A nonprofit group has launched a cooperative to assist Phoenix-area residents study extra about producing their very own rooftop solar energy, with a watch towards securing reductions for members who resolve to buy the mandatory gear.
“If you’ve got ever considered going photo voltaic, now’s your probability,” mentioned Adrian Keller, Phoenix program director for Solar United Neighbors, in a press release.
The 2024 Phoenix space metro co-op is free to hitch and open to owners and enterprise homeowners. Co-op members can find out about photo voltaic vitality in in-person and Zoom conferences and use their numbers to buy particular person photo voltaic programs or electric-vehicle chargers at a reduced group worth. . However, members should not obligated to make any purchases. SUN has established a number of different co-ops within the Phoenix space in recent times.
The co-op welcomes clients of any electrical utility within the Valley, although now’s a greater time for Arizona Public Service clients. APS clients who signal a contract to go photo voltaic by mid-August can lock in and get a credit score fee for electrical energy they generate however do not use themselves. Customers can lock within the present fee for the following 10 years. Otherwise, APS will cut back the credit score fee by 10% per 12 months.
SUN co-ops implements a aggressive bidding course of, after which members select a photo voltaic firm to do the installations. The 2024 Phoenix co-op goals to draw 150 members however can accommodate extra.
Anyone who joins the co-op can even be a part of the committee that selects the photo voltaic contract for the group, mentioned Seth Newmeyer, a SUN spokesman, in an e-mail. “Our photo voltaic consultants are there to assist them request and interpret contracts from totally different photo voltaic suppliers, to allow them to make an knowledgeable selection about which contract they need.”
When a co-op secures a bunch contract, every member should resolve whether or not to purchase photo voltaic panels for his house or enterprise. These contracts are sometimes cheaper and extra dependable than what people can get on their very own, as a result of installers usually supply a bunch low cost, Newmeyer mentioned.
SUN’s photo voltaic consultants “will assist solicit and evaluate a lot of these contracts, which implies people usually tend to find yourself with good offers,” he added.
Various municipal and group teams have partnered with SUN, together with town of Phoenix, Vote Solar, Chispa AZ and the Raza Development Fund, partly to bridge the entry and affordability gaps for residents who revenue is reasonable.
SUN will host a number of free informational webinars to coach the general public about photo voltaic vitality and the co-op. Individuals considering studying extra can join the co-op or one of many upcoming data periods on the Phoenix co-op web site. A Zoom webinar is deliberate for May 15.
SUN advises owners to put in photo voltaic panels if their roof is lower than 10 years previous, Keller mentioned in an e-mail. You can set up panels on an older roof, however you’ll seemingly must pay to take away and reinstall the panels if you should substitute the roof. Solar installers can work with most roofing supplies, he added.
Other issues embrace the doable improve of a foremost electrical service panel in a home, primarily in older homes, and an ample place on a roof, ideally going through south, Keller mentioned.
“SUN does a free satellite tv for pc roof examine exterior the gate to examine the gap, route and obstructions of every member’s roof,” he mentioned. “It actually helps folks as a result of we allow them to know if their house is an effective place for photo voltaic earlier than they go forward.”
Solar United Neighbors is a nonprofit group that works throughout the nation to characterize photo voltaic homeowners and supporters. Solar co-ops are a part of the group’s mission to create a brand new vitality system with rooftop photo voltaic as a cornerstone.
The author might be reached at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.