Problem
Every two minutes, a solar array is installed in America, yet 80% of American’s are not able to install solar on their rooftop. A number of households look into installing solar but they find they are unable to. Issues such as home structural problems, a tree covering the home or a poor rooftop orientation prevents them from doing so (Solstice, 2017). Financial reasons such as the inability to pay the installation costs upfront also prevent homeowners from installing rooftop solar.
Technology: Solar
Solstice was initiated with the aim to provide every household in the US access to affordable renewable energy. They initiated the community solar program that allows households to subscribe to a shared solar farm in their area. Those who sign up receive savings on their utility bill and overcome the structural and financial issues (Solstice, 2017). Solstice has 13 projects across New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and DC.
So how does it work? The local solar garden feeds clean energy into the grid. The customer sees the credits on their utility bull based on the energy the allotment produces. The customer receives electricity with no additional charges. Solstice helps consumers save up to 5 to 15% off their electricity bill, help reduce reliance on fossil fuels for energy and supports the local economy given that solar requires local jobs for planning and installation.
Partners
| Partner | Role |
| Local communities | Interested in subscribing to the community solar program |
| Solar farm owners | Sourcing solar energy |
| Planners and Installers | Help in planning and installing the project |
| Volunteers | Spread the word about community solar |
| Utility Company | Partner in providing community solar |
Implementation
Step 1: Find locally based solar farm owners
Step 2: Find planners and installers to help implement the project
Step 3: Speak to utility companies to partner in the project
Step 4: Find communities interested in subscribing to community solar project
- Take help of volunteers to spread message (door to door campaign)
Step 5: Kick-start the project with households interested in sourcing energy from solar farms
Step 6: Month end, monitoring and reporting
Reference
Solstice (2017), ‘About Us’, Solstice.us, sourced on October 25th, 2017 from https://solstice.us/mission/
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