Communities around the country are beginning to take
advantage of solar photovoltaic power. Some communities utilize a solar garden,
where solar photovoltaic panels are installed in a location other than the
homes of those who use the power. Subscribers can sign up to co-own or lease a
portion of the solar photovoltaic setup to receive its benefits. Solar gardens
and net metering make it possible for homeowners to use solar power even if
their home sites are less than ideal for installation.
In a solar photovoltaic system owned by the homeowner, net
metering allows the homeowner to sell unused energy back to the utility gird.
In a shared system, virtual net metering allows these energy credits to be
shared between all the parties subscribed to the system. Unfortunately, solar
garden subscribers aren't always eligible to receive these credits because the
solar photovoltaic equipment isn't directly attached to their homes or
buildings.
The growth of solar garden installation is creating new
challenges for solar experts as well as legislators. These issues weren't a
problem when systems were owned by single owners. With more communally-owned
solar photovoltaic systems being developed each day, changes to the virtual net
metering system are needed to allow members to receive the same benefits as
single owners.
Luckily, some legislators are starting to realize this flaw
of the virtual net metering system. New legislation is being passed in many
states to allow solar garden subscribers to also receive the benefits of net
metering.
To learn more about solar gardens and virtual net metering, call the solar photovoltaic experts at Smith Sustainable Design.
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