PUTNEY — The Putney Energy Committee announces it's bringing affordable solar energy to homes and businesses in town. On offer are electricity, domestic heat/hot water, and community solar services from three companies at low cost.
The committee says its Solarize Putney program, part of a larger “Solarize Windham County” initiative, is the first of its kind in southern Vermont. It works by leveraging bulk-purchase arrangements to reduce installation costs.
The project aims to help homeowners and small businesses overcome the financial and logistical barriers to installing solar energy. Started in Portland, Ore., in 2009, Solarize has spread to hundreds of towns nationwide, and says it's responsible for the creation of thousands of rooftop and backyard solar arrays.
Participating companies are Soveren Solar of Westminster, Sunward Systems of Shelburne, and Real Goods Solar of Louisville, Colo. Each takes advantage of state and federal incentives, adding to their value to end users.
The deals reportedly are structured such that the more home and business owners who sign up for systems, the lower the overall cost. Company rebates are calculated at the end of the program, usually four to six months.
This local initiative is the second version of the Putney ACE (Accelerated Clean Energy) program, which follows a push that weatherized 30 Putney homes in 2012.
About the companies...
Soveren Solar focuses on community solar installations and has years of experience building its own ground mounts and installing solar electric systems large and small. Soveren offers an additional discount for the Solarize program.
According to the Putney Energy Committee, the Soveren community solar system will have the added performance advantage of seasonably adjustable arrays, so panels one owns will produce 15 percent to 20 percent more electricity than non-adjustable panels that other community solar systems have employed.
“This is a good investment if you don't have a sunny location to install your own solar system on,” the committee notes.
Real Goods Solar has supported several Solarize events in Vermont and nationwide, and “has the experience to handle the logistics of hundreds of installations,” says the committee.
Sunward Systems distributes solar hot water system hardware and works with many area installers. The committee says it selected Sunward because it is a local company, can handle the volume, and offers discounts to area residents for the Solarize program.
Other Windham County towns are welcome to get involved in Solarize Windham County. For more information, visit SolarizeWindham.com or contact Tad Montgomery at 802-251-0502 or [email protected].