A lot of corporations and businesses are now going solar for their electric consumption and to keep their carbon footprint values low. Big corporations like Amazon, Ikea, Target etc. are now fulfilling their electric power needs by installing solar panels and raising their corporate reputation by adapting more sustainable and environmentally-friendly energy production options. Although most of the businesses’ leads are claiming that going solar is one of the top priorities for their corporation, many of them are unable to find a way to include solar energy production in their processes. There are multiple reasons including affordability (because it is a considerable investment), control over commercial property, or even a restricted area for solar panel installations. Now, with the development of technology and the solar industry, there is another way that businesses or industries can contribute to solar energy without even installing a single solar panel.
This can be done by a newly developed system called Community Solar. It provides homeowners, renters, corporations, businesses, industries and almost anyone to contribute in solar power generation. Community Solar allows people to access its economic and environmental benefits no matter the size of their property or its owner status. It refers to local solar facilities or energy production stations shared by various owners, like businesses or residents, who receive credits for sharing electricity produced by the station. This model for going solar is rapidly being adopted in various countries across the globe.
Electricity from the Community Solar system is shared by multiple households, businesses or commercial buildings. Businesses of all sizes can contribute to renewable energy production by investing as much as they can through Community Solar. Hence, your business or industry does not have to be as big as Amazon or Google to make use of sunlight to produce electricity.
Community Solar allows for batches of a large number of solar panels to be installed at one central location. The land is either a public or privately owned property. Different people then contribute their share of solar panels that are installed on the area either for their own use or to get the power credit for the energy produced by their solar panels. This might seem like a simple model or system, but there are actually various models of Community Solar that are currently operational. We have briefly discussed them below to help you understand the concept of Community Solar in clarity.
Utility Sponsored
Under this model, a utility company owns a Community Solar system and gives its customers an option to purchase solar panels from that facility. In this case, the utility will own the energy produced and sell or lease it to the consumers for the contracted period of time.
On-Bill Crediting
With the on-bill crediting model, individuals and businesses can invest in the Community Solar grid of local facilities and can receive credits in return for the power they produce. The credits can either be in kilowatt-hour offsets or credits on the electricity bill at the end of the month.
Special Purpose Entity (SPE)
The Special Purpose Entity model allows residents and businesses to contribute towards the community or local facility to build the Community Solar system. The participants of this model assist in the design, construction and ownership of the Community Solar, and later work with the utility to lease the electricity to its subscribers.
Non-Profit “Buy a Brick” Model
Donors contribute the money towards helping in building the Community Solar in this model. Any businesses, individuals or NGOs can contribute to this model. A lot of small to medium-sized corporations donate for this model to maintain their CSR as well as a positive standing and corporate image.
At the moment, Community Solar is a foreign system in Pakistan. It will take time for people here to even consider the benefits of these models seriously and then for the government to formulate the laws and regulations for the flow of the newly adaptable system. While these developments are still making their way into Pakistan, it is our duty as the team at EBR Energy to assist you with your industrial, commercial, residential and agricultural solar panel solutions. Contact us today and get in touch with the top-ranked solar energy company in Pakistan. We are reachable via email or just a call to get a free quote for your solar energy solutions.