Solarize program aims to make rooftop solar affordable, accessible in Savannah area

"Savannah has an above average energy burden. And we know that the amount of monthly income that residents pay on their energy bill, we know that it's not fair," said Johnson, who expects the program to help Savannah reach its recently announced 100% clean energy goal. "We know it's not right. Most importantly, we know it's not equitable. And so solarize Savannah is working to increase solar throughout Savannah, including in some of our most impacted disparaged communities and in homes that have higher energy burdens."

Several dozen people attended the launch and 42 people have registered at the program's website at solarcrowdsource.com/campaign/savannah-ga to receive information about putting solar on their rooftop. The program is available to residents of Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties.

The first round of Solarize in Georgia started on Tybee in 2015 with input from its city council and quickly spread throughout Chatham County. About 60 eventually contracted for solar panels with the average installation at 5.1 kilowatts. The final cost was $2.70 per watt.

This time, Solarize Savannah organizers include the City of Savannah, Climate Reality Project – Savannah, Harambee House, Ogeechee Riverkeeper, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter, Environment Georgia, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, Solar CrowdSource.

"As the chair of the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club, I want you to all know that I'm unwaveringly committed to taking responsible steps for addressing climate change, especially as it relates to inclusion, income inequality and making sure that it's affordable for all of us and not to select them based on their zip code," Daniel Blackman told the online audience.

The installer, chosen in a competitive process, is Kennesaw-based Creative Solar USA, which is offering prices for residential customers from $2.95 per watt down to a possible $2.50 per watt depending on how many people sign up. Commercial and nonprofit rates are lower, starting at $2.65 per watt. A federal tax credit for commercial and residential installations is available through 2022 that allows taxpayers to deduct up to 26% of the cost of a solar installation.

Even at the lowest residential rates an average 5 kilowatt installation can cost more than $10,000. Recognizing that kind of cash is a heavy lift for the average homeowner, the program offers financing as low as .99$ for 20 or 25 years, said Seth Gunning, Creative Solar's director of sales.

"And so in this example right here, at the $2.95 cent a watt rate, the equivalent monthly payment for a five kilowatt system is about $40, very affordable. With that sort of payment, the savings that you see on your utility bill are more than what your new monthly payment on your solar is going to be. So you're really kind of cash positive in the first month without having to put anything out of pocket."

Also different for this round of Solarize is how Georgia Power customers are reimbursed for any energy they send to the grid. Last year Georgia Power began a monthly net metering program that credits customers on a monthly basis for the energy they supply to the grid.

That program, called the RNR for Renewable and Nonrenewable Tariff, is capped at 5,000 participants or 32 MW of additional capacity. As of Monday, Georgia Power reported it had 2,125 customers on RNR for 12.121 megawatts additional capacity.

Solarize Savannah has an enrollment deadline of Sept. 30. For more information or to enroll, see the web site at  solarcrowdsource.com/campaign/savannah-ga/  Email: admin@solarizesavannah.com or call 770-288-0440.

Mary Landers is the environment and health reporter at the Savannah Morning News. Contact her at 912-655-8295. Twitter: @MaryLandersSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Solarize program aims to make rooftop solar affordable, accessible in Savannah area