SOLANA BEACH ---- Solar electricity systems can be a good way to save money, if you're patient. The systems take several years to pay back the investment.

Amsolar Corp. is shaking up that model by providing instant savings, with no upfront cost, to customers who choose its systems. The company is mainly targeting universities and other educational institutions.

Amsolar got its business model from Germany, where solar power is especially popular, and backed by large subsidies. But in the U.S., the high initial cost poses a hurdle to adoption, said Joshua Weinstein, Amsolar's 30-year-old managing partner.

"Our goal is to put solar within reach for educational institutions," Weinstein said. "We build a system for them. We own, operate it and maintain it on their campus. And we bill them just for the power that is produced from the system."

Late last year, Solana Beach-based Amsolar signed a contract with the University of San Diego to build a 1.23 megawatt system on its campus. Weinstein said this will be the eighth-largest solar facility on a U.S. campus. By comparison, most residential solar power systems have a capacity of about 3 kilowatts, about 400 times less than the USD system.

Customers who sign up with Amsolar get about a 15 percent total savings over their current electricity cost, Weinstein said. That savings includes the cost of buying power from the utility and from Amsolar.

The solar systems help customers plan their energy budgets years in advance, Weinstein said, because the price is specified for the life of the contract. And when utility prices go up, the lower price of the solar power provides a hedge.

Amsolar went outside the educational field to install a solar system at a McDonald's restaurant on Garnet Avenue in San Diego's Pacific Beach neighborhood. The solar panels are installed on platforms that double as car shade. The system also provides power for an electric-vehicle charging station.

For more information about Amsolar, visit www.amsolarcorp.com or call 760-480-7460.