POWER May 2015 - 30

DISTRIBUTED GENERATION & ENERGY STORAGE
Solar Gardens: A Fast-Growing
Approach to Photovoltaic Power
Courtesy: Clean Energy Collective
How to give electricity customers who can't take advantage of rooftop solar access
to the sun? Community solar-a shared resource-is a fast-growing segment of the
renewable energy market, making solar photovoltaic power more accessible while
offering another approach to distributed generation.
Kennedy Maize
M
ention " solar energy " and the image
that probably comes to mind is an
array of photovoltaic (PV) panels
on a single-family home's rooftop, serving
some of the electricity needs of the house,
saving money, and reducing pollution. That's
the conventional view.
Large, utility-scale solar arrays-centralstation
generators providing power to the
conventional utility's distribution grid-are
also a traditional role for solar energy.
But the next big thing for sun power could
be " community solar, " or what some call
" solar gardens. " A broader term is " shared
renewables. " Karl Rábago, executive director
of the Pace Energy and Climate Center
in White Plains, N.Y., and a long-time expert
in renewables, told POWER, " One of
the frustrations of the way solar markets are
working is that putting something on your
rooftop means that a whole lot of people are
left out. "
Community solar is a way to overcome
the problem presented by the conventional
approach that is, in Rábago's words, " disqualifying
a lot of customers. " That includes
renters, condo owners, buildings in locations
that don't favor solar or whose structures
30
www.powermag.com
POWER | May 2015
aren't well aligned to take advantage of the
sun. Why not site a solar array where it works
best, and let customers subscribe to shares in
the project? That's the idea behind community
solar.
Community Solar Growth
The Solar Energy Industries Association
(SEIA) in Washington, D.C., offers this
definition: " Shared renewable energy arrangements
allow several energy customers
1. Community ownership. At the grand opening of the 496-kW Boulder Cowdery Meadows
Community Solar Array in Boulder County, Colorado, project owners-representing residential,
commercial, government, and nonprofit electricity customers-show their pride. Generation
from the 2,016 panels is purchased by Xcel Energy. Courtesy: Clean Energy Collective

http://www.powermag.com

POWER May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER May 2015

Contents
POWER May 2015 - Cover1
POWER May 2015 - Cover2
POWER May 2015 - Contents
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