The California company would test a market that three other clean-energy companies have found unfavourable for a public offering in recent weeks.

SolarCity says it made a confidential submission last week of a draft registration statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission. A stock offering would begin after the document is reviewed, the company says.

The San Mateo-based business with operations in 14 US states has been a top clean-tech candidate for an IPO and was one of several that analysts thought would be part of a wave led by utility-scale solar power tower developer BrightSource Energy.

But