I’ve been partnering with Our Power to let you know about community solar, and especially, to make sure that if you live in New York, you don’t miss your chance to sign up and find out when community solar New York projects become available. When Our Power’s Jessie Sitnick told me about her aunt, Toby, and why she signed up, it was such a great story, I asked her if she’d share it with you. I won’t be surprised if, when you read about Toby, you think to yourself, “That sounds just like me!”

How Toby Discovered New York’s Best Kept Secret:
Community Solar New York

As Toby flipped through the real estate pages of the New York Times last weekend, sipping her morning cup of coffee and enjoying the sunlight flooding her Brooklyn kitchen, this is the headline that caught her eye.

“I’ve been ready,” she told me. The problem was being able to take advantage of it.

“I never thought we could do it. Not where we live and not at the current cost.”

All that changed when Toby found out about community solar.

Admission: I was the one who let her in on the secret. I work in the environmental sector and we’ve bonded over the years chatting about social issues. We were on the phone and I asked her if she had heard about this new legislation that got passed in New York, which basically will make it possible for people to buy solar power from local solar gardens. That means no panel installations on your roof, no fire code worries, no big capital investments.

She said, “Count me in!”

Then I told her about Our Power, an organization that connects people to community solar projects as soon as they become available. “So I signed up,” she says, “because this is the kind of thing we’ve really been waiting for and I decided, I’m not going to miss it.”

Meet Toby – Child Psychologist, Life-long New Yorker, Hopeful Grandma

With her stylish silver hair, bright eyes, and bohemian jewelry, Toby is the quintessential baby boomer. Now in her mid-60s, Toby still works long hours as a child psychologist. Her husband is retired; her children are grown up and living on their own.

“The last big thing I want out of life is grandkids,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.

“The thing is, when you get to this point in life – it’s no longer so much about you anymore. You start thinking a whole lot more about the world your kids are facing, the world your grandchildren might face. And you think, how can I make this better for them?”

Toby has always cared about the environment. She recycled before it was cool. When her son started having asthma attacks as a little boy, she worried about the air quality in the city. Was living here hurting him?

She’s kept her eye on the renewable energy movement for the past five years or so. She believes switching to solar is as much about taking a stand against climate change and pollution as anything else.

“I have friends who live outside the city – Long Island or out in the country – and they put in solar panels. It was a big deal. I mean, it was expensive, a big decision. But I was really proud of them for making that choice. Living here, it never really seemed like an option.”

“How Are We Not Doing This?”

As Toby scanned the New York Times article, the stories sounded familiar. Couples, about her age, taking out loans to afford the upfront cost of panels. Or being told that, even though they were willing to pay, that it wasn’t worth it because their roofs were flat or shaded by other buildings.

“It’s frustrating when you want to do the right thing, and you see other people doing it, but it’s just not available to you,” she said.

Toby knows that solar technology has become much more affordable in recent years and that there are also a lot of new government incentives in New York to help people convert. Living in the city is expensive, she notes.

If solar can help lower her electricity bills, that’s huge.

“When you read that these people’s electricity bill went from over $250 per month to about $36 per month, you think, how are we not doing this?” she asked, referring to the Brooklyn couple cited in the article (a filmmaker and TV producer in their late 60s).

“But then you read that it cost them almost $7,000 up front to install the panels! I get that that’s a lot less than it used to be. Still, that’s not a small amount money.”

Going, Going, Gone…

What surprised Toby the most was that the article didn’t refer to community solar at all. “They mention these solar co-op groups people are starting, which is great. But that still means people installing panels on their roofs and that’s not going to be an option for everyone. Our roof is flat, we’re surrounded by buildings. So for us, community solar will be a better way to go. But it still seems like it’s a bit of a secret.”

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I asked. “Well, I guess right now it’s kind of good for us because I expect that as soon as more people know about this, those community solar spots will fill up pretty quickly.”

It’s not lost on Toby that these new projects will only be able to serve about 2% of New York households.

Get in On the Secret

Nevertheless, she says, “ultimately I really hope people wake up to this idea. I hope the media start talking about it too because there are plenty of people like me who are ready for solar power. We want to leave the world a better place for our grand kids. We just need the opportunity.”

Are You in on New York’s Best Kept Solar Secret?

Become an Our Power Insider today.

NOTE About Our Partners – Partnerships with groups and companies like OurPower.solar enable us to bring you valuable information that helps you live the green life that’s important to you. Our editorial opinions remain our own.

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Solar power is good. But getting access to solar power? That can be hard, especially in tree-lined neighborhoods or crowded cities where you can’t put solar panels on your own roof.

