Price for Solar Energy Continues to Decline Locally through Solarize the Triangle
Solarize the Triangle is a community-based group-purchasing program for solar energy and other clean-energy technologies. This initiative is designed to serve Triangle residents, and help homeowners, businesses, and nonprofits within 11 locales to become more resilient, reduce energy expenses, and save on the cost of renewable energy systems. Solarize campaigns are driven by community group purchasing by obtaining volume discounts on materials and installation services. The more participants who enroll, the greater the savings for all.
Enrollment in the program allows residents and business owners to receive a free, no-obligation assessment of their property’s potential for solar. The campaign will continue to accept registrations through December 31st, 2022 at solarizethetriangle.com. Solar CrowdSource, the partner who has organized the campaign, has attested that this Solarize the Triangle initiative is the largest campaign for evaluation registrations to date, and is on track to reach the maximum pricing discounts for all participants.
As of December 12th, 2022 the Solarize the Triangle campaign has over 1,200 sign-ups for residents and businesses to receive a free solar assessment. Raleigh is leading the 11 participating communities with a total of 242 sign-ups. 10 Raleigh residents have already signed solar contracts with Yes Solar Solutions, the program’s selected contractor. 12 non-profits and 23 businesses, including 6 in the greater Raleigh municipal area, have also registered for a solar evaluation.
Since the program’s August 2022 launch, 582 kW of renewable solar power – more than half a megawatt – has been purchased through the program, with 59 established homeowner contracts to date. Upon installation and activation, over 1 million pounds of CO2 in the Triangle region will be avoided – the equivalent of 100 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for an entire year.
The more residents, businesses, and non-profits that participate in the Solarize campaign, the more savings accrue for every participant through price tiers. The Solarize group-discount pricing has already reached Tier 4 of the total 8 tiers of pricing, reducing the price to $2.92 per watt. All homeowners who purchase during the campaign, regardless of when they sign up, will be provided with the lowest price reached within the tiered pricing. With the current community interest, plans are on track for the program to reach the lowest prices within Tier 8.
In addition, the federal government’s newly passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) means that federal tax credits have increased to 30 percent in savings for newly installed solar energy systems and batteries, improving the economics of solar energy even further.
Solarize the Triangle continues to implement community education, marketing, and outreach campaigns consisting of public workshops, open house events, and media outreach, along with other activities to encourage area residents and businesses to enroll in the program. In early January, the campaign will host a webinar focused on residents within HOA communities and the related policy and procedure for installing solar in these communities. Since many Triangle property owners live in communities where homeowner association rules apply, there is often confusion about whether and how solar systems are allowed on residential rooftops. The date, time, and other details about this online event will be available here.
All interested property owners may go to solarizethetriangle.com anytime to learn more about the program and sign up for a free, no-obligation evaluation. There are also past information sessions continuously available for viewing at solarizethetriangle.com.
About Solarize the Triangle:
Solarize the Triangle is a Triangle Sustainability Partnership campaign developed via the Triangle J Council of Governments. Communities involved include Chatham County, City of Raleigh, Durham County, City of Durham, Town of Cary, Town of Chapel Hill, Town of Hillsborough, Town of Carrboro, Town of Apex, Town of Morrisville and Orange County.
The Solarize the Triangle Campaign are high impact climate actions that support the implementation of Raleigh’s Community Climate Action Plan and efforts to promote clean and renewable energy in Raleigh and the region. Helping to facilitate the program on behalf of the members is The Triangle J Council of Governments and Solar CrowdSource. The program’s installer, selected and vetted through a competitive bidding process, is Yes Solar Solutions, a Cary-based, fully-licensed NC general contractor with more than 1,600 projects installed.