_{Solar communities are groups of solar panels installed at one location. They offer you a solar energy option. This means you get a credit on your bill for the solar energy generated without needing to have equipment attached to your home.}

You subscribe to the output from the co-op’s Community Solar site for a 20-year period. Choose the number of blocks you would like. You can add more blocks at any time, as long as they are available.

Once energy production begins, each month you will receive credit for a portion of the production from the Community Solar farm, based on the number of blocks you have chosen.

You pay a portion of the cost per block upfront, and the remainder of the cost is paid in a monthly charge. The output of those blocks is credited back to you on a cents-per-kilowatt-hour (kWh) basis. You pay a one-time fee to cover administrative costs.

Any residential member may participate in the Community Solar program on a first-come, first-served basis.

You are subscribing to the energy produced by the solar farm in blocks of kWh.

The overall program term is 20 years. The minimum term participation is 2 years, and requires a 30-day notice of cancellation.

The minimum subscription is 1 block. The maximum is 5 blocks.

Our first Community Solar array will produce approximately 37,500 kWh per month, which is roughly equivalent to the energy used by 26 average homes in our service area. It is important to note that solar production will vary from month to month based on weather and time of year.

While the cost of installing solar panels on your home varies greatly from house to house, the pricing for our Community Solar program is in line with the average cost of putting solar panels on the home — without having equipment installed on your property.

If your subscription produces more energy than your home consumes in one month, the extra solar energy goes into a “bank” on your account that will be used in the next month or months.

Applicable tax credits are figured into the Community Solar program pricing.

If the Community Solar arrays are damaged during a storm, you will receive a proportionate share of the energy produced by any non-damaged panels while repairs are made.

If you move to another home served by the co-op, the solar energy subscription moves with you. If you move out of the co-op’s service area, the subscription can remain at the current location or be re-marketed by the co-op. However, the upfront charge paid when beginning the program is not refundable.