The Secret Weapon to Reduce Emissions: Community Solar
"..why not go renewable now and avoid increasing risk of climate catastrophe? Betting that science is wrong and oil companies are right is the dumbest experiment in history by far.” – Elon Musk
It is estimated that approximately 80% of all Americans do not have access to solar energy. The circumstances are many but include roof configurations, living in states that do not permit it, economic status, and living in an apartment. What if I told you you could have a carbon-net zero footprint in your apartment? What if we could deliver your residents access to solar energy, without the owner investing in solar. This is the promise that Community Solar has, and in states where it is allowed, it could be a game-changer.
What is Community Solar? The U.S. Department of Energy defines community solar as any solar project or purchasing program, within a geographic area, in which the benefits of a solar project flow to multiple customers such as individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and other groups.
What does that look like in a multifamily community or in student housing? Residents “opt-in” by subscribing to a local community solar farm. The arrangement provides for their electricity to be placed into an auto-pay program, in which they set the date and guarantees the resident a lower cost for their electricity than had they purchased it directly from the grid.
How does it actually work? When the average resident household switches to solar energy, around 5 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions are offset each year–the equivalent of 5,335 pounds of coal not burned. The resident essentially leases a portion of the solar panels in an array that is in the local area to their communities location. The Community Solar operator then receives the resident’s electric bill and applies a credit from the leased solar arrays against the resident’s electric bill equal to the amount of electricity that they consumed for that billing period. The process is similar to someone who has rooftop panels installed on their home, but in this case, the solar panels are not on the property itself.
What is in it for the operator? Resident electrical use is typically 70% or more of the total site electrical use for the average multifamily community. Yet, we have little control over how that electricity is used. Conservice’s Community Solar program changes that, working with our Community Solar Partner residents can not only reduce what they would have paid for the electricity that they used, but they have the ability to ensure that their portion of electrical consumption is covered by solar. There are other benefits as well for both operator and resident to incentize enrollment.
Perhaps a better question is what is in it for the planet? All energy that is generated from fossil fuels has emissions. Regardless of its form, something has to be burnt in order for the energy to be released. While some forms pollute more than others, all energy that originates from fossil fuel pollutes. Depending on the fuel type, Carbon Emissions may not be the only issue. For example, burning coal results in the release of Sulfur dioxide (SO2), which contributes to acid rain and respiratory illnesses. Nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to smog and respiratory illnesses in addition to Particulates, which contribute to smog, haze, and respiratory illnesses and lung disease. If that wasn’t bad enough, the leftover Coal Ash contains contaminants like mercury, cadmium, and arsenic that without proper management can pollute waterways, groundwater, drinking water, and the air. In addition to pollution, Coal is the single biggest contributor to anthropogenic climate change. The burning of coal is responsible for 46% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide and accounts for 72% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the electricity sector.
Solar energy is both clean since it doesn’t cause pollution, and renewable, as, unlike fossil fuels, we won’t run out of sunlight. Occasionally you will hear someone point out that Fossil fuels are used in the manufacturing and transportation of solar panels, and this is true. However these emissions are dropping dramatically as solar capacity increases, and solar power remains a much better alternative to the energy that originates from fossil fuels, even with those emissions accounted for.
So where is community solar available?
In February, a Wood Mackenzie study showed continued Community Solar with the sector posed to beat an earlier 5-year forecast by 9%. This is a rapidly growing sector, with additional markets expected to open in the near future.
So how can you leverage community solar in your multi-family or student housing properties? Conservice provides a turn-key service that can start impacting your carbon footprint almost immediately. Just let me know, and I can help.
You can help reduce the impact of the built environment by sharing this blog with your peers. Together we can impact the 39% of greenhouse gasses attributed to the built environment. It starts with awareness, and we succeed with teamwork.
Stay well!
Chris Laughman is the ThirtyNine Blog author, a blog dedicated to reducing the impact of the built environment. When not blogging, Chris is helping the real estate industry reduce energy and water impact as the Vice President of Sustainability for Conservice, the Utility Experts. Whether Multifamily, Single Family, Student Housing, Commercial, or Military, we simplify utility billing and expense management by doing it for you. Our insight into your utility consumption provides an opportunity to identify risks. Leveraging innovation and experience we ignite solutions with real impacts and track performance to ensure the trendline stays laser-focused on the goal. At Conservice we have developed a true bill-to-boardroom solution to help truly make a difference. We have before us a tremendous opportunity. Standing shoulder to shoulder, we will get this done. Contact me at claughman@conservice.com for more information.
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