Head to the Solarize webpage for news on the upcoming program and how to stay informed.
Overview: Solar Group Buys are a tool for scaling solar deployment in a short period of time (June through September) and moving communities toward their sustainability goals. They work by:
- Aggregating demand for solar, which lowers solar prices for home and business owners.
- Providing up-front customer education, which lowers installer soft costs and leads to a higher-than-average conversion rate for solar leads.
Project Lead: Midwest Renewable Energy Association serves as project lead and is responsible for:
- The competitive RFP process that chooses one or more solar installers
- Coordinating 10-15 Solar Power Hours, educational events that maximize participation and education.
Solar Power Hours: The cornerstone educational event repeat throughout the County during the Solar Group Buy campaign and teaches solar PV and solar group buy basics and fields questions.
- 15-20 Solar Power Hours across Linn County for the public to learn about the Solar Group Buy
- Process: Interested attendees schedule a site assessment with the Solar Group Buy Solar Installer, then are able to consider further and sign a contract based on the Solar Group Buy pricing if comfortable. Interested individuals are free to move forward with a different solar installer, though Group Buy pricing will not apply.
- Attendees at each Solar Power Hour include: Solar Power Hour Facilitator, Solar Installer, and often times a local utility representative