Delaware group seeks solar-minded homeownersMar 30 - McClatchy-Tribune Content Agency, LLC - Dan Gearino The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
A big barrier to installing a rooftop solar array is the upfront cost, an issue that a group of clean-energy advocates in Delaware say they can deal with by working together. Organizers, with ties to a national nonprofit group, will hold a meeting on April 6. They say this is an early step in putting together a slate of homeowners to plan solar arrays together and obtain bulk-buying discounts for installation. Without discounts, a small rooftop array costs about $10,000, and it usually takes at least a decade to cover the costs with energy savings. "The No. 1 thing that makes people go solar is if they know someone who has gone solar," said David Carpenter of Delaware, a volunteer organizer of the group and a retired high school physics teacher. He has had a rooftop array for about 10 years and is active with organizations that promote renewable energy. His electricity bill is often close to zero because his house generates enough power to offset what he needs from the utility. The Delaware group is working with Ohio Solar United Neighborhoods, which is affiliated with Community Power Network, a nonprofit company in Washington, D.C. "The goal really is to work across the state to strengthen solar," said Ben Delman, spokesman for Community Power Network, which has set up similar projects across the country. The Ohio group has one other initiative underway, in Lorain County near Cleveland. Organizers say they intend to bundle together many rooftop projects and then hire the same installation contractor to do all of them in exchange for a bulk discount. Delman said he is aiming for a 20 percent discount. Here is how that may translate for an individual consumer: A 4-kilowatt solar array, which is typical for a house's rooftop, would cost $10,500 based on market prices, according to Community Power Network. The bulk discount would would shave 10 to 20 percent off this cost. This does not include federal tax credits, which can cover 30 percent of the cost, and it does not include electricity bill savings. Community Power Network gets its funding from charitable foundations and from finder's fees paid by participating solar installers. The fee is about $500 per household, Delman said. The Ohio projects have caught the interest of Bill Spratley, executive director of Green Energy Ohio, a group that promotes renewable energy. He said the participating groups and their business model are an effective way to help homeowners get rooftop solar. "I really like what they're doing," he said. Carpenter is thinking more in terms of his city, where he counts seven houses with solar arrays. He thinks the number would be higher if his neighbors knew more about the costs and benefits. How much higher? He doesn't know. "We don't really know whether we'll get 10 people or 200 at that meeting," he said. Ohio Solar United Neighborhoods will hold its meeting on April 6 at 7 p.m. in the Hilborn Room at Mingo Park, 500 E. Lincoln Ave. in Delaware. dgearino@dispatch.com @dangearino
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