No Roof, No Problem: How to Become a Solar Customer Without Installing Rooftop Solar Panels

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In 2023, a document 800,000 People added photo voltaic to their properties.

With rising strain on household budgets and the U.S. electrical energy grid, extra People are turning to photo voltaic to take management of their vitality wants. Whereas not everybody can put a photo voltaic array on their roof, renters, apartment house owners, low-to-moderate earnings households, and different vitality customers can nonetheless entry the advantages of photo voltaic.

To assist all photo voltaic clients perceive their choices, the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA) has outlined a lot of methods People can profit from photo voltaic financial savings with out placing photo voltaic on their roof.

Group Photo voltaic

Community solar is a superb possibility for many People that may’t or don’t wish to set up photo voltaic on their property.

Group photo voltaic tasks are giant, off-site photo voltaic services that a number of households and companies can profit from, both by buying a part of a photo voltaic facility or subscribing to entry a portion of the venture’s electrical energy era. As soon as a venture is constructed and linked to the grid, subscribers then obtain a credit score on their electrical energy invoice for his or her share of the electrical energy the venture produces.

The subscription mannequin is a pretty possibility for a lot of households as a result of it could remove upfront prices and increase solar accessibility for underserved communities, particularly for multifamily housing occupants, renters, and low- and moderate-income households. And since these tasks are situated close to its clients, neighborhood photo voltaic clients are additionally boosting their neighborhood’s grid resilience.

These tasks are sometimes owned and operated by a 3rd social gathering that works with a utility supplier to ship photo voltaic to the grid. Whereas most subscribers are working straight with a neighborhood photo voltaic supplier, in some cases, businesses and churches are starting to share their neighborhood photo voltaic financial savings with close by residents.

There are community solar projects in 43 states and the District of Columbia.

Group Selection Aggregation

Native jurisdictions and communities may assist their residents entry photo voltaic.

Group selection aggregation (CCA) is a program that enables cities, counties, and municipalities to acquire energy from various era sources whereas sustaining the transmission and distribution networks from their present utility.

Ratepayers are then given the chance to opt-in to the CCA program and choose their electrical energy combine, permitting clients to get extra of their energy from clear vitality sources. As a result of communities are pooling their buying energy, CCA packages can typically decrease charges for patrons whereas slicing vitality emissions.

At the moment, 10 states have approved CCAs packages and extra are contemplating enabling laws.

Carports, Pergolas, Photo voltaic Shingles, and Floor-Mounted Photo voltaic

And in case you are a home-owner that wishes to get inventive together with your choices, there are a selection of different methods to include photo voltaic with out rooftop panels.

Householders can take into account putting in a solar pergola or awning of their yard or above a patio. If householders are changing their roof or constructing a brand new residence, they will additionally take into account  utilizing solar shingles. And if in case you have a indifferent storage, householders can take into account a solar carport that gives shelter for a car and/or charging station.

Landowners may  take into account ground-mounted solar arrays. The land beneath a photo voltaic array has been proven to foster extra biodiversity, enhance crop yields, and supply shade to grazing animals, making ground-mounted solar a great option for farmers and ranchers.

Even if you happen to can’t or don’t wish to set up a photo voltaic array in your roof, you possibly can nonetheless turn into a photo voltaic buyer. Like every main buy, it is best to look into all your choices, comparability store, learn the wonderful print on any agreements, and skim firm evaluations.

Take a look at SEIA’s resources for solar customers and resolve for your self the way you wish to be part of America’s clear vitality financial system.

Courtesy of SEIA Comms Team.