The Town of Nederland and SunShare, the nation’s oldest and largest residential community solar provider, are working together on a special promotion to provide solar energy access for nearby residents. In addition to the clean energy, SunShare will make a $50 donation to local Wild Bear Nature Center in the name of each resident who subscribes to the solar garden and a $100 gift card to a local business of the resident’s choice.
Community solar is completely different from rooftop. It allows anyone with an electricity bill to participate in generating solar energy. Instead of putting panels on the roof, households and businesses subscribe to a portion of the energy produced in the community solar garden for exactly the same price, which the utility buys directly from the subscriber through credits on their electricity bill.
SunShare and the Town of Nederland are joining forces to inform residents, local businesses, and even renters (who can also subscribe) about the special program. Alan Apt, Town of Nederland Trustee explains, “As a mountain town we recognize the importance of clean renewable energy to the delicate balance of our surroundings. Since solar panels can be a costly investment and not everyone owns their home, we see the partnership with community solar provider SunShare as a valuable resource that we can facilitate for our community. The donations to our local Wild Bear Nature Center for each Nederland subscriber is icing on the cake.”
“We are excited to join this amazing effort improving solar energy access in our community,” said Michelle Witte, Nature Education Director at Wild Bear. “This program directly aligns with the sustainability goals and mission of Wild Bear Nature Center and the contributions from SunShare on behalf of Nederland residents will support our ecological and educational efforts benefiting our entire community.”
Throughout the state, SunShare has purchased more than $100,000 in gift cards to local Colorado retailers as part of this subscriber promotion that offers participants gift cards to local businesses or charitable organizations. The program began as an effort to support other local Colorado small businesses during the pandemic and reward new subscribers with further incentives to choose solar energy from the state’s community solar gardens.
“Building community is part of our DNA as a community solar provider, but the response we’ve gotten from our subscribers and from the businesses and non-profit organizations has been overwhelming,” said Melina Fleming, SunShare’s EVP of Strategy and Customer Experience. “We now have more than 100 local establishments on our list, and most have been requested by subscribers who want to make sure their favorite neighborhood spots are getting some love.”
Anyone can sign up for the program by contacting SunShare at 800-793-0786 or visit the special Nederland page on their website at www.mysunshare.com/nederland.