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Category: Solar Stories

  • Impacts of Community Solar on Maryland’s Economy

    Impacts of Community Solar on Maryland’s Economy

    Maryland’s Net Energy Billing program and community solar are delivering triple bottom line impacts for Maryland’s economy, residents and the environment according to a recent study. These programs are driving economic growth, saving customers significant money and helping Maryland reach its environmental goals.

    Read more about these benefits in the article below.

    http://www.communitysolaraccess.org/new-study-release-maines-solar-program-provides-significant-cost-savings-job-creation-and-emission-reductions/

  • Changing the Clean Energy Equation

    Changing the Clean Energy Equation

    For years consumers and businesses have been interested in solar energy, especially as prices and costs have plummeted over the past decade. Unfortunately, on-site and rooftop solar installations have some pretty big barriers to entry.

    The costs to purchase an array can be prohibitive to many and, even with financing, the payback can be drawn out. Add in challenges with site orientation, building ownership, permitting and maintenance and that math often just doesn’t work for many people … until now.

    The growing availability of community solar programs has changed the equation for any business and consumers interested in using clean energy. They can use 100% renewable energy taking advantage of the same net energy billing program as an on-site array. But all the barriers to entry are gone.

    Community solar programs provide the renewable electricity and costs savings with no upfront costs or fees. Plus, because solar farms are “off-site”, the issues with site orientation, direct sunlight, permitting, maintenance, etc. are no longer a factor.

    With these benefits ad more developers offering no credit-check programs, community solar is truly making clean energy available to everyone.

  • Community Solar by the Numbers

    Community Solar by the Numbers

    Community solar programs can often seem confusing to consumers and businesses. Here’s an example using the average monthly electric bill in Massachusetts, which was about $125 in 2019, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Imagine a family who uses exactly $125 of electricity every month, and signs up for an equivalent share of community solar power at a 10 percent discount:

    Say that household’s share in a community solar farm generated $150 of electricity in a sunny month, like August. They’d pay $135 to the solar farm and have no electric bill that month — plus they’d receive a $25 credit toward a future bill.

    If their share at the solar farm produced $125 worth of bill credits the next month, September, then they’d pay $112.50 to the solar farm, and receive no electric bill that month, nor any extra credits.

    And if in October, their share at the solar farm produced only $100 worth of bill credits, they’d pay $90 to the solar farm, and get a $25 electric bill from their utility — which would be covered by the leftover credit from August. If the same thing happened again in November, they would once more pay $90 to the solar farm and owe $25 to their utility, for a total bill of $115.

    “The big thing here is there’s no risk of ever paying extra,” said Scott Becker, a spokesperson for Solstice in Cambridge, which helps manage subscribers for community solar farms. “In the worst-case scenario of a meteor striking your solar farm, your solar share would stop producing energy, and you’d go back to paying the electric bills you were already paying in the first place.”

    Above example excerpted from https://realestate.boston.com/news/2021/03/18/fits-starts-community-solar-going-mainstream

  • Why is community solar growing in Maryland?

    Why is community solar growing in Maryland?

    The community solar concept is gaining traction in Maryland but you may be surprised to know the pilot program has been around since 2017. Right now it’s growing fast in terms of interest, education and projected capacity. This rapid growth is fueled in part by the benefits community solar programs offer consumers and businesses – you can save money and support renewable energy all without the barriers to entry traditionally associated with solar energy.

    Maryland passed legislation in 2017 to encourage the development of community solar and other small renewable energy facilities to support the transition to a more sustainable economy and future.

    A key portion of this legislation provided for Shared Net Energy Billing.  This allows you to benefit from the renewable energy produced on a community solar farm. You keep your current electric utility and start seeing a credit on your monthly bill from your community solar project. The ease of enrollment and transparency makes it appealing to many consumers and businesses.

  • How it Works

    How it Works

    It starts with a community solar project that is developed in your area. Developers seek out customers like you that value clean energy and the cost savings it can provide. During the enrollment process, the developer will look at your average energy usage over the past 12 months and allocate enough kilowatts to offset up to 100% of your monthly electric bill.

    The energy produced by the community solar farm is delivered to the electricity grid, and the solar credits you’ve earned through your subscription are deducted from your monthly utility bill. The developer of your community solar farm bills you separately for your subscription, generally at a discount of up to 10-15% in Maryland.

    In the end, community solar works because of consumers like you who support clean power. By subscribing to shares in a community solar project, you make it sustainable. Your participation makes a real difference for the planet, for your electricity costs., for the development of green energy and benefit your community.

  • What is Community Solar?

    What is Community Solar?

    Community solar provides the benefits of renewable energy without the upfront costs.

    Community solar is a program for the community! Instead of the solar farm creating revenue by selling the energy to the utility, consumers and businesses buy the energy through a subscription. People subscribe to the energy created in the solar farm that offsets the power they use. The utility recognizes each subscriber as providing clean power to the grid and the subscriber receives credits that, in many cases, zero out the existing utility bill.

    Subscribers pay the community solar company for the electricity produced by their subscription at a cheaper rate than the credit. The net of both electricity bills is less than a bill without solar credits.

      • Save 10-15% on your electric bill  
      • No upfront costs
      • Lower your carbon footprint
      • Support your local economy and green energy jobs
      • Differentiate your business by using 100% renewable electricity
      • Support Maryland-based renewable energy