HABITAT
Carroll Street Solar Farm Lets the Sun Shine In
The rooftop panels of the Carroll Street Solar Farm (picture courtesy CleanChoice Energy).
Subscriber enrollment is complete for the 100-kilowatt Carroll Street Community Solar Farm in Brooklyn – the newest addition to the city’s burgeoning community solar movement.
“Community solar is the perfect solution for making solar work in New York City,” says Peter Davidson, CEO of Gotham Community Solar, which is financing and will own the Carroll Street solar panels. CleanChoice Energy is managing subscriber services, including management and billing. UGE is engineering and installing the system. The project is the first of several under development by the partners.
“This is a great new source of revenue for landlords and building owners in New York City, particularly the outer boroughs,” Davidson adds. “Now everyone can support clean solar power for their homes.”
Carroll Street Solar Farm subscribers will receive credit on their electric bill for the power generated by the solar panels located on the roof of a mixed-use commercial building. Subscribers pay no upfront costs, have no maintenance, and do not need to own their roof – allowing anyone to tap into the sun’s energy.
The Carroll Street project follows the lead of the city’s very first community solar project, which began operating this spring. Daroga Power, working in conjunction with the nonprofit Solar One, installed 3,000 solar panels on two flat warehouse roofs in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood. The array will generate enough electricity to offset a portion of the electricity use in up to 300 apartments. The program offers renewable 12-month subscriptions for solar energy credits to residential or small commercial Con Ed customers throughout the five boroughs, including renters and residents of co-ops and condos. The credits carry a 10 percent discount. For every dollar of savings, the utility customer pays Daroga Power 90 cents. The solar-generated electricity is fed into the grid.
New Yorkers interested in joining future community solar projects can visit CleanChoice Energy to learn more.
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