Rural Co-Ops and Public Utilities Have Voluntarily Built Nearly 100MW of Community Solar. Here’s Why

Three successful models are driving community solar projects around America.

In 2015, a farmer walked into the office of a customer-owned electric cooperative in Wisconsin. He pulled out his checkbook and wrote a check to the cooperative for $60,000.

That day, two other cooperative members followed suit, and the three of them bought up 10 percent of the brand new community solar garden on the first day of subscription sales.

CEO Joe McDonald admitted that he was “absolutely floored.”

Two and half weeks later, the entire community solar program had sold out -- all 1,000 panels had been claimed by 113 cooperative members. McDonald said the cooperative threw its community solar marketing plan in the trash. The program sold itself....