Sierra Club launches efforts to spread solar power

Last month, the Wisconsin John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club and H&H Solar launched a new group-buy solar partnership in an effort to make solar energy more accessible.

The Solar Homes Partnership combines several H&H Solar energy systems into a group to achieve bulk savings, which reduces the cost of installation and raises funds for the Sierra Club for each system installed.

Here is how it works. For interested Sierra Club members, H&H carries out a free solar siteThe Sierra Club partnered with H&H Solar to defray the cost of installing solar panels (Sierra Club Facebook Page) assessment and provides an estimate. Then, if the host decides to install a system, H&H provides a rebate to the host and a payment to the Sierra Club based on the number and size of systems installed.

The program has generated an overwhelmingly positive response from Sierra Club members and supporters throughout Wisconsin, with over 250 people requesting solar assessments from H&H since program launch.

“We’ve been working to contact each of these respondents to determine what their interest level is, if their site is suitable, and to help educate them about some of the basics about solar electricity,” said Stanley Minnick, spokesman for H&H.

Earlier this year, H&H Solar approached several local conservation groups about participating in a group buy partnership. The John Muir chapter of the Sierra Club was interested about the idea because it aligned well with their mission as an organization. As it turned out, many other chapters around the country had completed similar programs.

In response, the Sierra Club sent out a request for proposals to fifteen solar companies in Wisconsin, and four companies responded including H&H Solar.

Shahla Werner, director of the Sierra Club, says the organization selected H&H due to its “use of union-affiliated master electricians, their statewide capacity, their ability to offer Sierra Club members solar panels made right here in Milwaukee by Helios Solar Works and their long track record of running a stable business in Wisconsin.”

Yet, despite the program’s initial success, there was some controversy that could have potentially complicated the entire project.

According to Werner, the Public Service Commission considered pulling the incentives for residential renewable systems before the launch.

“The PSC’s [plan] would kill local solar jobs and make solar systems more expensive to homeowners who want to do the right thing,” said Werner. “The good news is that so far the PSC hasn’t pulled those incentives but the bad news is that the uncertainty surrounding our incentives may dissuade some from going solar within and beyond our solar homes program.”

In addition, Minnick says the lack of education has been an obstacle as “some people have not had an opportunity to learn about solar to this point, and [it is] helping them understand the basics of solar and what it can do for their family and community.”

Despite that, solar energy has been a growing commodity. In the latest data report from the Solar Energy Industries Association, it states there are now over 9,370 megawatts (MW) of cumulative solar electric capacity in the U.S., which is enough to power over 1.5 million average American homes. It is also expected by the end of 2013 a solar project will have been installed every four minutes in the U.S. on average.

“Solar energy is one of the cleanest forms of renewable energy available, and expanding solar helps reduce our dependence on dirty fossil fuels,” said Werner. “The technology has also improved, making solar a viable, affordable way to fight climate change on the individual homeowner level.”