Going solar is a great way to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels – while saving money! But what about the almost 80 percent of Americans who aren’t able to install solar on their properties? Whether you’re a renter, have a heavily shaded roof, or don’t want to invest in a solar system, there’s an alternative solution that can still allow you to reap the benefits of solar energy: community solar. The Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) is an organization dedicated to expanding community solar and making it more accessible across the U.S. In this article, we’ll explain the importance of this coalition and what you need to know about them.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Community Solar
Arcadia Power community solar program review
Community solar provides access to solar for residential electric customers who otherwise would not be able to install solar panels on their property. To date, though, community solar has not seen the same levels of adoption as residential rooftop solar. We conducted a Q&A with Arcadia Power to learn more about how their new community solar offering helps lower barriers to participation.
Continue readingEnergySage’s Community Solar Marketplace vs. CleanChoice Energy’s Clean Electricity: which is right for you?
While rooftop solar is a great way to lower your electric bill and support clean energy, it leaves out a key group of people: renters. According to the most recent Census Bureau data from 2019, renters encompass about 36 percent of households in the United States – and that number doesn’t include homeowners who don’t have full control over their roof because they live in a multi-family dwelling. If you fall into this category, the good news is that solutions exist for you to support clean energy, and some will even save you money. In this article, we’ll compare two alternatives to utility electricity: EnergySage’s Community Solar Marketplace (herein referred to as community solar) and CleanChoice Energy’s Clean Electricity (which we’ll call Clean Electricity).
Continue readingThe pros and cons of community solar
Community solar is an enticing option for those looking to take advantage of solar energy without installing a system on their own property. This unique type of solar project has a large central solar power plant whose energy can be shared potentially by thousands of people with either subscription or ownership plans. This flexible and consumer-friendly solar project plan is perfect for those who don’t want to install solar panels on their property, and especially those who want to reduce both their carbon footprint and their electricity bill. As with any energy choice, there are pros and cons to participating in a community solar program. In this article, we’ll dive into some of the primary benefits of community solar, as well as explaining its downsides and how best to keep them in mind as you compare community solar options.
Continue readingLow to moderate income community solar: what you need to know
For many electricity users across the country, rooftop solar panels don’t make sense – there are physical reasons (i.e. roof availability, home size), personal reasons (i.e. aesthetics), and financial reasons. Specifically for individuals who classify as “low to moderate income” (LMI), there are several reasons why community solar can be a great way to benefit from solar energy while not needing the traditional financial resources to install your own solar panels.
Continue readingWhich community solar markets are heating up?
Historically, community solar has been the most popular–and most accessible–in four key states: Minnesota, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York. But excitingly, more and more states are jumping on the community solar bandwagon, and new projects continue to pop up each year.
So, what markets are heating up for community solar? And which states can we expect to take the plunge next?
Continue reading4 reasons to join a community solar program
Community solar is quickly becoming a hit in the renewable energy industry. Many people hear the pitch and think, “Really? This is too good to be true”…and honestly, we get it. But truthfully, there are a lot of good reasons to join a community solar program – here are four of them to start:
Continue readingBoston’s new CCA program: how does it compare with community solar?
Earlier this year, Boston rolled out their new community choice electricity (CCE) program, the largest community choice aggregation (CCA), or municipal aggregation, initiative in New England. Given the availability of local community solar projects in the Greater Boston area–and given that Boston is EnergySage’s home city!–we get a lot of questions about how some of these subscription options compare to this new program. In this article, we’ll discuss the major differences and similarities between the two options.
Continue readingHow to compare community solar offers
So far, there are only a small number of community solar-friendly states that have markets we’d consider competitive. Consumer choice is still limited, and most shoppers have only one community solar program offering available to them, if any.
Continue readingCommunity solar pricing models: what you need to know
As you consider joining a community solar project, it’s important to understand how and when it will deliver value to you. This article breaks down the two main types of pricing models – ownership and subscription – in order to help you more accurately compare and decide between various offers.
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