By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent
As community solar continues to streak across the solar sky as the hottest segment in the industry, the questions are twofold: Why is it the hottest segment, and what are the keys to getting deals done. Scott Wiater, president and CEO of Standard Solar, a national solar company that has recently done community solar deals in New York and Colorado, agreed to answer those questions – and offer advice to anyone trying to launch community solar programs in new areas.
SolarWakeup: Why is community solar one of the fastest-growing segments of the solar industry?
Scott Wiater: The size of the market is staggering. According to a GTM Research, Wood Mackenzie and Vote Solar report, between 50% and 75% of U.S. electricity consumers can’t put solar arrays on their own roofs. That means there’s 50% to 75% of U.S. electricity consumers that can’t be a part of the Solar Revolution unless there’s an alternative way to reach them. People are realizing that community solar provides them with that opportunity.
SolarWakeup: According to a recent study, only 19 states have programs that actively promote community solar programs. Why is that?
Scott Wiater: It’s a relatively new market, and just like any other new market, there’s an education process that we have to go through. It’s not that states don’t want community solar programs. I just think that right now that they don’t know any better.
SolarWakeup: What kind of education effort is needed to explain the benefits of community solar to policymakers?
Scott Wiater: You’d be surprised how quickly policymakers start to get it once you explain to them not only the benefits to the consumers but also the neighborhood that’s connected to the community solar program. So it doesn’t take much, though it does require that the solar company involved be willing to take the time to explain the process to them. In the end, it’s so worth every effort we make.
SolarWakeup: What kind of reception do you get when you start talking about community solar to customers?
Scott Wiater: They get excited. After all, what’s not to get excited about? It’s an opportunity to access clean energy without the complex process of putting it on your own roof. People like easy, and community solar gives them an easy way to do their part to help the environment—and it saves them money on their electric bills to boot. What’s not to like?
SolarWakeup: What are the three most important elements to getting a community solar deal done?
Scott Wiater: The three most important elements to getting a community solar deal done are education, financing and customer acquisition. The key to making sure all of that goes smoothly is to have a development group involved that has done it before and won’t get tangled up in the complexity of the deal. There’s a specific set of skills companies must have to do community solar projects smoothly, and not everyone has that skill set. If you’re considering doing a community solar project, do your due diligence and make sure the company you choose to spearhead your deal fully understands everything that entails.