Nonprofit seeks Allegheny County residents to form solar co-op

Patrick Varine | Tuesday, March 1, 2022 2:32 p.m.

Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review

Fred Kraybill, of Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood, poses for a photo in his backyard on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2020. He said he turned to solar energy a decade ago after buying a hybrid Chevrolet Volt. Now he has nearly 75 solar panels installed on his property.

The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Solar United Neighbors is looking for about 80 Allegheny County residents interested in joining a co-op to get better bargaining power when it comes to pricing on solar equipment.

And for the first time in Pennsylvania, the nonprofit is providing a limited number of free solar installations for low-to-moderate-income homeowners who join.

“Solar is a powerful tool to cut your energy bills and protect our environment, but it’s not easily accessible to everyone,” said Henry McKay, Solar United Neighbors’ Pennsylvania program director.

McKay said the solar co-op will “help people get a better deal on an installation … and to some who need it most, free installations.”

Solar United Neighbors has raised $100,000 to assist with the costs. The funding will provide free 5-kilowatt solar installations to homeowners with incomes below 80% of the area median income until funding is exhausted.

SUN is seeking to raise at least $35,000 more to assist more families.

“We hope this co-op will be the first step in a larger effort to provide solar to working families across our region,” said Tiffany Taulton, outreach and sustainability director at the Hazelwood Initiative Inc., a partner in the co-op along with the City of Bridges Community Land Trust, Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light, The Congress of Neighboring Communities and 350 Pittsburgh.

Four rooftop solar arrays will be installed at new City of Bridges affordable-housing units in Hazelwood.

“We’re incredibly excited to work with SUN to begin to tackle environmental justice and inequity through coupling permanently affordable home ownership and resident-owned solar power,” said City of Bridges executive director Ed Nusser.

The co-op is free to join. Joining is not a commitment to make a purchase. It is open to all homeowners and business owners in Allegheny County.

SUN has formed 13 complete co-ops in Pennsylvania, including three in Allegheny County as well as the Westmoreland County and Mon/Yough co-ops in 2019.

For more information, go to SolarUnitedNeighbors.org/allegheny or call 202-888-3601.