The Solarize Chicagoland group buy program is gaining momentum as it surpasses its first goal of 50 kilowatts (kW) with nine properties going solar.

Offered for the first time to Chicago area property owners, Kane County has partnered with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association and the Citizens Utility Board to support the solar group buy program for residents and businesses located across Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will Counties.

The grassroots program takes advantage of volume purchasing to make solar more accessible and affordable for area property owners. The Solarize program can significantly reduce the up-front costs of installing solar on homes. The more people that participate, the lower the cost is for the solar installer and the lower the prices are for participants.

The price comes down for everyone when certain benchmarks are surpassed. Once the participants of the group buy collectively reach 50 kW of capacity, everyone gets an additional price reduction.

Price reductions are also triggered at 150 kW and 250 kW. A final reduction is triggered above 500 kW.

The program has passed its first benchmark of 50kW of solar, triggering the first price reduction! Solar installations on local homes are now underway.

Next Solar Power Hour

To learn more about Solarize Chicagoland, please attend a Solar Power Hour. These free, no obligation information sessions are being held throughout the summer.

Kane County will be hosting a Solar Power Hour from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, in the County Board Room of Building A at the Kane County Government Center

The Solar Power Hour covers the basics of solar, financial implications for residents, and how the Solarize Chicagoland program works. Residents can sign-up for a free, no obligation site assessment from the Solarize Chicagoland installer, GRNE Solar. A CUB and GRNE Solar representative will be at the event to answer any questions.

“We’re trying to simplify the process of going solar,” said Peter Murphy, Solar Program Director for the MREA. “It can seem complicated, so we present clear information and answer folks’ questions at our Solar Power Hours and then they can determine for themselves whether solar is right for them.”

Other presentations are scheduled at various locations throughout Kane County now through Sept. 9. All are free and open to the public.

A complete schedule of the Solar Power Hours can be found at SolarizeChicagoland.com.

Discounts Available

The discounts available through the Solarize Chicagoland program, combined with the current federal and state incentives, make 2019 year the ideal time to go solar.

Interested property owners have until Sept. 30, 2019 to decide whether to participate in the program.

The special pricing available through this program will be available to residents until the program reaches capacity of 150 homeowners. After the first 150 site assessments, program coordinators will maintain a waitlist of additional interested participants.

Visit SolarizeChicagoland.com to learn more about the program.

For further questions, please contact Christina Uzzo at the Citizens Utility Board: cuzzo@CitizensUtilityBoard.org or (312) 292-5871.

SOURCE: Solarize Chicagoland news release