We’re excited to announce that Community Renewable Energy has been selected to participate in a program with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the National Community Solar Partnership. CRE will receive technical assistance from NREL to advance project, technical, and policy solutions that will promote affordable solar energy across the Midwest.
CRE are members of the National Community Solar Partnership, an organization of community solar stakeholders looking to expand the benefits of affordable community solar nationwide. There are a few different types of community solar. One of the more common models refers to a local solar farm where local families and businesses may subscribe to a set number of panels and receive a credit on their utility bill. The model is growing quickly across the country, and for good reason. Apartment dwellers, who can’t put panels on their shared building, renters who don’t have the ability to install panels on their home, or homeowners with a roof that can’t support solar panels, can all benefit from this type of community solar model. Up to half of housing units nationwide aren’t suitable for solar, and community solar offers a viable alternative.
NREL is supporting CRE this summer on two of our initiatives, prioritizing projects that emphasize affordability for the end user. One will involve removing project finance barriers to specific solar projects for affordable housing. The second will be focused on brownfield activation and the distributed generation of solar. Both are focused on solar in the heartland. We’re excited to see what the outcome of this partnership will be.
