Deadline nears to join Metro Richmond solar co-op

With support from public and private partners such as Henrico County Energy Management and the City of Richmond, the Metro Richmond 2023 Solar & EV Charger Co-op will soon bring solar to dozens of local businesses and residents in the Richmond region.

The co-op, run by the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors (SUN) and supported by the City of Richmond, is open to new participants until December 31.  Since 2014, SUN has hosted 49 solar co-ops in Virginia; thanks to co-ops, 1,222 homes and businesses now have solar panels.

Twenty-seven area residents have signed up for the co-op, which is free to join and open to homeowners and business owners in such counties as Henrico and Chesterfield, in addition to the city.

Joining the co-op does not obligate members to purchase solar. Members will have the option to individually purchase panels and electric vehicle chargers based on the installer’s group rate.

Co-op members will learn about solar energy and leverage their numbers to purchase individual solar systems at a competitive price and top quality. After a competitive bidding process facilitated by SUN, which remains vendor neutral, co-op members will select a single solar company to complete the installations.

Those interested in going solar can sign up for the co-op or for one of the upcoming information sessions at solarunitedneighbors.org/rva2023.