Community solar, call from the future…
Community solar project is a modern technique of sharing renewable energy in more than one household. As the term says, ‘Community solar’ can also be referred to solar garden or shared renewable form of energy which runs on both, community-owned and third party-owned plants where the benefits are shared by the community as a whole. The project illustrates how the use of ‘one of the greatest sources of energy’ can transform India with participatory processes.
Major purpose of introducing community solar is to help members of a particular community share the benefits of solar power, without having to install solar panels on individual properties. In Community solar project, the participants benefit from the electricity generated by a community solar garden, costing the price that they would otherwise pay for the same utility.
Other purposes of introducing and promoting this renewable energy-based project is to offer clean energy access to the communities in metro cities as well as rural India; offer opportunity to decentralize energy; promote judicial use of resources; and enrich livelihood opportunities.
Story of a village in Bihar…
One of the key examples of Community solar in India is how ‘women in Bihar brought solar power to a village’. There was a huge deficit of electricity in the village since 1960, in fact the village was not at all electrified ever since. To change the circumstances, women of Badil Bigha village initiated a community-based management project, called the Badil Bigha Project, and were responsible for community inclusion at all levels of power distribution and maintenance in the village.
The community solar project is attempting to check price sections in a consistent agreement with family units getting electricity. The Jeevika Women Cell has educated every family unit/recipient about how energy would change occupation structure and how these solar mini-grids can alter dynamic financial strengthening of the village.
It’s an open opportunity for the village to use this CSR pilot venture for social, financial and ecological strengthening. Community ownership has a vital part to play in the supportability of this venture and its monetary incorporation. Gender participation is one of the main thrusts of the project. Once an income-deficit town is now scaling up employments after the establishment of solarized drip irrigation system pumps.
Common misconceptions about community solar…
Community solar is similar yet different from various other methods which allow families and organizations to get associated with the rapidly growing clean energy economy.
The following are a portion of the methodologies that are now and then mistaken for community solar:
- Group Purchase: Group purchasing permit individuals or organizations to buy their own individual solar systems at mass rates through transactions with a solar establishment organization. All things considered, group purchasing does not bring about a communal welfare—once finished, every member benefits independently from a different framework. Interestingly, in a community solar project, all members benefit from a similar framework, which is typically situated on a real estate property not really possessed by any of the members.
- Green Power: Green Power provisions let utility’s clients to buy power sources from sustainable power source plants—primarily hydro and wind. The individuals who agree to accept Green Power for the most part do so not keeping in mind the end goal to save cash on their energy bills, rather to ‘make the best decision’; for this benefit, they pay a top notch cost for power generated by solar energy or wind mills. Cooperating in a Green Power design does not really about the additional inexhaustible power plants, as power might be sourced from prior facilities. Most community solar gardens, then again, are produced while keeping in mind to save essential amount on energy bills.
- Crowdfunding/Online Solar Investment Platforms: Firms like Mosaic have opened up sustainable power source venture to the majority with online stages that permit essentially anybody to put into new community solar power establishments. Under such game plans, purchase in is set up absolutely as a speculation, and the power that such a framework produces isn’t related with the member’s electricity bill in any capacity—and to be sure may not be situated in a similar locality, state or potentially even nation. Returns from these plants might be assessable, while the advantages from a community solar based plant is most certainly not.
Community solar is also an investment in future…
NO ROOFTOP
Community solar garden enables families to take advantage of a nearby shared sun based farm which is introduced in spaces, for example, stockroom rooftops, topped landfills, or other unused land.
You don’t have to claim your home (or housetop) to use it – anyone with an energy bill should be qualified, including leaseholders, apartment suite proprietors, or those with a rooftop inappropriate for solar energy preservation.
NO INSTALLATION
NREL gauges that 49% of American property holders are not qualified for rooftop solar panels because of their rooftop’s alignment, shade, or structure. What’s more, a few property holders would prefer not to experience the way toward finding a contractual worker, purchasing the correct panels, and introducing them all alone, or they basically can’t manage the cost of the entire process. With Community solar, it is easier to install, process, and maintain solar energy.
NO UPFRONT COSTS
In Community solar, you don’t purchase the solar panels, however rather buy in to the power created by your assigned panels in the community solar garden. Your assignment is controlled by your authentic energy utilization, so your month to month energy use is secured by the generation of your solar panel.
LOWER ENERGY BILLS
Community solar supporters save cash on their energy bills, generally accepting a 5-15% rebate. This is made possible by the dipping price of solar energy, state and government incentives, and pricing agreements between the solar energy creator and the utility.
PROMOTES INDEPENDENCE
Solar energy enables individuals to deliver their own energy, and Community solar conveys similar advantages to networks. On a national level, this enables the country to depend less on the worldwide energy showcase, shielding the people from flimsy energy costs and supply discrepancies.
And so…
Community solar is a call from the future. Switching to the solar energy (or any other renewable energy sources) is one of the most vital steps in decreasing world’s carbon footprint and ensuring safety of our planet.