People's Community Solar
Community solar was ideal for members who wanted to harness the power of the sun's energy, but lacked a suitable site or funds for a solar array of their own. It was also great for those who wanted to hedge against future energy prices without the hassle and on-going expenses of operating, maintaining, and insuring personal equipment.
The People's Community Solar array is located in the Elgin Business Park along Highway 42 and consists of 820, 305-watt panels.
Subscriptions have been 'sold out' since August 2022.
Community Solar Program Details
Members joined the community solar program by paying a one-time fee for the energy produced by one or more 305-watt solar panels. Each panel is anticipated to produce an average of 34 kilowatt-hours (kWhs) per month over the course of the agreement. What does that mean? If you subscribed to 10 panels and the array averages 40 kWhs per panel for the month, you receive a credit of 400 kWhs on your bill the following month. It's a great way to hedge against future energy prices as the energy generated is credited on your monthly electric bill for the duration of the agreement.
To participate, members needed to sign an agreement and either pay the total cost to secure their subscription or be approved to participate in the 30-month payment plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
A community solar array is an array with multiple subscribers that are connected to their electric utility's grid. Subscribers receive a credit on their electric bill for their share of the energy produced by the array.
Several PEC members expressed interest in a cooperative-owned source of renewable energy.
Able Energy of River Falls, Wisconsin, was the general contractor and installer.
People's Energy Cooperative owns, operates, and maintains the infrastructure of the array. Participants subscribe to the energy produced by the array according to the terms of the agreement.
As the owner, PEC maintains the array.
Yes, you must be an active member of PEC in order to participate.
No. The energy generated is distributed onto the electric grid like any other generation source and not connected directly to the participating members' homes or businesses.
Until December 31, 2036. After the agreement period ends all energy production becomes the Cooperative's.
Subscriptions can be sold or given to another active PEC member. One could also gift the benefit to a family member, friend, or local charitable organization. Members can also include the subscription with the sale of their house.
It is a 250 kilowatt (kW) array located in the Elgin Business Park along the east side of Highway 42.
Energy production will vary from month to month and year to year based on weather conditions.
This program has been 'sold out' since August 2022.
To participate, members signed an agreement and made a lump-sum payment or were approved to participate in the payment plan.
Each month the total energy produced by the solar array is divided by 820 (the total number of panels) to calculate the average kilowatt-hours (kWhs) produced per panel. Each participating member receives an energy credit on their bill for their share of the energy produced. For example, if you subscribe to 10 panels and the array generates 40 kWhs per panel, 400 kWhs will be credited to your bill. Therefore, if you consumed 500 kWhs of electricity and are credited for 400 kWhs from the array, you will only be billed for 100 kWhs.
No. Insurance and maintenance fees are covered in the subscription price. There are no additional costs or fees after the initial subscription.
It depends on how much of your monthly energy use is already provided by your system. The benefit you receive from People's Community Solar is in the form of a monthly kWh bill credit. Members will need to make sure they can use the credit to offset their energy use because there is no cash payment for the energy credit.