Joining a Solar Garden is an excellent way to begin supporting clean energy in your community and saving on your electricity bills. Have you ever wondered how solar developers go about creating a Solar Garden and why Solar Gardens are important?
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Community Solar brings more advantages than clean energy. There are strong financial incentives for the landowner and local tax benefits for the community. Community Solar Gardens provide an opportunity to let the land rest and soil heal, as our team seeds native plants and grasses beneath the panels. Over many years, this will restore natural carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil, and attract pollinators as well. As of April of 2023, our team has helped support over 646 acres of pollinator habitat, roughly the size of 492 football fields.
Step 1. Site Selection
The first step in building a Community Solar Garden is selecting the perfect site. We look for sites that get a lot of sun and are close to energy substations. Once we've identified a site, we reach out to the landowner and visit the project in person. After surveying the land with local partners and ensuring that it's a good match, the fun begins. We work with members of the community to communicate the benefits of the project, obtain our permits and approvals, and start gathering those who would like to join the Solar Garden.
Step 2. Design and Engineering
Next, our team of experts starts designing and engineering the Solar Garden to suit the needs of the landowner. Each project is unique - some are surrounded with planted trees, some are designed to let wildlife like turtles to pass through, some are designed to house grazing animals like sheep. Our team of engineers has been constructing Solar Gardens for many years, so they’re up to date with the latest and greatest tech.
Fun fact - most Solar Gardens have bifacial solar modules, meaning that light hitting both sides of the panel can be converted into electricity. Tracking arrays, which run on a daily schedule, allow each panel to rotate and follow the sun as it arcs across the sky.
Step 3. Construction
With the the design finalized and support from the community, it's time to start building the Solar Garden! Working with partners and local contractors, we transport and install all of the solar panels, inverters, and other equipment necessary to generate clean energy onto the grid. Our team of works diligently to ensure the Solar Garden is built to the highest quality standards and is safe to operate. Sometimes, testing can take a while during this phase.
In the meantime, we continue signing up community solar members like you to claim the remaining spots in the Solar Garden. Once the Solar Garden is full and energized, members begin receiving Solar Credits on their power bill and saving money with Sunscription.
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Step 4: Testing
Once construction is complete, we conduct a series of tests with your utility company before officially connecting it to the power grid. We double and triple check all equipment to ensure that the energy we produce is meeting a strict standard. Once we're satisfied that everything is working as it should, we bring the Solar Garden online and start generating clean, renewable energy for the community!
Step 5: Operation and Maintenance
After the Solar Garden goes online, our work isn't done yet. We continue to monitor and maintain the Solar Garden to ensure that it always operates at peak efficiency. We regularly visit our Solar Gardens and monitor their energy remotely to maximize their output. Our team is always on hand to address any issues and ensure that members receive the maximum amount of solar credits each month.
If you haven't signed up for a Community Solar Garden yet, we have many openings and would love to help you get started with three easy steps!