Community solar power projects are coming to the rescue in states across the country, including New York.

They’re building solar gardens on old industrial sites, on top of churches, synagogues and grocery stores, even on local farms so people like you who want their energy to come from the clean sun instead of dirty fossil fuels can get it.

We’re partnering with OurPower.solar to make sure you don’t miss out on your chance to sign up for solar when it becomes available in your community.

Here’s what you need to know.

What’s So Great About Solar Energy?

√ Solar energy improves air quality, puts the brakes on climate change, protects our kids’ health, reduces air pollution, and is helping us achieve sustainability.

√ There is no limit to how much solar energy is available. We’re never going to run out of sunlight.

√ Plus, we don’t have to dig a big coal mine, or drill a polluting oil well, or send ships (and troops) to the Middle East. We just have to aim some solar panels at the sun and voilá. We’ve got power!

If Solar’s THAT Great, Why Don’t We Use More Of It?

Until recently, our utility companies and energy policies favored dirty fossil fuels over clean “renewable” energy sources like solar.

As a result, there weren’t enough solar panels being made and installed, which is why solar cost more.

In fact, all renewable energy has been something of a luxury item. You could get it, but you had to pay a premium for it. Sort of like buying a Gucci purse, or a Ferrari.

Community solar power has changed all that. Now you can get the solar version of Gucci or Ferrari without it costing you any more.

In fact, it’s going to cost you less. You’ll end up saving money on energy and getting rewarded for doing the right thing when you start using solar power generated in your own community.

How Does Community Solar Power Actually Work?

If you were to put solar panels on your own home’s roof, the panels would capture sunlight and convert it into electrical current. The more electricity you used from solar, the less you’d use that was generated by fossil fuels.

Community solar power works the same way, but instead of the panels being on your own roof, a lot of them – called an array – are installed in a convenient, shared solar garden.

As soon as the panels are installed, they start generating electricity.

That’s where you come in.

If you’ve signed up, you can replace part (or all!) of the electricity you get from polluting energy sources with energy from the sun. That’s all there is to it.

So…What’s the Catch?

The catch is that right now, more people want community solar power than can actually get it.

In New York State, for example, OurPower estimates that, based on the number of projects planned and how many people want to opt in, only 2% of households will actually be able to take advantage of this opportunity.

Yikes! I Don’t Want to Miss Out. What Should I Do?

The easiest and smartest thing to do is to sign up ASAP on OurPower’s “Insiders List.”

Signing up doesn’t obligate you to start using solar (though, if you’re like me, you probably want to power up with solar as soon as you can).

It just makes sure you’re on the inside track, so that as soon as community solar is available, you’ll be among the first to find out about it.

What’s It Going to Cost Me to Sign Up?

Nothing. Nada. A big fat zero.

All signing up does is make sure you’re on the inside track so you can be among the first to opt in when community solar starts working in your neighborhood.

Once you do opt in, you’ll get credited on your regular utility bill for the amount of solar you use, just as if you had put solar panels on your own roof.

How Will Community Solar Power Save Me Money?

Right now, you pay your utility company a certain price for every kilowatt-hour of energy you use. The same kilowatt-hour, when it comes from a community solar project, costs you about 10-20% less. So, the more of your energy use you cover with community solar, the more money you’ll save.

With most projects, you’ll get two bills, one from your solar provider and a second from your utility.

You only pay your utility for electricity you use that’s over and above what’s covered by solar.

How Do I Know I Qualify?

If you live in New York, count yourself lucky. Not every state has the right laws in place that make community solar possible. But if you are a New Yorker and you pay a utility bill, you can subscribe.

It’s that simple.

Why Should I Sign Up If the Projects Aren’t Actually Available Yet?

It’s like signing up for a new iPhone before you can actually buy it (though community solar is even better, because you don’t have to camp out overnight in front of an Apple store or wait in longlines).  Like those iPhone folks, you don’t want to miss out! Only 2% of people can participate in the next go round.

Signing up for OurPower’s Insider’s List guarantees that
you’ll be among the first to know when solar energy is available to buy
from your community solar power project.

(By the way, if you don’t live in New York but love the idea of community solar power, please still sign up so when community solar does come to your area, you’ll be the first to know.)

What Can I Do Right Now?

The most important thing you can do right now is save your spot by signing up. It’ll only take you five seconds. Seriously!

Partner Note: Partnering with great projects like OurPower enables us to bring you valuable information and opportunities to live a greener life that you might otherwise not know about. It also helps Big Green Purse fulfill our mission to help people shift to the greenest products and services available. Thanks!

The post Sign Up For Community Solar Power ASAP! Space Limited. appeared first on Big Green Purse.