Last Updated on March 5, 2024
With the newest warning of the United Nations about climate change’s severe consequences, the need to go solar has never been more urgent. Here’s how you can do it regardless of your salary or the type of property you reside in.
The release of a frightening new report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made it clearer than ever that we all have a role to play in tackling the life-threatening changes that are occurring around the planet. The earth is warming faster than previously thought, climate change is worsening, and some trends are already irreversible, according to the report, putting us even closer to the destructive effects of extreme weather like heatwaves, wildfires, and hurricanes.
Simply switching to solar energy power where you live is one of the most effective and simple methods to help address climate change in your daily life (and thus shift away from fossil fuel energy). It is now possible to make the switch to community solar regardless of your living situation—whether you own a home or reside in a multi-unit apartment building, townhouse, or condominium. (This is also true for corporations, as they are qualified to participate in community solar initiatives as well.)
Community solar is an important eco-friendly lifestyle development that levels the playing field when it comes to expanding solar access and making solar power adoption affordable, especially for low- and middle-income people. This is due to the fact that community solar involves no initial investment and does not require participants to have a roof on which to install panels.
For those who aren’t yet familiar with community solar, here’s a rundown of the essentials, including how to get started—and how it can help you save money on your monthly power bills.
What is community solar, exactly?
Community solar, as explained by Energy.gov, allows people to purchase a share of a solar project or solar farm in their neighborhood. In turn, the local solar farm provides renewable electricity for the grid, which the utility company then distributes to its customers.
The solar power supplied by the farm should, in theory, compensate for most or all of the fossil fuel (or brown electricity) utilized by your home or residence. Community solar consumers receive a credit on their monthly electricity bill for the power generated by their portion of the community solar program in exchange for subscribing to the solar farm. The credits lower the amount you owe each month to your utility company.
“Each subscriber is recognized by the utility as supplying sustainable energy to the grid, and they are rewarded with community solar credits on their bills. The credits often cancel out the existing utility bill” According to the SunShare Community Solar website.
Where can I find community solar?
Community solar is fast growing in popularity across the United States, but there is still a long way to go. Nexergy is a website that provides consumers with an online solar energy marketplace where they can find and compare community solar programs and price in the nine states where it is most widely available. Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island are among those states, according to Nexergy. Washington, D.C. was just added to the site as well.
By 2021, about a third of states will have implemented community solar enabling policies, which means they’ll have passed legislation that establishes a third-party market for community solar and requires project developers and utilities to adhere to certain regulations in order to enroll customers and develop community solar installations.
In addition, a campaign is currently ongoing in the United States to have 30 million households powered by solar energy in the next five years. The 30 Million Solar Homes initiative, which aims to reach one in four households with solar and expand access to clean energy to marginalized communities such as low- and moderate-income communities, environmental justice communities, and solar deserts, has gathered support from more than 300 advocacy organizations, solar businesses, and faith communities.
Grants and funding would be made available to further the spread of community solar installations as part of this plan, which the sponsoring organizations are urging Congress to endorse.
What does it entail to sign up?
According to Mahmudul Hasan, CEO and founder of Nexergy, the beauty of community solar is that it is free to participate. To get started with community solar, there are no upfront expenditures.
Furthermore, you are free to terminate your community solar subscription at any moment (as opposed to leasing solar panels, which can require a commitment as long as 20 years). Some community solar schemes may demand 30 to 60 days’ notice (at the most), but there are no other restrictions that prevent you from switching at any time. Customers can analyze cancellation rules, expected annual savings, the location of the solar project, ratings, and other helpful facts using Nexergy’s Solar Marketplace to make an informed decision.
It’s also crucial to note that most community solar customers receive two bills: one from the community solar program for their solar farm membership, and another from the local utility company for any traditionally generated electricity they’ve used that isn’t covered by solar-power generation.
Why are you doing this now?
Nexergy’s Founder and CEO Mahmudul Hasan believes there’s really little excuse not to take advantage if you have access to community solar. There are no drawbacks Clearly a strong champion for the need to convert to solar energy in the face of the increasingly grave reality of climate change is much needed.
“There are no upfront costs, you may leave at any moment, and the bill is guaranteed not to go up for any reason,” he explains.
If those advantages aren’t enough, consider that solar energy production reduces carbon emissions and improves air quality. It’s also worth noting that some solar farms offer special programs for low- and middle-income clients, making the conversion to solar even more cost-effective for them. “For some people, the discount can be really significant, up to 20%,” Hasan explains.
Even still, several obstacles remain in the way of widespread community solar adoption. People who are unfamiliar with community solar or do not fully comprehend how it works are among them.
However, now is the moment to educate ourselves about these possibilities. We are approaching a point of no return, as the recent IPCC report on climate change shows. According to the report, human-caused climate change is already altering weather and climate extremes in every region of the world. Scientists are also detecting changes in the atmosphere, oceans, ice floes, and on land across the Earth’s climate system. Many of these shifts are unprecedented, forcing the United Nations to declare a “code red for mankind.”
“Climate change is here, and it’s getting worse every year. Continuing to rely on fossil fuel-generated electricity has a direct cost. And the external cost is something we’re all paying for with our health and more taxes “Hasan explains.
Eric Zuesse
The author is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area. He tries to find an interest in clean energy, tech innovation and lifestyle.