2020 Broward County Solar Co-op
The Broward County Climate, Energy & Sustainability Program continues to promote the installation and use of solar energy in Broward County and has recently opened the opportunity for all residents and small businesses in Broward County to join the 2020 Broward County Solar Co-op.
Broward County supports the Solar Co-op as one of its strategies for reaching its goal of sourcing 20% of its energy from renewables and reducing emissions to mitigate climate change impacts. The fourth annual Solar Co-op was open from August 4 to October 30, 2020. With the help of the non-profit Solar United Neighbors, the co-op supports residents and small businesses going solar with customer assistance and group savings. As of December 2020, 130 property owners had signed up for the co-op and 244 kilowatts of solar was contracted for installation.
The 2019 Solar Co-op resulted in 55 completed projects, totaling 536.6 kW. These projects result in lifetime carbon reductions of 20,452,509 million lbs. Co-op participants saved a total of $268,300 dollars on their systems, all while stimulating $1,073,200 in local investment.
Learn more, register for a webinar, and sign up for the 2021 solar co-op for free at SolarUnitedNeighbors.org/Broward. After a competitive bidding process facilitated by SUN, co-op members will select a single solar company to complete the installations. Joining the co-op does not obligate members to purchase solar. Instead, members will have the option to individually purchase panels and electric vehicle chargers based on the installer's group rate. SUN will host several free information sessions to educate community members about solar energy and the co-op.
Homeowners interested in joining the co-op can sign up at the co-op web page. The solar co-op is free to join and joining is not a commitment to purchase panels.
Go Solar Florida
Go Solar Florida was a program (ending in 2017) whose purpose was to increase the use of and access to grid-tied solar energy installations among the state’s residents and businesses. This program was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the
SunShot Initiative Rooftop Solar Challenge II.
Go Solar Florida Partners
Broward County partnered with municipalities and Florida Counties, such as,
Miami Dade,
Orange and
Alachua and the
Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) to reduce market barriers to installing solar by working to reduce the costs of installation, primarily soft costs, and promoting access to financing options.
Solar Plans Design System
One approach taken to reduce design costs was to develop a Solar Plans Design System that creates an on-line solar system design package, including FSEC solar system certification, 3-line electrical drawing, solar system component cut sheets and labeling details. This system can be found on
FSEC’s Photovoltaic Certification Portal.
