Community Solar at a Glance

Three people standing on a rooftop around solar panels. Two are wearing construction hats to the left and the person on the right is holding a drill. They are all wearing neon safety shirts. The backdrop has trees, houses, buildings, and the sky is partially cloudy but parts of it are bright.

Understanding Community Solar

Solar energy arrays harness free sunlight to create domestically produced clean renewable energy.

Community solar offers a solution for those without direct access to solar arrays due to cost, site control, building location and other considerations. By producing and metering renewable energy from a variety of arrays in disparate locations, an energy collective can be formed to deliver the benefits from the community arrays to participating businesses and households – typically through paid subscriptions.

Affordable housing-focused community solar uses the community solar model to direct the electricity bill savings to members of the community most burdened by utility bills. New Partners’ solar development and community partnerships provide these benefits at no cost to our participating DC residents.

Watch ‘DC SOLAR STORIES EP3: Power to the People’ to learn more about how Community Solar works and benefits local communities.

 

“As the city makes investment in creating renewable energy within the city we can accrue those benefits to our low-income residents to help them stay in a city that’s becoming more expensive.”

~ Tommy Wells, Former DC Director of Department of Energy & Environment