Petr Kratochvil
solar panels
A solar energy advocacy group in Lexington is moving forward in its effort to educate and enable the community to engage in more solar alternatives.
The volunteer-driven Solarize Lexington campaign has issued a request for proposal for solar installers interested in taking part in Community Solarize, a group-purchasing initiative aimed at increasing solar adoption by local homeowners and small business owners. The effort will structure a group-buying effort with limited-time discounts to accelerate local solar buy-in for hundreds of local residences and businesses.
“These combined efforts make Lexington the leader in the state for solar initiatives,” said Barbara Szubinska, a founding member of Solarize Lexington, in a release announcing the RFP. “The Community Solarize Initiative benefits customers and installers alike by reducing the cost of marketing to individual homeowners and connecting the interested parties with experienced, pre-qualified installation firms with proven record of quality installations and high-quality educational programming.”
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council has also expressed its interest in more solar options by passing a resolution in support of the growth of the solar energy and the pursuit of strategies to meet this goal.
The council’s resolution favored the pursuit of both public and private efforts as well as grant opportunities. Possible strategies could include endorsing solar for new construction and in municipal buildings, improvements in the permitting process for commercial and industrial solar installations, the use of solar energy in the public infrastructure, the facilitation of investment in solar energy, and more support for citywide solar education programs.
“Most new solar homeowners see significant savings on their utility bills within a month and don’t have to worry about future increases in electricity rates.” — Rachel Norton, Solarize Lexington founding member
The Solarize Lexington campaign is modeled after similar efforts undertaken in Indiana and Ohio. Solarize campaigns in other communities have more than doubled the use of residential solar in Cincinnati; Bloomington, Indiana; and Wise, West Virginia, according to the Lexington group.
“Utility bills in Kentucky increase almost every year,” said Rachel Norton, also a Solarize Lexington founding member. “Most new solar homeowners see significant savings on their utility bills within a month and don’t have to worry about future increases in electricity rates.”
Interested installers can download the campaign’s RFP online at www.solarkentucky.org. Questions are due by Friday, December 14, and the final deadline for proposals is January 4.
In early 2019, Solarize Lexington plans to host a series of informational community workshops on energy use and solar installation, to be led by a team of energy conservation specialists and solar owners. For more information on the group, check online at www.solarkentucky.org.