Salt Lake Community Solar: Empowering Utah Communities with Solar Energy

Salt Lake Community Solar (SLCS) is an innovative community bulk-purchase solar initiative overseen by Utah Clean Energy, and a volunteer Steering Committee designed to help homeowners in Salt Lake County overcome the logistical and financial hurdles of going solar.  The  program launched in June and ran through early November.

The Results Are In!

Salt Lake County will be entering the New Year with nearly a quarter megawatt of new residential solar capacity thanks to Salt Lake Community Solar (A project of Utah Clean Energy). Throughout the summer months, volunteers and community members worked to spread the word about the cost saving benefits of Community Solar. 

Over 270 homeowners expressed their interest in receiving a free solar assessment, and a total 64 households committed to installing a combined total of 232 kilowatts of solar on their roofs. By joining together to make a bulk purchase, these homeowners saved an average of 40% on their solar systems. Over 23 of the 64 systems have already been installed, and the remaining installations are scheduled through the beginning of 2013.

Collectively, these homeowners will generate enough electricity on their rooftops to avoid 627,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s equivalent to planting 7,000 trees or taking 56 cars off of the road.

With results like these, it is no surprise that Salt Lake Community Solar was Awarded a Utah Business Magazine Sustainable Business Award for Social Impact. Click here [1]for full article from Utah Business Magazine.

This pilot project has shown that Utah homeowners are hungry for solar, and that the project model can help communities in Utah unite and take advantage of economies of scale to install rooftop solar systems. If your community or organization is interested in replicating this project, stay tuned for the release of the Community Solar Toolbox. This Toolbox will walk you through the Community Solar process and provide you with materials you can use to start your own Community Solar campaign.

Please explore the program's official website at mycommunitysolar.org [2] to learn more about Salt Lake Community Solar. You can also find related news articles on the program here [3].