The link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012/09/18/communities-collaborate-on-solar-projects/57804724/1
Part of the story: ROCKFORD, Minn. -- David Schmidt has been intrigued by the idea of generating power from the sun for a long time, but he had never taken the next step.
Clean Energy Collective
The Poudre Valley REA Community Solar Farm in northern Colorado.
The research engineer teaches a course on renewable energy at the University of Minnesota. He had already cut back on his energy use and converted his home to LED lights.
Then Schmidt heard about a community solar project his utility company, the Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association, is building. Instead of spending around $40,000 to install solar panels on his home, Schmidt could purchase a single panel for $869.
"This way, I can do it little by little, buy one panel at a time," he said.
Schmidt will see a discount of a few dollars on his monthly electricity bill. He will also get the satisfaction of creating renewable energy for his community that won't be affected by fluctuating prices of fossil fuels.
"We're contributing some pretty stable power to the grid," Schmidt said.
Community solar projects, popping up across the USA, are being touted as a model that makes solar power both affordable and accessible to everyone. The projects allow everyone to get involved in producing solar power, "not just the ones with a really good south-facing roof," said Eric Jensen, chairman of the MES...
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