Sustainable Tarpon Springs - Community Solar Cooperatives

Until the distant day when our Sun eventually ‘goes nova’ - we have an unlimited resource of entirely renewable, clean energy to glean.  A big bonus of living in the Sunshine State is  harnessing solar energy is a possibility a majority of days throughout the year.

Have you ever wanted to use renewable energy such as solar power?  Many of us dream of being able to reduce the use of conventional forms of power, but 80 percent of metered utility customers don’t have space, suitable southern exposure, the funds for this kind of investment, or are limited by living in rental homes.  There is a very creative solution being put into action in several areas throughout the US - community off-site solar gardens!

Even if your individual residence is less than optimal for solar power, collectively we can do more than we imagine with a localized, grid-tied, community-owned solar garden away from our actual residence.  With grid-tied solar, there is an opportunity to cooperatively purchase solar panels and sell clean energy back to the power company while simultaneously reducing our monthly energy bills.  

Collective ownership is an alternative means of moving change forward with a minimal investment.  The concept is equally enticing to large developers, such as Investor Owned Utilities as for small municipalities, easily adding solar to their current mix as they wean away from climate changing forms of energy production.  

This model is already happening in many states with reliable solar gain - California, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Vermont, to name a few.  Off-site solar farms can be large enough to produce several megawatts in a territory; whereas, in smaller, more urban environments the solution has been to lease space on public rooftops such as schools.

Participants join simply by purchasing one or more solar panels for as little as $535 for a single 230 W panel.  Economies of scale gained through bulk purchase and aggregation, and purchase flexibility (only buying one panel, for example) have contributed to faster financial return and greater life-time value than home-sited solar systems.  

In places where this has been offered, willing co-op members have been abundant, as more people actually want to join than were anticipated.  If a member moves away or chooses to drop out of the program (which has been the rarity), the solar panel is the member’s own to sell, donate, or transfer to another co-op participant.

Clean Energy Collective (CEC), which operates several community solar farms in Colorado, New Mexico and Minnesota, offers the following estimates for savings throughout a system’s 50-year life:

• 1 Panel: $45 in year 1 / $7,291 over life of the system
• 5 Panels: $223 in year 1 / $36,453 over life of the system
• 10 Panels: $446 in year 1 / $72,906 over life of the system
• 20 Panels: $892 in year 1 / $145,813 over life of the system

Community solar has been so popular in Colorado that Xcel Solar Rewards reports their program sold out within three minutes of being offered.  That kind of demand for renewable energy is almost more than the Sun itself generates!   

The bottom line is this: oil, coal, nuclear, even hydroelectric energy all have severe limitations.  Coupled with good conservation measures, we’re at the crossroads to transition to renewable, infinite sources of energy.  This is a very painless way to move into the future NOW.  

Sharing this information will raise awareness about the opportunity, and before we know it, solar gardens will be part of the solution for Tarpon Springs on the road to sustainability!