Community-Led Solar in Brooklyn

Woberkehr

Solarize Brooklyn CB6 is a community-led group purchasing
program for solar PV that centers around a community education campaign, and
discounted solar prices during the programs 4 month run from a pre-vetted
contractor. The program kicked off in May.

 

Brooklyn Community Board 6 partnered with the City
University of New York; the Mayor’s Office, NYC EDC; as part of the U.S.
Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative to organize the solarize campaign
and are guided by Solar Ombudsman.

 

Solar contractors were selected through a competitive bid
process to offer a tiered pricing structure, whereby as more residents and
businesses sign on to go solar through Solarize Brooklyn CB6, the installed
cost for all participants goes down.

The program recently had its first contract signed on
August 31^st! A Park Slope resident signed a contract for a 4.8 kW
system.

·        
When asked how the
process of going solar through the Solarize program, the resident said, “I
haven't been through the whole process as you know but I can say that the most
important decision in any project is deciding who the contractor should
be.  Because SolarizeCB6 has screened the contractors, the
process is simplified from the start.  In addition, very good information
about going solar is supplied in the website.  That information
simplified the decision-making process for me.  So far, everything explained
in the website has been realized.”

·        
When asked what effect the resident thinks
Solarize will have on the community, the resident said, “If enough home owners
and businesses solarize, the crises that occur every summer with brownouts
and blackouts would be eliminated; our dependence on fossil fuels would be
reduced; the deteriorating effects of using fossil fuels on our environment
would be reduced.  It's an investment worth making.”

 So far, over 267 CB 6 residents have attended 7 workshops
with outstanding proposals that add up to over 650 kW in proposals averaging 9
kW per roof. According to the NYC Solar Map, a system that size in Brooklyn has
the potential to save each resident about $2,700 annually.

 That offsets:

·        
1,081,974 pounds of
carbon annually

·        
55,772 gallons of gas.

·        
As much as 16,149
trees cleansing the air for one year.

 

The program is up to 11.5 kW total contracted capacity!

 

The next workshop is scheduled for September 24, 2015 at
Old First Reformed Church, 729 Carroll Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215 from 6:30 to
8:00 PM. The deadline to sign up for the program is
September 30, 2015.

 

Solarize Brooklyn CB6 is solar made simple.