Hillsborough NC (April 1, 2016) – Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation, a not-for-profit electric cooperative headquartered in Hillsborough recently announced a new Community Solar program as part of a continued commitment to renewable energy. This program provides a lower cost, and lower risk, way for Piedmont Electric members to get involved in solar power. In fact, community solar programs are one of the few ways that renters can invest in solar panels.
The challenge with traditional, home mounted solar panels is that they can be expensive to install and it can potentially take years to see a return on investment in the form of lower power bills. Community solar projects remove this risk by allowing members to subscribe to the output of solar panels from a solar farm owned and operated by a separate provider, in this case Piedmont Electric. The energy generated by these solar panels goes directly to the grid, while the member who subscribes to the panels sees all solar generation as a solar energy credit on their monthly power bill.
Piedmont Electric recently constructed solar fields at their Roxboro and Caswell County offices. The fields have more than 1,800 panels which can generate up to 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each day, enough to power 70 average American homes. Participants in the Community Solar program must be current Piedmont Electric members. Each member will be allowed to subscribe to up to 15 solar panels for $2.50 per month, per panel.
Members who are interested in participating in this program can contact Jay Berry, Piedmont Electric’s Energy Specialist at (919) 644-3449 or jay.berry@pemc.coop. More information about the program can be found on our Community Solar page.
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Piedmont Electric is a local, member-owned, not-for-profit, rural electric cooperative serving more than 31,000 members in parts of Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Granville, Orange and Person counties. Piedmont Electric exists to serve our members by providing reliable, safe and affordable electricity. Piedmont Electric is committed to improving the quality of life in our communities through local employment, sponsorship, scholarships, grants to local schools and educators, community involvement and emergency preparedness support. Piedmont Electric is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative and an equal opportunity provider and employer. Visit www.pemc.coop for more information.
