Co-ops are leading the way in community solar initiatives. Today, electric cooperatives own and operate about 70% of the community solar programs in the country, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
By the end of 2015, co-ops completed community solar projects in 36 states, adding 176 MW to the power grid. When you consider that 1 MW is enough to power 500 to 1,000 homes, that’s enough solar energy to power approximately 175,000 homes in communities across the United States!
Even more projects are expected in the coming years. Through community solar initiatives co-ops across the county plan do add another 375 MW of solar energy to the grid by 2018—tripling co-op investment in solar energy.
In true cooperative spirit, community solar provides an opportunity for co-ops to provide a service that many people couldn’t achieve on their own. Nearly half of all housing arrangements aren’t suitable for solar power. Many homes are rentals, some are far too shaded and others may not have a roof strong enough to support a solar system. With community solar, everyone has an opportunity to participate and purchase renewable energy.
Co-ops with community solar projects install, operate and maintain a solar system that is much larger in scale than a home rooftop model. Then they allow members the opportunity to buy in to the system, most through an up-front purchase payment or a monthly “subscription” or rental payment to support the units. In return, participating members receive a payment, or credit, back on their electric bills based on their contribution and how much electricity is produced by the community solar project.
Community solar is often an affordable way for co-op members to purchase renewable energy because no one person bears the expense of financing and installing a home solar system. Community solar has the advantage of economy of scale, meaning that costs decrease as the size of the system increases. Spreading these costs out amongst participants makes purchasing or renting a small portion of the system much more affordable than installing your own residential rooftop system.
The co-op also handles all the logistical details of the community solar project, including site assessment, installation, connection to the grid and maintenance after installation.
As solar energy becomes more widely available, San Patricio Electric Cooperative wants to be your source for energy and information. Please let us know if you have any questions by contacting us at 361-364-2220 or pr@sanpatricioelectric.org.