First nationwide bulk solar purchase program launches

October 23, 2014 | By

The first nationwide bulk solar purchase program has been launched to give North American homeowners easier access to more affordable, clean, renewable energy. Developed in conjunction with 3M, Cisco, Kimberly-Clark and the National Geographic Society, and created by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), the Solar Community Initiative presents a new approach to purchasing, financing and installing solar panels at a uniform discounted price.

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The initiative brings large companies together to leverage the bulk purchasing power of their aggregate employee base, families, and communities, allowing for discounts and savings that enable the widespread adoption of solar across the United States and Canada.

"This takes the bulk purchase model from individual neighborhoods and organizations to a national scale," said Keya Chatterjee, senior director of renewable energy at WWF. "A coast-to-coast, low, flat rate helps mitigate two major barriers of solar adoption -- complexity and price -- making it possible for more American families to save the planet without leaving their homes."

The initiative offers access to residential solar power at a flat rate -- on average 35 percent lower than the national average and roughly 50 percent less expensive than average electric utility rates -- for zero money down, with average monthly savings on their utility bill of more than 30 percent. Further, if just one percent of the employees in the participating companies choose to power their homes with solar, more than 74,500 metric tons of carbon emissions would be avoided each year.

As part of WWF's ongoing support of Sustainable Cleveland 2019 -- a community-wide initiative to transform Cleveland into a green city on a blue lake by the 50th anniversary of the last Cuyahoga River fire -- Geostellar, who manages the Solar Community Initiative, has also launched "Solarize Cleveland," a Solar Community program for Northeast Ohio.

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