What is Community Solar?

community solar power project
  • Beginner

They say sharing is caring, but does that apply when it comes to solar power? Normally it's frowned upon to piggyback off your neighbor's power source, but recently, the concept of community solar is shaking things up and letting the people taking back the power—literally.

What is Community Solar?

So how does community solar actually work? Essentially community solar power allows several members of a community or a neighborhood to share solar panels. Think of it as a community garden, but instead of spinach and squash at the end of the season, you're getting solar power year-round. The nice thing about community solar power is that you don't need to change your home or your yard, and The Upfront cost is almost always nothing. If it sounds simple, that's because it is.

The first step in community solar power is a developer builds a solar garden for an entire community to use. This “garden” is not in the neighborhood (usually). The sun hits those solar panels, the solar panels turn the sun into energy, and suddenly you've gone green.

The thing about a community solar garden though, is that the solar power goes through a power plant, and the electricity produced by the sun mixes in with the electricity produced at the traditional power plant. Then that energy goes into your home for a reduced price because you're getting part traditional energy, part solar energy.

You just skipped the upfront price of installing solar panels to your home, the cost of the solar panels themselves, and the headache of getting that all sorted out— and you’ve jumped right to the point where you're getting clean, green energy pumped right into your home. Not to mention that community solar gardens give people who wouldn't traditionally have the opportunity to afford solar, the chance to access affordable solar power. This means more people using more green energy which means a happier planet (and happier wallets).

solar panels on elevated columns

The Nitty Gritty

While the concept is simple, sometimes getting down to brass tacks is not. Community solar power has a lot of intricacies and if you're really serious about making this option available to your community, you need to meet with a local developer and your city zoning or planning committees to see if it is a possibility. Come armed with lots of information to these meetings. Because this is such a new idea it's likely that officials may shoot the idea down simply out of lack of knowledge. So while we give you a general overview, if this is something that you're actually interested in, buckle up and dig in.

While the concept is simple, sometimes getting down to brass tacks is not. Community solar power has a lot of intricacies and if you're really serious about making this option available to your community, you need to meet with a local developer and your city zoning or planning committees to see if it is a possibility. Come armed with lots of information to these meetings. Because this is such a new idea it's likely that officials may shoot the idea down simply out of lack of knowledge. So while we give you a general overview, if this is something that you're actually interested in, buckle up and dig in.

rural community with large solar panels

Here are a few helpful things to know about community solar gardens. Firstly, community solar gardens are funded by investors and developers on the front end, and they receive a cut later down the line. But because that money is coming from a big investor, they need to know that there is a lot of interest in the gardens. It's also important to note that when you participate in a community solar project, you have an allotted amount of panels based on the kilowatts of energy you use every year.

Now, this is a complex idea and is best explained by the energy company you're looking at working with because everyone does it slightly differently. And because every solar garden is different, you may find that developers in your area are interested in offering a fixed discount rate, or even a fixed electricity price. It just varies from location to location.

If you want to know how solar gardens really work, take a look at one that’s already working. When solar gardens are set up in communities they bring lowered electricity prices as well as jobs to the area. The Laurens is a very successful solar garden that you can look into for a more in-depth understanding of how a solar garden in action really works.

Now, if you're looking to go fully off the grid, community solar is not the solution you're looking for. In that case, you'd want to try this solar DIY and learn more about your solar options here.