SolarCity Works With Google Nest to Spur Solar in Homes

SolarCity Corp. will join Google Inc. to install smart thermostats and monitoring software that increases energy efficiency in homes powered by solar panels.

SolarCity, the largest provider of panels for homes in the U.S., will deploy Google’s Nest thermostat for 10,000 new rooftop-power customers in California, the company said Monday in a blog post on its website.

Nest thermostats program themselves based on owner preferences and schedule, reducing energy use. Combining the thermostats with rooftop solar will allow a home to be cooled during the day using power only from the solar array, reducing power purchased from the grid, according to the blog post.