My skepticism about community solar finally cracked after checking the math

I was always suspicious of those community solar programs, figured they were just another way for companies to make money off good intentions. But last month my neighbor signed up and showed me her first bill - she saved $22 in April alone with no panels on her roof. I spent an afternoon reading through the contract terms and realized the credits are guaranteed for 20 years here in Colorado. The upfront cost was zero, and they handle all the maintenance. So I signed up last week and my first connection fee was only $8. Has anyone else had luck with these programs in other states?

3 comments

3 Comments

williamw7518d ago

My buddy Mike in Arizona signed up last year. He was real skeptical too. His first summer bill went from $180 to like $140. He said the best part was when his AC ran all July and his credits actually went up because it was sunny. The only catch was he had to wait 4 months to get off the waitlist. He's been pushing everyone in our poker group to do it now.

ruby65918d ago

Oh I read something about this exact thing! @williamw75 waitlist times are getting WORSE in some places because too many people are signing up. I saw an article saying the utility companies in Arizona are actually trying to slow it down because it's messing up their grid planning or whatever.

brooke_jones18d ago

lol "messing up their grid planning" that sounds like a lot of drama over a few solar panels. I mean come on, if a couple houses putting up panels is gonna break the whole system maybe the grid was already falling apart.