Community solar farms become popular in the US

March 07th,2015

A new concept of renewable energy is taking hold across America: community solar gardens that appeal to people who believe that solar panels are too expensive or impractical.

These gardens or solar communities began in Colorado a few years ago and the model has spread to Minnesota, California, Massachusetts and other states. Capacity is expected to grow strongly this year.

There is much interest among residential customers, who just like the idea, and large companies that want to reduce their carbon footprint.

The facilities provide electricity to the local grid. Customers subscribe to this public service and obtain a credit balance on their invoices, contracts are generally agreed to 25 years and protect against rate increases.

Some developers say the customer bills will fall within a couple of years below the rates regularly charge their retail customers. Others say the savings begin immediately.

"This will be the year in which solar energy the mainstream community really back," said David Amster-Olszewski, CEO developer of solar farms SunShare LLC, headquartered in Denver, which has two operations in Colorado and develops more with Xcel Energy Inc., even in Minnesota.

Solar panels on roofs are becoming increasingly popular with homeowners as their cost is reduced, but that market is limited to only about a quarter of the residences in the United States, according to the National Laboratory of Energy Renewable, an arm of the Department of Energy of the United States.

The concept of solar communities opens the door to many more, including tenants living in rented houses, roofs for shade customers and those who can not afford solar panels.

Source: 'La Nación'