What Is Community Solar and What Are the Benefits?
Last Updated: Feb 8, 2025Most environmentally-minded homeowners understand that renewable energies are a necessary, essential, and urgent part of building a sustainable future. Rooftop solar panels are one of the most practical and cost-effective ways of transitioning away from fossil-fuel energy sources for our home. The average cost of installed solar panels in 2019 is below $3.00 per watt, which is a historic milestone. This price represents a 90 percent drop in just over a decade, and that price is only expected to drop further in the coming years.
The 30 percent residential renewable energy tax credit is unfortunately set to expire in a couple of years. However, many experts expect that further government subsidies for a transition to clean and renewable energies will be inevitable. These subsidies will be likely once fossil fuels become gradually more expensive and harder to extract.
Despite this fact, there are hundreds of thousands of homeowners across the country who aren´t able to install rooftop solar panels. Financial difficulties affect millions of homeowners who would like to introduce renewable energy options. We have written here and here about innovative finance programs that can help homeowners find the financial freedom to make sustainable upgrades to their homes.
However, even with the financial ability to pay for rooftop solar panel installation, many homeowners face challenges and obstacles that make this renewable energy option impossible. Community solar programs are one way that homeowners and renters can access the financial benefits of solar energy while also reducing their residential carbon footprint.
Table of Contents
- Who Cannot Put Solar Panels on their Roof?
- What is Community Solar?
- Benefits of Community Solar Projects
Who Cannot Put Solar Panels on their Roof?
There are around 172.4 billion square feet of residential roofing space available across the country. With the advent of solar roof shingles, it might be tempting to think that simply switching out our asphalt shingles for mini-solar panels is an easy way to reduce residential greenhouse gas emissions.
Unfortunately, studies have shown that only about 8 billion square meters (or 86 billion square feet) are suitable for solar panel installation. Another study is less optimistic about solar panels for residential roofs. A 2008 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that only between 22 to 27 percent of residential rooftops are suitable for placing rooftop solar panels. This statistic presents a severe challenge for the sustained growth of solar energy.
Though it can be hard to calculate, most experts agree that optimum residential roof space for solar panels could potentially provide up to 40 percent of the total electricity demand in the United States. Forty percent of our energy needs powered by renewable energy freely given by the sun doesn’t sound bad. However, this figure also shows that more than half of all residential roofs are unsuitable for solar panel installation.
One of the inherent flaws in solar panels is that they are one of the most inefficient renewable energy technologies. Even the best solar panels will only be able to convert about 20 percent of the sun´s energy into usable electricity for homes. Shading, improper angling, the structural integrity of the existing roofs, and orientation of roofs and unsuitable roofing materials are just some of the many drawbacks that could significantly reduce the potential for rooftop solar installation. Homeowners can get around these challenges through proper planning. Building a solar-ready house will allow you to install solar panels without major renovations when your budget allows.
If your neighbor’s giant oak tree shades your roof for three-quarters of the day, you might be one of the millions of homeowners who cannot take advantage of solar energy. To get a better idea of your solar power possibilities, Project Sunroof powered by Google is one helpful (and free) online calculator that can help you determine how much solar energy your roof could potentially generate. It is also worth mentioning that the 43 million Americans who rent the homes and apartments they live in have little control over what type of energy their homes use.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
