The Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association has built its first ever community solar system at its headquarters in Rockford, Minnesota. They celebrated their grand opening at the beginning of this week with the idea of many more to follow in the future.

Members have bought individual solar panels out of the 171 panel solar power system and will receive credits on their utility bills for the electricity that their panels produce. The WH Solar Community is the first community solar farm to incorporate battery storage.

“The WH Solar Community is a great way for members to own local generation and participate in the excitement of solar in bite size pieces,” said Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WH) president and CEO Mark Vogt when the project was originally announced.

Community solar projects such as this make solar available and affordable to everyone. It helps residents to be a part of a cleaner, greener future when they may not have otherwise been able to.

“Our solar community model makes it easy for members to own solar without installing equipment on their property or worrying about maintaining their system.”

The Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association is a not for profit, member owned, small utility that is already planning its second community solar system. With all the solar panels selling out quickly from this system, the utility is taking reservations for its second system which will hopefully be installed this year as well.

The concept of community solar power systems is very clever and many are starting to put it into action around the world. Companies and investors have ideas of installing such systems here in Australia but are still awaiting funding.