Support a community solar garden or help community members participate in a community solar project by:
Best Practice of this action
Rating Guideline
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Describe the city's role in a community solar garden project (e.g. leasing roof space, promoting the availability of subscriptions, hosting community conversations about community solar, providing guidance for pollinator habitat on the site, etc.). Report city government subscriptions to a community solar garden and green tag purchases under BPA 15.2; report brightfield projects under BPA 25.5; report third party solar purchases under BPA 26.5; report community solar gardens located in the city but without involvement of the city under BPA 26.6; report local energy resilience efforts under BPA 29.8. |
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Describe how the city facilitated development of a solar garden to ensure availability to local residents and businesses; report number of participants, installed capacity in kW and cost data. |
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Describe a deeper role the city/municipal utility played in developing a solar garden and making it accessible to low-income residents (e.g., donating government land, leasing government roof-space for minimal fees, serving as a back-up subscriber, issuing a request for proposals for low-income accessible gardens, working with your local Energy Assistance program). |
Resources
Development:
- Like a community garden, or a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription arrangement, Community Shared Solar or Community Solar Gardens (which are the same thing) specifically refer to projects whereby subscribers receive an electricity bill credit (of no more than 120% of their average usage) for the electricity generated at one centrally-located photovoltaic panel installation in proportion to the size of their subscription.
- Local jurisdictions can host a community solar garden and make a portion of the energy produced available to local residents. The City of Edina project is a good example of how this works.
- See voluntary native vegetation and habitat management practices for the footprint of solar installations.
Accessibility and Energy Relief:
- Solar can also provide long-term financial relief to families struggling with high and unpredictable energy costs, living-wage jobs, and a source of clean, local energy sited in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by traditional power generation.
- See the Low-income Solar Policy Guide description for Community Shared Solar, also known as community solar or solar gardens, that can “help address the physical and financial barriers of going solar for those who do not own their home or have a suitable roof, or who live in multifamily housing.”\
- Solar Energy: Building a Brighter Future for Region 5 - Equitable Economic Ecosystems (Region 5 Development Commission, 2021) details how locally produced solar energy has the power to stabilize energy costs in uncertain times.
Sublist
a. Serving as a host site for a community solar garden.
b. Facilitating development, by the municipal utility or other entity, of a community solar garden for residents.
c. Participating in a community solar garden to ensure accessibility and availability to low-income residents.
Order Number
4