Solar panels might once have been associated with hippies living off the grid, but increasingly, average homeowners are turning to them to reduce energy costs.
The remarkable transition that utilities in the Southeast are undergoing is a powerful indicator of the profound changes happening in the nation’s power sector.
Broad River Electric chairman Norris Fowler
cuts the ribbon on the co-op's new
community solar farm.
April 28, 2017 - Broad River Electric Cooperative in Gaffney kicked off a 150-kilowatt community solar program aimed at giving its members the option to buy renewable power.
Gaffney, SC, December 20, 2016: Broad River Electric Cooperative will begin the new year with a new initiative. Community Solar will be the newest service available to members after the cooperative breaks ground on the construction of a 150 kilowatt solar array on January 6, 2017.
“Community solar is a good fit for electric cooperatives and our members,” says Norris Fowler, Chairman of the Broad River Electric Board of Trustees. “This project will produce local, renewable energy for the members who want it.”
South Carolina’s electric cooperatives are creating the largest network of community solar installations in the state, significantly expanding access to solar energy for cooperative consumers.
“Community solar is a good fit for electric cooperatives and our consumer-members,” says John Bloodworth, chairman of the board of The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, the state association of cooperatives. “The installations are local, and the renewable energy is locally produced for those who want it.”
When it was dedicated in January 2014, the Colleton Solar Farm was the largest solar installation in South Carolina’s history. The historic project is a joint venture between the state's electric cooperatives, TIG Sun Energy and the state-owned utility Santee Cooper. TIG Sun Energy owns and operates the 3-megawatt complex. Santee Cooper purchases the electricity in collaboration with Central Electric Power Cooperative, the wholesale power purchaser for the state's 20 independent distribution cooperatives.
Money could be coming to York County, steady as a sunrise. And some leaders are asking why it isn’t.
Solar panels might once have been associated with hippies living off the grid, but increasingly, average homeowners are turning to them to reduce energy costs.
The remarkable transition that utilities in the Southeast are undergoing is a powerful indicator of the profound changes happening in the nation’s power sector.