Visited a community solar garden in Vermont last week and it totally changed how I think about renewables

I went to this small town solar garden near Burlington that 30 families share. They told me each household saves about $200 a year on electricity bills just by subscribing to a few panels. What really got me was how they used the land underneath for wildflowers and bee habitats instead of just gravel. The whole project took 8 months from idea to flipping the switch. Has anyone else looked into community solar in their area? I'm wondering if the savings are always that good or if Vermont just has better incentives.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_joseph10d ago

Actually read a study from the National Renewable Energy Lab last year that said community solar subscribers saved an average of 10% on their bills nationwide. Vermont is definitely one of the better states though because they have that net metering law that guarantees you get credit at the full retail rate. I think the bee habitat thing is smart too because my buddy in Colorado said his local solar garden struggled with erosion until they planted native grasses underneath.

rileynelson10d ago

That's really cool that your buddy found a fix with the native grasses.