Top alternatives to rooftop solar panels
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What if there was a way to support local clean energy and save on your electric bill without installing a single solar panel? Community solar offers just that. Whether you''re a renter, don''t have a solar-compatible roof, or you prefer not to install equipment on your property, you can sign up for a community solar project.
When you subscribe to a local community solar farm, you reap the benefits of solar energy without purchasing any equipment. It encourages more clean energy in your community while reducing your yearly electric bill. We''ll explain how to decide if community solar is right for you and why it''s different from other alternatives to utility electricity, like green power plans and community choice aggregation.
Community solar projects are large solar panel farms that generate electricity for more than one property.
Community solar empowers more people to access the financial and environmental benefits of renewable energy.
Most community solar subscribers save between 5 and 20% annually on electricity costs.
Community solar isn''t available in every state, but the number of states passing the necessary legislation is quickly growing.
Of the community solar projects we offer in the EnergySage Marketplace, Maine currently has the most open capacity.
Community solar will likely save you more than green power plans or community choice aggregation.
Have you ever seen a large array of solar panels while driving down the highway? In many cases, these are community solar projects. Also referred to as solar farms, shared solar, solar gardens, or roofless solar, a community solar project is a large, central power plant that generates electricity for the grid. Unlike utility-scale solar, private developers or, in some cases, subscribers themselves own community solar farms.
Community solar can be tricky to wrap your head around. When you subscribe to a farm, your solar panels don''t directly connect to your home or business. How can you save on electricity costs without directly feeding solar energy into your electric meter? It''s all thanks to a policy, only available in certain states, called virtual net metering (VNM), which lets you purchase electricity generated offsite of your property in the form of credits on your electric bill. Here''s how it works:
You subscribe to a solar farm in your utility company''s territory, and the farm''s subscription organization assigns you a share of the farm based on your electricity usage.
Your share of the solar farm generates emission-free solar power and exports it to the electric grid.
Your utility company distributes this electricity throughout the grid.
You pay your community solar provider for credit towards your electric bill based on the amount of electricity your share of the farm generates.
Your utility company applies the bill credits to your monthly bill, reducing your charges.
One of the most important things to understand about community solar is that you don''t receive electricity directly from the farm. Your current utility company will still deliver your electricity and in many cases you will still receive a monthly electric bill. You actually end up needing to pay both your community solar provider for bill credits and your regular utility bill, but the total amount between the two of them will almost always be lower than what you''d pay without subscribing to community solar.
At EnergySage, we want as many people to go solar as possible, and community solar enables a much wider group to benefit from solar energy. Here are some of the main reasons we launched our Community Solar Marketplace:
Most landlords won''t let you renovate your kitchen, and unfortunately, most won''t let you install a solar system on the roof. One of the things we love most about community solar is that all you need is an electric bill and a utility company with open projects to be eligible. It''s that simple.
Whether you''re a renter, are part of a homeowner''s association that doesn''t support rooftop solar, or have a roof with too much shading, you can sign up for a community solar farm
Are you paying more and more for electricity every year? If so, you''re not alone: Between 2018 and 2022, the average residential electricity cost increased by over 17%. Community solar can help you recoup some of these costs.
When you purchase bill credits from your community solar provider, you get them at a 5-20% discount, depending on your initial contract. If your community solar subscription includes a 10% discount on bill credits, you''ll receive $1 towards your utility bill charges for every 90 cents you pay your community solar provider – meaning you pocket 10 cents of savings.
While 10 cents doesn''t seem like much, over the hundreds or thousands you spend on electric bills each year, 90 cents for every dollar leads to decent savings.
We''ve already mentioned that joining a community solar program requires no change in utility service, but that doesn''t scratch the surface of how easy it is. Most community solar options charge nothing upfront. You''ll only pay once you receive bill credits on your monthly utility bill.
Also, many programs require no long-term commitment. If you end up moving or decide you don''t want to participate any longer, you can typically cancel without a penalty. You may need to give your provider the cancellation notice a few months (typically 90 or 180 days) in advance so they have time to cancel your subscription with your utility company.
Investing in community solar supports the development of renewable energy and encourages job growth in that sector of the economy. The community solar farm you subscribe to will probably be nearby and employ people from your community to develop and maintain it!
The United States will install an estimated 6 gigawatts (GW) of community solar in the next five years. To put this into perspective, that amount of solar can generate enough electricity to power over 1 million homes! In 2021, the Department of Energy (DOE) set a target to develop enough community solar in the U.S. to power 5 million homes and support $1 billion in electric bill savings by 2025.
If you live in a state with renewable portfolio standards (RPS), a certain percentage of your state''s electricity consumption needs to be generated by renewable energy. Because community solar farms produce renewable energy, they can help your state meet its requirements and reduce its dependency on fossil fuels.
Some areas of the utility grid don''t have enough generators to provide adequate power when high demand makes them subject to blackouts. Utilities and developers often strategically work together to site community solar farms in these areas, helping utilities save time and money on costly grid maintenance and repairs.
Learn more about the benefits of community solar.
Community solar is highly accessible, but it''s still not available to everyone. Here are five questions to answer to understand if you''re eligible:
To subscribe to a community solar project, you need to have open projects in your utility service territory. While more and more states are recognizing the benefits of community solar and supporting the development of projects.Today, 41 states and Washington, D.C. have at least one community solar project online. This still leaves nine states without any community solar projects, and some of the states with projects still don''t have enough capacity to meet demand.
If you live in a building where your landlord or building manager pays your electric bill, you likely won''t be able to sign up for community solar directly. Without a utility account, your community solar provider won''t be able to credit your electric bills. You can always encourage the person in charge of your electric bills to sign up if they''re eligible.
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