Local co-ops help DC-area folks go solar

Three solar-power co-ops in the DC region are helping homeowners navigate the paperwork and complexities of adding solar electricity to a home.

An excellent article ("Going Solar") in Saturday's Washington Post profiled the Common Cents co-op in Chevy Chase, the Mount Pleasant Solar Cooperative and the Capitol Hill Energy Co-Op.

All three try to get discounts for their members by harnessing the buying power of the group. Solar panels are usually pricey, but a current glut of panels has reduced hardware costs. Some folks have installed Sunslates, which look like slate shingles but function like solar panels, according to the story. Others have used thin-film solar technology that adheres to flat roofs.

I added up the estimates in the story and it seems by spring that 70 or 80 more homes in the area will have solar-electric technology installed. Great news!

p.s. - I've updated the Green Power / Solar Incentives links for Md., DC and Va. on GreenListDC.org.