Community Digest Mountain Stewards Resiliency » More info on SUN Colorado (Solar United Neighbors)

More info on SUN Colorado (Solar United Neighbors)

Posted on: January 21st, 2023

 

Hi Gold Hill neighbors, 

After our DOLA-funded solar study recommended distributed solar as the best approach to renewable energy and energy resilience for Gold Hill, the Mountain Stewards have been scouting opportunities for affordable solar for Gold Hill residents.

The best we’ve found so far for homeowners is the bulk solar discount program for Boulder County facilitated by Solar United Neighbors. We reported to the Gold Hill town meeting recently that the waiting list was open for a 2023 Solar United Neighbors “co-op.”

Today we received exciting news from SUN! The launch has been scheduled for April, 2023, so be sure to sign up for the wait list below!

In 2023, Solar United Neighbors of Colorado will launch the following three solar co-ops:
·       Boulder County Solar Co-op (April)

·       Denver Metro Solar Co-op (June/July)

·       2023 Northwest Solar Co-op (Date TBD)
If you live in one of these communities, make sure to sign up for our wait list. You’ll be notified as soon as your area co-op opens.

More information about the program:

While SUN’s co-ops use group purchasing power to reduce costs, individuals contract for their own roof-top systems. There are savings compared to an individual buying solar from an installer simply because of SUN’s competitive RFP/group buy process, but “co-op” in this case does not mean that the energy or the PV systems are owned by the co-op. 

For each regional co-op group, SUN solicits competitive bids via an RFP. SUN’s internal team checks that the bids are apples-apples comparison. They are vendor-neutral (no connections or preference for specific installers, unless a particular company is disqualified for reason.) One installer is selected by SUN and then serves the entire co-op. SUN is a 3rd party to support the process through installation and beyond, helping co-op members with any issues that may arise.

SUN is already planning a Boulder County/Broomfield co-op, scheduled to launch in April, 2023. Gold Hill residents will be able to join the Boulder County co-op. Memberships are free to join and there is no obligation, but there is a cap on the membership for each group. SUN is limited to 6-7 co-ops per year, with each co-op limited to 200 members (usually that works out to about 40-70 installs per co-op). 

Interested? Sign up for the wait list to receive updates directly from Solar United Neighbors.

Excitedly yours,

Cat Russell for the Gold Hill Mountain Stewards