greater flexibility and convenience that will help us create an even better customer experience.” 

Additionally, Itron is now able to equip its solar meters with 4G LTE technology, which enables meters to transmit data more quickly to the solar companies that have deployed them. The companies then will access that data through Itron’s cloud-based software, which in turn will interpret the information and determine how much energy used at an individual residence was the result of solar power. 

The increased demand in solar energy occurring around the country is in large part due to the fact that solar, or photovoltaic, panels now are more affordable to install. Moore says the cost of installing solar panels varies, as does the offset savings on a monthly energy bill.

Though rooftop solar photovoltaic panels cost about half of what they did three years ago, many utility companies also offer incentives, and some subsidize as much as half of system costs, the energy department says. A do-it-yourself, 80-watt power kit installation from a home department store can cost as low as $300, while the cost of more elaborate systems can exceed $10,000.

Photovoltaic is a method to generate electric power by using solar cells to convert energy from the sun into a flow of electrons. Photons of light stimulate electrons into a higher state of energy, enabling them to act as a charge for an electric current.

Itron provides products and services that measure, manager, and analyze energy and water. Its product portfolio includes electricity, gas, water, and thermal energy measurement devices and control technology; communications systems; and software, as well as managed and consulting services. 

Itron, based at 2111 N. Molter in Liberty Lake, had 471 employees here as of last November, and more than 6,800 employees globally, based on data provided to the Journal for a Largest Spokane County Employers list. Both figures were down slightly from the year before. It says it supports nearly 8,000 customers in more than 100 countries.

Itron is the third largest publicly traded company based here, with a market capitalization of $1.32 billion as of June 30, based on data gathered by Hart Capital Management Inc., which tracks the aggregate market value and stock performance of the 10 publicly traded companies based here. Its stock recently dipped to under $30 a share, down from more than $40 a share at the beginning of this year.