Photo by Reid Kasprowicz
About a dozen homeowners gathered Tuesday evening at the Anacostia Library in Southeast. The group is in the beginning stages of establishing the first-ever solar cooperative for D.C. residents residing east of the Anacostia River.
In order to nail down a company to install solar panels on their homes, the co-op needs about 30 “good roofs,” Anya Schoolman, executive director of Community Power Network told the group. This means that roofs must have direct access to the sun (facing south), be in good condition, and can’t be obstructed by shade.
Through DC SUN, a project of CPN, individuals who sign up for the co-op will benefit from comprehensive education about solar energy, hand-holding while weeding through installers’ proposals, and about a 20 percent group discount on installation.
Despite these promises, some people were still skeptical. Many individuals in the room had been ambushed by solar company representatives in stores like Home Depot, who looked up their homes online, told them their roofs were perfect for installation, and offered to install the panels as early as the following week, with no follow-through. Others were referred to installers by friends or neighbors but when they asked for details, nothing came. What many solar companies leave out of the conversation can be the difference between a homeowner being able to sale their property or not, The Post reported.
So why trust DC Sun? asked the group, which consisted of many retirees.
Because although the organization will receive $500 from each installation, it won’t come directly from the homeowners, said Schoolman, so the non-profit is unbiased regarding which installer is chosen. DC Sun responds to the needs of the group: whether they want an installer who is local, or hires workers from the area, or meets a certain price point.
Schoolman began exploring solar energy in Mount Pleasant in 2009. Since then, CPN has expanded to Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. DC Sun has worked with several groups of D.C. homeowners from Capitol Hill to Brookland. In the past year, they’ve helped 175 homes go solar, saving residents nearly $500,000.
Two years ago, Ward 7 resident Synta Keeling decided to go solar on her own. “I’m an attorney and the process was confusing,” she told the group, saying that if she was purchasing panels now, she’d definitely do it through a co-op.
Residents have a ticking clock as they decide whether to join and tell friends about the co-op. Currently, the residential renewable energy tax credit, established by The Energy Policy Act of 2005, takes 30 percent off the cost of panels. “It will go away at the end of 2016,” said Schoolman, adding that she’s unsure about whether DC Sun will be able to work with District residents after that.
