More than 90 member-owned rural electric cooperatives in 16 states committed to install community solar projects by the end of 2017, said the White House in announcing an initiative to expand solar power and improve energy efficiency across the nation. Pedernales Electric Cooperative, based in central Texas, said it would deploy up to 15 megawatts of community solar power across its Hill Country service area.
“Community solar would give members the opportunity to subscribe to a share of the solar project and use their share to meet their own energy needs,” said Pedernales. Its project will consist of a number of five- to seven-acre sites that each will produce up to 998 kilowatts of electricity.
“Through the Clean Energy Savings for All Initiative, the administration will work to ensure that every household has options to choose to go solar and put in place additional measures to promote energy efficiency,” said the White House. It set a goal of bringing 1 gigawatt of solar power to low- and moderate-income families by 2020, 10 times more than it initially proposed.