Takoma Park Co-Sponsors Solar Co-Op

From the City of Gaithersburg:

Neighbors in Montgomery County have formed a solar co-op to save money and make going solar easier, while building a network of solar supporters. The City of Gaithersburg, along with the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, the cities of Takoma Park and Rockville and MD SUN are the co-op sponsors. MD SUN is a non-profit effort working in Maryland to help homeowners use their collective buying power to go solar together for a discount and gain the support of a group. The co-op is seeking members through the sign-up deadline of September 30, 2016 and will host an information meeting September 14 at 7 p.m. at Casey Community Center, 810 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, to educate the community about solar and the co-op process.

“Gaithersburg is supporting this co-op to make saving money with solar energy as simple as possible for our residents,” said Gaithersburg Sustainability Planner Dyan Backe. “As part of this group our residents can learn more about the technology and feel more confident in making a decision to go solar.”

MD SUN expands access to solar by educating Maryland residents about the benefits of distributed solar energy, helping them organize group solar installations, and strengthening the state’s solar policies and its community of solar supporters. MD SUN has worked with communities to develop co-ops across the state. It has helped hundreds of Marylanders go solar, including 34 county residents in the Takoma Solar Co-op, 63 in the Rockville Solar Co-op and another 38 with the Temple Sinai Solar Co-op.

Montgomery County residents interested in joining the co-op can sign up at www.mdsun.org/montgomery. Joining the co-op is not a commitment to purchase panels.

In July co-op members selected Solar Energy World to complete all of the group’s installations. All group members have the option to purchase panels individually based on the installer’s group rate or take advantage of a power purchase agreement. By going solar as a group and choosing a single installer, each participant generally saves up to 20% off the cost of their system.

Image via Shutterstock