Community Solar Gardens are Sprouting Up Everywhere
Katie Cordrey — May 24, 2011 — Social Good
References: blog.solargardens.org & greenlivingpdx.blogspot
Community Solar Gardens are an inventive way that everyone, regardless of housing type, can own solar panels. It doesn’t matter if their home is shaded by trees, part of an apartment complex, is on the move, or is technically homeless.
When organized as a community non-profit, the shared-solar business model is very much like that of a community vegetable garden. Each project participant has an interest in the entire project as well as a claim to the production of a part of it. Libraries and schools, churches and non-profit groups can pool their resources to go solar and get individual benefits from the group effort. Individuals as well as groups can participate by hosting a distributed power plant where anyone can own solar panels.
When organized as a community non-profit, the shared-solar business model is very much like that of a community vegetable garden. Each project participant has an interest in the entire project as well as a claim to the production of a part of it. Libraries and schools, churches and non-profit groups can pool their resources to go solar and get individual benefits from the group effort. Individuals as well as groups can participate by hosting a distributed power plant where anyone can own solar panels.
Trend Themes
1. Community Solar Gardens - Creating opportunities for individuals, organizations and communities to pool resources around solar energy production and consumption.
2. Non-profit Shared-solar Business Model - Enables community-wide adoption of solar energy through benefits sharing on the community level.
3. Distributed Power Plants - Empower people and organizations to own and benefit from solar panel production regardless of housing type or location.
Industry Implications
1. Renewable Energy - Enabling wider adoption of solar energy production through community collaboration.
2. Non-profit - Promoting social impact through accessible renewable energy ownership.
3. Real Estate - Scaling renewable energy adoption by incorporating shared-solar projects into real estate development and property management.
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