Community Solar
Local power within your reach
New Project coming soon!
Read up on the Bailer Hill Project: HERE.
Bailer Hill Project Update
Check out the latest information on our next Community Solar Project:
Everyone Can Go Solar!
Community Solar offers an affordable and easy way to grow our own power! Members benefit from monthly bill credits and the whole Co-op benefits from a first step towards a local source for emergency back-up power.
Why Community Solar?
Community Solar is the first step toward local solutions to expensive mainland power trends. It also offers increased redundancy, and the capability to re-route power for emergency services.
Check out the Decatur Project we finished in 2018!
The Best Part: Save Money!
The solar units you purchase offset a portion of your electric bill. Experience a return on investment while also switching a portion of your electricity usage to clean, local solar power.
How does Community Solar work?
Buy Community Solar shares
Interested members can buy into the Community Solar array based on their budget and interest.
Get access to solar energy
The sun shines and the solar array produces electricity.
Save on your bill
The energy credits are allocated based on how many shares you purchase and are added to your power bill.
Interested in taking part in Community Solar?
We aren’t currently taking applications for our next project. Email solar@opalco.com to join our list of people interested in community solar projects.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions for Community Solar
Individual member investors. Our 2017 Community Solar survey results clearly demonstrated that members prefer the project is funded by those who participate, and not through rates. The Decatur Island Community Solar Project was paid for 100% by member investors.
Contact us! Email us at solar@opalco.com with your contact information so we can keep you up to date on the project. We are collecting names and email addresses of members who are interested in purchasing Solar Units and will use that list to keep you updated as the next project takes shape.
Any OPALCO member in good standing with an active meter can participate. Non-members can also participate by donating Solar Units to an active member or OPALCO’s Energy Assist Program to help low-income member households, similar to OPALCO “Gifts of Power” certificates.
To give more people access to the benefits of solar energy for a fraction of the cost, compared to rooftop. Community Solar lets individuals invest in smaller units of local renewable power. As outlined in OPALCO’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), this is just one step in providing increased redundancy, and the capability to re-route power for emergency services through use of local renewable energy and energy storage systems. Please note it will take multiple projects and a host of system upgrades to fully accomplish this goal.