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.”

Community solar means multiple people get electricity from a midsize solar array, offering a convenient option for members who want to buy power from a carbon-free resource.

The array will not only provide energy from the sun, but also coverage from it. The panels will be erected upon canopies in the expanded parking lot of Broad River Electric Auditorium, located adjacent to the cooperative’s headquarters at 811 Hamrick Street in Gaffney, SC.

The ground breaking ceremony will take place at the solar array’s future site with dignitaries and business leaders from Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union Counties joining cooperative employees and associates in attendance.  A brief reception will follow in Broad River Electric Auditorium.

Like most traditional community solar arrangements, Broad River Electric is responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the solar plant. The members can participate through a monthly “subscription” and receive a bill credit based on how much energy is produced by the solar array. More information about the subscription model will be announced soon.

Broad River Electric CEO Terry Mallard says the community-based approach to solar is the right project at the right time for co-op members.  “Community Solar means they don’t have to install panels on their roof, nor do they have to worry about their construction and maintenance. The co-op will do the heavy-lifting so members can access this renewable resource.

“Broad River Electric is doing for the membership what we have done for over 76 years – using our collective strength to provide energy solutions that members could not do on their own.”

Broad River Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a non-profit, member-owned electricity distribution cooperative. The cooperative provides safe, reliable, quality services to more than 18,000 homes and businesses in Cherokee, Spartanburg Union and Newberry counties in South Carolina and Cleveland, Polk and Rutherford counties in North Carolina.  ##