Community Solar Project?
So, what is a Community Solar Project? Basically it is a company or a group
of individuals that owns a series of solar panels on the site of a government or
utility building. These panels generate electric power when the sun shines. The
up-front money to build and install the panels comes from local investors. Often
these investors are people who could not for many reasons install panels on their
own homes but want to generate local clean energy.
How could Community Solar Project work for a non-profit organization, like
the Food Bank. The Food Bank would lease its roof to a Community Solar
investment company as compensation the Food Bank receives the power
generated and the panels once they have been capitalized (typically over 10
years). The company coordinates the installation, maintenance and manages the
Community Solar Project. Individual investors will receive the rebates over the
ten years. Simply put the Food Bank would get the power generated by the solar
panels installed on our roof saving $600 to $800 a month, money needed to buy
food.
Unfortunately non-profits are currently not mentioned in the bill passed in the
2010 session which defines eligible Community Solar Projects, as a result
nonprofits are not eligible to serve as host sites. Last session there was an
opportunity to change the bill advocates were able to move it through the House
but it died in the Senates Ways and Means committee.
This session a similar but different effort is underway to change the language In
the house “made in Washington” solar jobs bill which references “new energy”
and had a $5 million amount assigned to it. It was in the local bonding bill
(and thus was restricted to public buildings only). So once again advocates are
working so that senators on the Ways and Means committee understand that we
would like the provisions in the General Obligation bonding bill reworded in order
to be inclusive of non-profits.
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