Neighbors in Broward have formed two solar co-ops, one for county residents who live east of US 441 and the other for those who live west of it. Their goal is to save money and make going solar easier, while building a network of solar supporters. The Broward County Government, Go Solar Florida and FL SUN are the co-op sponsors.
“We’re forming this co-op to make saving money with solar energy as simple as possible,” said Kay Sommers, Senior Natural Resources Specialist, Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department for Broward County. “Adding solar installations is the logical next step as we complete our SunShot grant obtained from the U.S. DOE.”
FL SUN expands access to solar by educating Florida residents about the benefits of distributed solar energy, helping them organize group solar installations, and strengthening Florida’s solar policies and its community of solar supporters.
“I am excited to work with Broward residents to educate them about the benefits of solar energy,” said Angela DeMonbreun, FL SUN Co-op Manager. “If you’ve ever thought about going solar before, this is the perfect opportunity to do so.”
Broward residents interested in joining either co-op can sign up at www.flsun.org/east-broward/ or www.flsun.org/west-broward/. Joining the co-ops are not a commitment to purchase panels. Once the groups are large enough, FL SUN will help the co-ops solicit competitive bids from area solar installers.
Co-op members will select a single company to complete all of the installations for each co-op. They will then have the option to purchase panels individually based on the installer’s group rate. By going solar as a group and choosing a single installer, participants can save up to 20% off the cost of their system.
The group will host four solar information meetings to educate the community about solar and the co-op process.
- March 6 at 7pm at Art Serve, 1350 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale
- March 7 at 7pm at Broward County Government Center West, 1 North University Drive, Plantation
Kay Sommers
954-519-1257
KSOMMERS@broward.org
