Breaking the Stigma: Making Solar Affordable for All

Solar CrowdSource reduces the cost of solar energy for all through group purchasing, philanthropy, and investor funding.

Photo courtesy of American Public Power Association on Unsplash.

By Mickey Snowdon, Communications Liaison at The Collider.

Although you may have never heard of them, Solarize campaigns have been around for more than a decade. Solarize campaigns utilize group purchasing power to significantly reduce the costs of solar energy and storage for a community. If you want to implement solar on a community-wide scale, starting a Solarize campaign brings stakeholders together and provides a platform to generate the necessary momentum to increase solar installations.

Collider member Solar CrowdSource (SCS) is a startup company based just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, that facilitates the Solarize concept through leveraging resources and experiences gained from other communities. SCS simplifies the community solar purchasing process from start to finish by involving community partners. The company was founded in 2016 by Don Moreland, a former Chair of the Georgia Solar Energy Association and solar industry veteran, with the mission of making solar affordable for every community.

Welcome to Solar Crowdsource | SOLAR CrowdSource

One of the greatest benefits of SCS is that it doesn’t extend any costs to its participating communities, governments or utilities. “Solar CrowdSource’s model is self-funding because it utilizes a small portion of any Solarize campaign’s sales,” explains Ken Haldin, SCS’s Asheville-based development partner. “There are no upfront costs. It’s just a matter of everyone involved in a community agreeing to go through a bulk-purchasing process together.”

Ken Haldin, SCS’s Development Partner (left), Don Moreland, SCS’s Founder (center), and Brad Camrud, donor of Solarize St. John grants (right), present their Solarize St. John campaign in 2019. Photo courtesy of Solar Crowdsource.

Moreland found that it’s very difficult for an individual or group to start and fully manage a grassroots Solarize campaign on their own. SCS makes it easy for organizations, governments, NGOs, and resident groups who want to implement a Solarize campaign but don’t have the experience, tools, and platform needed to do so. Haldin puts SCS’s role simply: “Solar CrowdSource creates more [Solarize] campaigns faster with less burden on the community, which is what we all want.”

Lowering the Cost

From its inception, SCS had been offering its platform to any community that desired to implement a Solarize campaign. More recently, SCS has begun adding to this model by developing approaches to assist low- or moderate-income (LMI) citizens within communities to “go solar.” SCS’s model already works to bring down the cost of solar through bulk purchasing, but the company has begun to use crowdfunding and other philanthropic methods to further reduce costs for LMI residents who would otherwise be unable to afford solar and battery installations.

“It’s clear that if you don’t have the means to purchase solar, even at a discount, you’re on the sidelines. Our efforts as of 2019 are to extend deeper and wider to participants by bringing in outside capital,” Haldin says.

SCS’s crowdfunding model can be fueled by donations and/or charitable investments, depending on the campaign. Haldin says individual investments haven’t been injected into a campaign yet but they are “the next frontier.” He says there are likely plenty of donor organizations that may want to pool their money and reduce the cost of solar energy.

The US Virgin Islands: A Case Study

Solar CrowdSource implemented its first donation-based campaign on St. John in the US Virgin Islands (USVI) in early 2019. The USVI is located in a very high-cost energy setting, with a per capita energy usage averaging seven times higher than in the contiguous US. Income is lower in the USVI and energy is significantly more expensive, which means the energy burden that low-income families face is more than twice as much for electricity as mainland families. A seed donation of $55,000 from one generous individual provided grants that enabled four St. John-based solar installer companies to significantly discount their products and services. To date, this campaign enabled 22 island residents to have solar and battery equipment more affordably installed in their homes.

Solar panels cover hillside homes in St. John. Photo courtesy of St. John Tradewinds.

In just a year, SCS created $438,000 in clean energy infrastructure on St. John, including 200,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar energy per year and nearly 294 kWh of battery storage. These installations will prevent 261,500 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere annually and is equal to more than 3,800 trees cleaning the air.

SCS’s solar installations on St. John have also made their residents energy independent, increasing their resilience to future storms. In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria decimated the island, damaging almost 75 percent of LMI homes. Residents were left without power for months because St. John’s electricity distribution grid was nearly destroyed. The 294 kWh of battery storage ensures people will have a backup power source in case another disaster strikes.

Solar CrowdSource is extending their Solarize St. John campaign into 2020, offering a new round of 10 grants of up to $2,750 each for local residents and property owners on the island. As in 2019, a donation has catalyzed the 2020 campaign. The island is working with local nonprofits to help identify eligible LMI participants and projects.

Western Area Power repairs downed power lines in the wake of Hurricane Maria in the US Virgin Islands. Photo courtesy of Western Area Power via Flickr.

Solarize in the Age of COVID-19

While COVID-19 has shaken up just about every facet of our lives, Solar CrowdSource has continued to thrive. A large reason for this is because residents feel safe collectively purchasing solar power with their neighbors and with the involvement of community groups and nonprofits they know and trust. Haldin says this trust accelerates the purchasing process and removes its uncertainties.

The pandemic has raised significant attention around improvements in air pollution and environmental quality, but it has also raised speculation about where environmental policy will fit into post-COVID recovery. Haldin is hopeful that solar energy will proliferate in the coming years. “We are not seeing a significant drop off in interest due to COVID-19,” he says. “In fact, we suspect that some people are more interested in solar and storage during these uncertain times.”

Here are a few of the company’s campaign highlights during the pandemic:

• Solarize Athens, GA: At the end of April 2020, SCS had 21 contracts signed, totaling 107kW of solar energy and 81kWh of battery storage.
• Solarize Decatur-South DeKalb, GA: As of June 2020, this campaign had 12 contracts signed, totalling 92kW of solar energy and 27kWh of battery storage. The first installation was in the Mayor of Decatur’s house.

The Solarize Decatur-South Dekalb campaign had 12 contracts signed and over 150 people signed up as of June 2020. Photo courtesy of Solar CrowdSource.

Thankfully, Haldin says, permitting and solar installations haven’t been severely impacted since the services needed to implement solar are considered essential. He also says that stakeholder meetings and launch events have increased in size via Zoom.

Next Steps

Solar CrowdSource started in Georgia and expanded to the Caribbean, and now Haldin says they have their sights set on the Carolinas, where there’s already huge interest. “Thanks to The Collider, we have really been able to rapidly meet and network with people who have similar missions and interests instead of cold-calling to introduce ourselves, which has meant all the difference,” he says. “Ultimately, we want to help every community, government, business, and organization meet their renewable energy targets.”