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Brooklyn Solarize CB6
In 2015 and 2016 we participated in two Solarize campaigns, funded by NYSERDA's NY-Sun Incentive Program.
In 2015 we partnered with Sustainable CUNY's NY Solar Smart as an outreach partner to bring the Solarize Brooklyn CB6 campaign to our district. In 2016 we partnered with Sustainable CUNY and Solar One's Here Comes Solar.
Solarize Brooklyn CB6 reduced the cost of installing solar by leveraging the collective purchasing power of homeowners and small businesses in Brooklyn Community Board 6. People across the country are buying solar in bulk and saving money in the process, a classic 'economy of scale' that works on many levels. Solarize Brooklyn CB6 helped guide groups of homeowners and small businesses as they purchase solar systems together from one of the two Installer Partners, who were selected via a competitively selected by Sustainable CUNY, CB6, and other partners. The benefits include both cost savings and programmatic support.
For example, a large portion of the cost of a residential system is the cost to installers of finding customers. Solarize Brooklyn CB6 educated local residents and businesses about solar in community workshops and bring pre-screened customers directly to the program’s two Installer Partners. This allowed the installers to pass the savings on to participants. Additionally, the support the group provides each participant makes it easier to evaluate quotes and to navigate permit requirements and incentive programs.
Solarize Brooklyn CB6's Installer Partners offered tiered pricing, with the savings increasing as more people committed to the program. Each participant signed their own installation contract with the Partner Installer of their choosing.
In 2015, 25 signed contracts were signed representing 125 kW. Solarize Brooklyn CB6 was made possible through a partnership between the City University of New York’s NYSolar Smart Program and Brooklyn Community Board 6 as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Rooftop Solar Challenge II.
"Community shared solar" refers to solar projects utilizing the Community Net Metering Program. Such projects normally involve an arrangement in which multiple utility account-holders each subscribe to a portion of production from a solar array located at a site associated with a separate utility account, and they are also commonly referred to as "community solar," "shared solar," or "community solar gardens."
Learn more about the Brooklyn Solarize CB6 project