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Fifth Community Solar Garden Underway – and New Lower Rate for ALL Community Solar Subscribers!
BRE's 5th Community Solar Garden
Under construction in the Kings Creek community of Caldwell County.
Members on the waiting list for Blue Ridge Energy’s fifth community solar garden will be excited to learn construction is underway, with completion scheduled by mid-to-late August.
The new solar garden brings great news for all community solar subscribers: the monthly, per-panel subscription rate will be reduced from $4.50 to $3.75 effective with September bills for all existing and future community solar subscribers. Blue Ridge Energy is able to pass along this member savings due to the economy of scale in adding the fifth solar garden.
The new community solar garden will host 432 panels compared to 368 panels in each of the other gardens. This brings the total available community solar panels to 1,904.
The cooperative is pleased to announce that the garden is being built by local member contractors, Collaborative Solar and SunVolt Electric and Renewable Energy, both of Watauga County. The garden is also being constructed on member-owned property that was determined to be ideally positioned and suited for a community solar garden. The location is just off Highway 18 in the Kings Creek community of Caldwell County.
Over 150 members are already on the community solar waitlist that resulted from the 2017 success of the cooperative’s original four community solar gardens in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe and Alleghany counties. The cooperative’s Energy Solutions team will be contacting these members in early August and will open the additional panels for subscription in late August.
Interested members can sign up now to express interest in participating at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/Solar or call the cooperative’s community solar phone line at 828-572-6062, from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday.
Community solar gardens offer Blue Ridge Energy members easy, affordable access to renewable energy without the upfront cost and ongoing maintenance of rooftop solar, or for those living in locations that are too shaded. The program also makes it possible for renters to participate who wish to participate in renewable energy. The program allows members to subscribe to one or more panels and receive a bill credit for the energy they produce. Learn more at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/solar.