"As individual rebates for projects start to decline, there needs to be a new business model to get people to invest in solar," said Jonathan Koehn, regional sustainability coordinator for the city of Boulder. "This creates another way to provide more solar to more customers." Community solar garden participants, called subscribers, will own a collection of solar panels cooperatively at a third-party location. The clean electricity produced will help to offset the owners' electric bills.
These gardens could provide a viable alternative for individuals unable to put panels on their own homes, whether for practical or aesthetic reasons. "Not everybody has a property that's suitable," said solar gardens expert Greg Ching. "They may have a house that is too shady or they might not like the look of (the panels)."
Legislation spearheaded by state Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, and supported by the City of Boulder made solar gardens possible. Now the Public Utilities Commission's rule-making process has begun to further determine details, such as how rebates will be structured and whether garden subscribers will purchase panels individually or pay for the energy consumed.
Steve Bauhs, director of sales and marketing at Boulder-based panel installation company Simple Solar, estimates that gardens will be up and running within six to nine months.Current legislation requires that at least 10 parties, any combination of individuals and businesses, buy into the garden. Subscribers must live in the same county as the garden itself. The law limits a maximum of 6 megawatts of energy to be produced by gardens throughout Colorado
Read more: Solar gardens closer to sprouting in Boulder County - Boulder Daily Camera
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_17541487#ixzz1FrNXQGVm DailyCamera.com
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