Green Mountain Power & Yeloha Partner In First Utility-Adopted Solar Sharing Program
In what’s being referred to as the “first utility-adopted” solar sharing program, Yeloha and Green Mountain Power (GMP) have partnered to offer GMP’s customers the opportunity to go solar, even if it’s with someone else’s roof.
Yeloha, which has been described as “Uber of rooftop solar,” takes an innovative approach to home solar, in that the company acts as a middleman between those who have appropriate roofs for solar arrays, and those who want to purchase solar energy but don’t have a solar-friendly roof. “Sun Hosts” can have solar panels installed on their roofs, free of charge, and then receive a portion of the solar electricity generated by those panels, which lowers their electric bill, in exchange for sharing that renewable electricity with “Sun Partners,” who purchase “as much or as little solar energy as they choose.”
“We are thrilled to have this new option for our residents who rent or live where solar isn’t possible. Bringing the value and benefits of solar to more Vermonters is a great step forward and will help economically here and across the state.” – Thom Lauzon, Mayor of Barre
The new partnership with Vermont’s GMP, which also happens to be the first utility company to become a B-Corp, could open up a whole new market for solar, by allowing those who can’t afford to (or don’t want to) install home solar on their own roof to still reap the benefits of solar. It could also enable those who have a solar-friendly roof to host a solar array on their home, at no cost, and to power at least some of their home with clean, renewable energy, without committing to financing and purchasing a solar energy system of their own.
“This is a unique opportunity to empower more people to be able to harness the power of the sun. We see a tremendous opportunity in leveraging more rooftops around Vermont for the benefit of all those who may currently be renters, or own homes that are not well suited for solar. As Vermont’s energy company of the future, we are transforming the old grid system into one where power is generated and consumed closer to the home or community where it is needed. This partnership with Yeloha will help accelerate this revolution in distributed power.” – Mary Powell, GMP President and CEO
The solar-sharing partnership will begin as a pilot program for GMP customers in Rutland and Barre, Vermont, and the Yeloha partnership program as a whole could help boost business for local solar installers and solar developers, while also increasing the amount of solar electricity on the grid and decreasing power-related emissions.
“Solar energy is boosting the economy and programs like this will provide more local jobs.” – Nik Ponzio, Co-Founder of Vermont solar company Building Energy
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