Arcadia Power and New Columbia Solar, an energy provider to residents and businesses throughout the Washington, D.C., formed a partnership to make community solar accessible for all D.C. residents. The initial project will be the first privately-funded community solar project in D.C. and will feature a completely free, user-friendly sign-up process never before available in the District of Columbia.
With community solar, anyone can benefit from solar power savings even if they cannot install solar panels on their own property. However, signing up for a community solar project has traditionally required users pay two different monthly bills, fill out extensive paperwork, agree to binding contracts with cancellation fees, and undergo a credit check.
“The goal of community solar has always been to make solar savings accessible to all, but the sign-up process for homes and apartments has been anything but easy,” said Kiran Bhatraju, CEO of Arcadia Power. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with New Columbia Solar to bring hassle-free community solar to District residents.”
New Columbia Solar’s clean energy systems are being built and operated on buildings all across the city, enabling District residents to power their lives entirely through locally based solar energy. This combined with Arcadia Power’s billing platform, makes signing-up for locally based solar power easier than ever, and with no upfront costs whatsoever, for D.C. residents. Anyone in D.C. can connect their utility account to Arcadia Power’s online energy platform to sign-up for a community solar project. Members will start saving about 10 percent on their monthly power bills and can track their solar savings on their online dashboard.
RMI report shows path for a 30-GW community solar market by 2020
The initial community solar project will be hosted on the roof of a local community church, Celestial Church of Christ. The building’s roof, which has been suffering from extensive leaks, will be replaced and repaired as part of the project. This will give the church a brand-new roof, with a 25-year warranty, while hosting a local solar energy system capable of powering the lives of District residents and parishioners.
“This partnership kicks off our ability to not only reinvest into our city but to provide clean, local energy to District residences through community solar,” said Mike Healy, CEO of New Columbia Solar. “We are excited to continue our mission to make it as easy as humanly possible for D.C. residents and businesses to benefit from solar energy. As more community members express interest in solar, we will develop new projects all over the city to revitalize outdated energy systems, invest in capital improvements and create jobs in our community, all by offering locally based solar energy at a great price.”
As more D.C. homeowners and renter’s sign-up for Arcadia Power, more projects are in place to be developed. Sign ups are located here.
— Solar Builder magazine
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.