Step 1: Community Solar 101
This toolkit is designed as a resource for those who want to develop community solar projects, regardless of the location or model. We define community solar as a solar project with multiple individuals who share the costs and benefits of ownership of the solar project. Community solar has no single, uniform business model. Rather, there are many different ways to develop a project, from a utility-sponsored model, a special purpose vehicle model, a non-profit model or a crowdfunded model like Solar Mosaic. If you're looking to install solar on your home, click here.
Advances in solar technology, feed-in-tariffs, increases in tax incentives and other financing models have made solar projects more financially feasible. Because solar is a distributed resource, it’s important to consider how more people can have a stake in producing the energy they consume and share in the economic benefits of the transition to clean energy. Currently, solar is mostly developed by people with sunny rooftops, big utilities or private companies. But what about people who rent or people with roofs that aren’t suited for solar panels? Community solar projects present an opportunity to democratize solar energy development. When done right, community solar both increases access to solar energy and significantly reduces costs. In this economy, this is an opportunity for you to launch a community stimulus project that helps address climate change, creates jobs and could generate financial returns. Before going onto the next step, take a look at the resources below to get an idea of different types of community solar projects and what unique challenges and opportunities each type presents.