Power Up Your Home Energy Savings with Community Solar

Not too long ago, if you wanted to participate in the solar revolution, you had to buy or lease solar panels and have them installed on your roof. But what if you don’t own your home, or don’t have a suitable roof or just don’t have the money to invest up front? You still want the benefits of solar, which include cost savings and a reduced environmental footprint. Until recently, you were out of luck.

Within the last few years, many states have enacted versions of a program commonly called community solar. It’s a program designed to make the many advantages of solar power easily accessible to anyone, regardless of income, homeownership status or location. Virtually anyone with a monthly electric bill is eligible to subscribe and reduce their annual electric costs.

Community solar farms are typically built on an open parcel of land and feature thousands of solar panels all interconnected and generating clean energy that is fed directly to the local utility grid. Subscribers benefit from the value of the energy while actively supporting the growth of much-needed clean energy on the grid.

How community solar works:

• Residents enroll in a local community solar farm
• The solar farm sends clean energy directly to the grid
• Subscribers get a share of the value applied as a credit to their utility bill
• The community solar provider bills for the credit at a fixed discount

It’s important to note that not all community solar programs are created equal. Some require fees or upfront investment and others are open only to those with high credit scores. Nexamp takes a different approach.

What makes Nexamp community solar different:

• No enrollment fees or credit checks
• Nothing to install
• No long-term commitment
• No cancellation fees
• Nexamp handles everything in-house

Nexamp has been in the clean energy business for more than a decade and serves tens of thousands of subscribers across the country from its more than 300 solar farms. Residents who are interested work with a Nexamp community solar advisor to determine the size of their share of the solar farm. Participation in the program is on a first-come, first-served basis and farms typically fill up before completion.

Nexamp will keep subscribers informed about the status of their project as construction progresses. Once the solar farm is complete, it begins sending clean energy to the local grid. Subscribers still get their power the same way as always, from the existing power lines through the local utility. The benefit is that the local grid now has a new, clean, carbon-free source of energy in the mix, helping to reduce emissions and enable the shift toward a cleaner energy future.

Subscribers, ranging in number from a few hundred to more than a thousand depending on the size of the project, will begin to see credits appearing on their regular utility bill. After the credit is applied, Nexamp sends the subscriber a bill for the credit, minus the fixed discount, which varies by state and typically ranges from 10 percent to 15 percent. That discount is locked in for as long as the subscriber chooses to remain in the program, and a wait list is maintained to fill in empty slots as subscribers leave for any reason.

For renters, homeowners with a shaded or inadequate roof, those without the savings or credit score to invest in a rooftop solar installation, or even small businesses and non-profits, Nexamp community solar is an ideal option. It’s a simple way to participate in the benefits of solar power and support the growth of clean energy in your community. And the best part of the Nexamp community solar program is that Nexamp designs, builds, owns and operates its solar farms for the life of each project, so subscribers can rest assured that they will always be working with one partner in their clean energy journey.

Click here to see if you are eligible to participate in Nexamp community solar with no upfront costs, nothing to install and no long-term commitment.