Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More
Continue in Browser
Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts.
Please enter a valid zipcode.
Save
Solar power generates electricity and reduces the carbon footprint, but traditional rooftop solar panels aren’t an option for everyone.
“For many of us, we’re priced out of the upfront cost of solar. It costs too much to put solar on our roof and so we might not be able to do solar for that reason,” State University of New York ESF assistant professor Danielle Kloster said. “We may have an older roof that’s not appropriate for solar or we may have trees that would be blocking the sunlight that we’d want to use.”
But what if you could tap into an existing solar farm, with no upfront costs or installation needed? That’s the thought behind Community Solar. 
“Community Solar is a way that renters, homeowners, small businesses, really anyone can sign up for solar in New York,” NY-Sun Director Max Joel said.
Joel said New York state was one of the first to take advantage of Community Solar programs and says the state has had great success with the initiative.
“We’ve been able to build out the nation’s leading Community Solar program statewide,” Joel said.
Syracuse is the latest city to tap into the industry. Partnering with EnergySmart CNY, the city recently launched Syracuse Community Solar and is encouraging residents to sign up.
“My husband and my family and I, we’re giving it a shot and around two months from now, we should see the impact on our bill,” Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens said.
The way it works is simple: You sign up and receive solar credits on your utility bill, then pay for them at a discounted rate. In Syracuse, that’s a 10% discount, or 20% if you’re a low-income household.
In a sample bill on the city’s website, a $506 National Grid bill saw $33 in savings. 
“It’s not a heavy lift for everyday folks who just sign up for something and then watch the savings come into your bill,” Mayor Owens said.
Despite its reputation for cloudy weather, Kloster says solar is still an option for upstate New York.
“Even though we have some of the lowest levels of solar radiation in the country, we can still produce solar even when there are clouds,” Kloster explained. “So diffused sunlight that’s coming through the clouds can still be used by solar panels to produce electricity.”
It’s a program that’s free to enroll in, with no long-term contracts, that saves you money and benefits the environment — so what’s the catch?
Joel says there isn’t one.
“It really is a win-win,” Joel said. “You know, not just for the person who signs up, not in the solar company of course, but really for the whole community, the state, and even the world.”
Syracuse residents interested in Community Solar can sign up today. There’s no cost to sign up and no long-term contracts. Enrollment is available on a first come, first served basis, with capacity for more than 5,000 customers.
Officials say it will take at least two billing cycles before subscribers see credits on their utility bill.

source