“If you would like to host an open house it is not too late as solar owners can sign up to host solar open houses on the National Solar Tour through September 6th, 2019. If you are interested in hosting an open house or learn more about where you can attend next year, please go to the National Solar Tour website at nationalsolartour.org to register”
The benefits of solar extend beyond savingmoney: ◆ Job creation: The solar industry now employs more than 250,000 people. Solar jobs are diverse, ranging from installation to manufacturing to sales. installing solar on one or more buildings, municipalities can fuel solar job creation in their local community. ◆ Local economic development: Installing solar panels on one or more of their buildings can help municipalities jump-start the local clean energy economy. You can leverage your community outreach resources to educate constituents about renewable energy systems during installation, growing the local customer base. Municipalities can boost local clean energy employment by opting to work with local contractors for installation. Municipalities can pair their solar installation with updates to their internal solar permitting practices. This can signal to the community that your municipality is committed to growing the local clean energy economy. ◆ Sustainability commitments: Installing solar can help your municipality meet its sustainability goals by decreasing its consumption of fossil fuel-powered electricity and offsetting its carbon emissions. ◆ Resiliency: As battery technology drops in price, many municipalities are considering solar plus storage to use during power outages. It is easy to see how everyone benefits from solar energy eitherdirectlyor indirectlyandwhypeoplearesopassionate about this growing sector of the energy industry. Next month we will spotlight the National Solar Tour but, in the meantime, if you would like information on going solar or about how Solar United Neighbors can help you go solar or any of their solar events visit solarunitedneighbors.org •
This year’s National Solar Tour event currently has over 350 individual solar open house events, 50 locally organized multi-site solar tours and 45 states participating in solar open houses and local tours to help spread the word about going solar. You can see the full list of events on the National Solar Tour and RSVP to attend one or more of them at nationalsolartour.org/map. “First it is to educate people about solar energy and the benefit of going solar… then it is about helping them go solar” “If you would like to host an open house it is not too late as solar owners can sign up to host solar open houses on the National Solar Tour through September 6th, 2019. If you are interested in hosting an open house or learn more about where you can attend next year, please go to the National Solar Tour website at nationalsolartour.org to register,” says Cheslin. If you do not wish to host an event as part of the National Solar Tour but you would still like to spotlight your solar energy system, then the “I Love My Solar” website at ilovemy.solar, which is a joint project between Solar United Neighbors and Vote Solar, is a great way for you to share your story about going solar. Well if you do not want to wait for the National Solar Tour and you want to go solar now for your home or business but want to do it on your own it is as simple as becoming a member. If you decide to make the change then you can do so with one-on-one help at your own pace from Solar United Neighbors’
knowledgeable members-only Solar Help Desk. This support service offers real-time advice when and where you need it. They are ready, able and more than willing to help you go solar, so you have the confidence and knowledge to get the right system for you and your needs. Not looking to do it on your own then Solar United Neighbors offers a solar co-op project, which has helped thousands of people go solar each year. Co-op programs will organize 50 to 100 neighbors in a group to go solar together, making it a true community approach. Their knowledgeable experts support you through each stage of the solar process. Co-op members leverage bulk-purchasing power to get discounted pricing all co-op members sign individual contracts so that you are in control and have the right system for your home or business. Solar UnitedNeighbors helps individuals, businesses and organizations and also helps municipalities go solar as there are also many benefits for municipalities. By generating their own electricity from solar power, municipalities can reduce their monthly electric bills. And that means serious cost savings. Powering schools, libraries, municipal office buildings, and maintenance centers requires a lot of energy. For the typical local government, energy expenditures are the second largest budget item. So, saving money on electricity can significantly cut operating expenses. “If you go to the Solar United Neighbors website, you will see that we have created a directory of businesses that have gone solar”
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