The equivalent of five million American homes could be powered by community solar systems by 2025 thanks to a new government-backed partnership.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) in an unprecedented bid to make solar power more readily available to all, and significantly to lower-income areas.
Around $1 billion could be saved on energy bills, the department claims, as well as helping president Joe Biden’s government reach its goal of 100% clean electricity production by 2035.
Currently, there is enough general solar power in the U.S. to power around 19 million of its 120 million homes. Community solar accounts for just 600,000 of these households.
What Is Community Solar?
The DOE’s project recognizes many Americans’ lack of access to affordable solar electricity, including renters, those without suitable roofs, and homeowners without the financial backing to invest in solar panels.
Community solar allows people to connect to solar farms in their area. Locals subscribe to a solar array — a collection of solar panels — located nearby. The energy created by the solar panels is sold to create revenue. Subscribers take a slice of this revenue, usually coming as a reduction in their electricity bill.
NCSP estimates people can save 5-25% on their bill, with the average community solar project bringing households a 20% bill reduction.
The plan is seen as a way for disadvantaged communities and low-income households to be part of the solar revolution and create local wealth. The DOE says the energy burden of these sectors — the percentage of gross household income spent on energy costs — is “three times higher than for non-low-income households.”
How Will the Partnership Help Communities?
The NCSP partnership includes community-based organizations, local and Tribal governments, solar developers, and community solar stakeholders. There are currently more than 650 members and more than 440 partner organizations.
The Department of Energy will support NCSP partners with free technical assistance, ranging from help in accelerating existing plans, improving current solar panel performance, and installing future capacity.
DOE secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said: “Achieving these ambitious targets will lead to meaningful energy cost savings, create jobs in these communities, and make our clean energy transition more equitable.”
The NCSP project is part of a drive to make solar energy front and center of electricity produced by renewable energy. A recent study showed that solar could provide 40% of the United States’ electricity and employ 1.5 million people by 2035 without raising electricity prices.
In 2020, the U.S. installed a record 15 gigawatts of solar power, giving solar a 3% share of all electricity supply.
Do Native American Reservations Hold the Key?
Many separate initiatives are hoping to develop solar power across the country. One of those is Red Cloud Renewables, which trains Native Americans to install and maintain solar panels to bring renewable energy to reservations.
Native American reservations are home to vast reserves of potential clean electricity generation, estimated to be four times more than the entire current U.S. electricity consumption. Conversely, Native Americans have much lower electricity access than the national average.
Transitioning From Coal to Solar in Remote Areas
In Martin County, Kentucky, a disused mine has been earmarked for conversion into a giant solar farm. The abandoned Martiki site could become a 200-megawatt development in the coming years, replacing a massive surface mine and becoming the largest solar farm in Appalachia.
The $100-million project could bring employment to hundreds of out-of-work miners, according to the project’s organizers, Edelen Renewables.
The NCSP shows how a mix of local community involvement and support may help the United States achieve its ambitious solar power targets. The race to net zero emissions by 2050 has begun.
Opinion writer: Tom Shearman
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