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There is a new guide available for state program managers who are looking at the opportunity of community group purchasing for solar energy. “Planning and Implementing a Solarize Initiative: A Guide for State Program Managers,” was produced by The New England Solar Cost-Reduction Partnership, a coalition of five New England States managed by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA).

This guide features detailed cases studies of two particularly well-developed and successful programs from New England: Solarize Connecticut and Solarize Massachusetts. Solarize is a group purchasing program for solar PV systems that lowers acquisition costs for rooftop solar installations. As more homeowners join the group purchasing program, the cost goes down, because of a tiered-pricing plan with reduced prices for more participation. The guide will be helpful to program managers and other stakeholders in states across the country seeking to develop their own Solarize programs.

According to the guide, solarize programs in both Connecticut and Massachusetts have been tremendously successful in increasing the rate of residential solar adoption in three ways:

• First, Solarize expands the potential customer base. In Connecticut, 20% of households who signed a contract for a new solar PV system through the Solarize CT program had never previously considered installing solar.
• Second, the program speeds up solar deployment. In Massachusetts, the number of small-scale solar projects more than doubled in the vast majority of participating Solarize communities as a result of the program. In Connecticut, during Phase I of their Solarize program, selected Solarize municipalities achieved 24-65 times the rate of new solar installation contracts as compared to the rate during the prior seven years.
• Third, Solarize programs help drive down the installation prices for consumers. In Connecticut, Solarize has resulted in cost reductions of between 20-30 percent for customers. Solarize Mass has achieved an average price reduction of 18-20 percent for installed projects.

The guide is available here.

Three new solar projects have been fired up by OCI Solar Power adding 45 MW of solar energy. The newly operational Alamo 4 project in Brackettville, Texas, generates 39 MW for CPS Energy, San Antonio’s community-owned utility. The solar farm features more than 150,000 solar panels and covers 600 acres of privately-owned land. Alamo 4 is OCI Solar Power’s first Texas project outside of metropolitan San Antonio and employed approximately 550 people during construction.

“The progress we’re making with the opening and construction of new projects means more than half of our Texas projects are now complete or underway,” said OCI Solar Power President and CEO Tony Dorazio. “This also means the number of solar jobs in the state is increasing.”

With the commencement of operations of Alamo 4 comes the start of construction for Alamo 3 in San Antonio and Alamo 5 in Uvalde, Texas. OCI Solar Power is partnering with the San Antonio River Authority to lease land for the 5.5 MW Alamo 3 project near Loop 1604 and IH10 on the northeast side of town. Alamo 3 will be the first Alamo project to feature locally made solar panels from manufacturing partner Mission Solar Energy and a new dual axis tracker technology from Sun Action Trackers. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

“We are very excited to be partnering once again with OCI Solar Power for the expansion of this valuable resource in the San Antonio region,” added SARA General Manager Suzanne Scott. “This partnership has proven to be a successful venture and we look forward to the continued growth of sustainable practices in our community.”