Solarize Brooklyn: Bringing Solar Energy To Brooklyn

It started as a New Year’s resolution. “This year we’re going solar,” Ellen Honigstock decided with her husband. One neighbor me too-ed. Then another, and another.

Ellen, thinking buying in bulk could bring the cost of solar down for our entire community, emailed the Kensington Windsor Terrace Yahoo group. Within days, 37 families responded positively and are now the initial members of Solarize Brooklyn.

Solarize Brooklyn is an all volunteer organization. “It’s a labor of love,” Ellen said, “And we’re lucky to have a core group of people who have a knowledge base and are willing to actually help out.”

Among these members is Anne Pope, founder of Sustainable Flatbush, who helped expanded Solarize Brooklyn’s target area to include Ditmas Park and Flatbush, Brooklyn. Also advising the group is Solar One, an environmental non-profit that specializes in solar energy, education, and workforce development.

Solarize Brooklyn acts as the facilitator between installers and potential customers. “Our primary role is outreach,” Anne explained. No one at Solarize Brooklyn will make money because they connect providers with consumers.

Solarize Brooklyn’s mission is to “bring solar power to the Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn.” Only with its active membership is Solarize Brooklyn able to accomplish this.

Brooklyn’s Pent-up Demand for Solar Energy
If Brooklyn were its own city, it would be the fourth largest city in the country, with 2.5 million people. Yet, only a handful of homes in Solarize Brooklyn’s target area have already installed solar panels. Brooklyn has no skyscrapers blocking sunlight. Instead we have thousands of row houses, single family homes, and low rise apartment buildings not taking advantage of the sun beating down on our roofs.

The solar panels installed on one neighbor’s home takes care of 105% of her energy needs. She actually gets a check from ConEd who buys her extra 5%.

What are Solarize Brooklyn’s Goals?
Solarize Brooklyn is taking the initial step to bring solar energy to Brooklyn on a large scale. They established a Google group as a place to share information hoping for 300 active members discussing their experiences—start to finish—with installing solar energy.

The group sent out an RFP and is vetting bids this week.

In this first round, they’d like to install at least 50 Kilowatts—about 12 single-family homes—worth of energy, and hopefully a lot more. Additionally, Solarize Brooklyn would like at least one large apartment building or coop to commit to solar energy.

What is the Cost of Installing Solar Panels?
Solarize Brooklyn wants installing solar panels to be affordable and therefore doable.

The actual cost of installing solar panels will vary for each residence and the variables that affect payment will be nailed down on a case by case basis. Even without knowing the exact cost, Ellen estimates a 6 to 7 year payback on the installation compared with 8 to 10 years without the discounts. After the panels are paid off, they remain with the home as a financial asset and most systems last for at least 20 years.

There will be different payment methods available. Home owners will be able to purchase solar panels outright, be able to lease them, or take them out on a loan with no money down. Details of each plan will be discussed with interested parties.

Additionally, in 2014, tax incentives for installing solar energy will sunset making now the time to act.

How Do You Join Solarize Brooklyn?
Membership for Solarize Brooklyn is open and Brooklyn residents interested in solar energy are encouraged to join.

Join the Google group: Information will be shared via the Google group. If a member has a particularly good or bad experience with a contractor, for example, they can share that information with the group.

Attend an informational meeting: Over the next three months at least three meetings will be held at various locations in the Windsor Terrace/Kensington/Flatbush area. Vetted contractors will discuss in detail the process and costs of installing solar energy. Registration is required for these meetings.

The first meeting will be held Wednesday, April 24 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Windsor Terrace Library (160 E5th Street).

Assess your property: A free property assessment will be done by a solar provider. First, your property will be looked at via Google maps (or another satellite program) to determine the feasibility of installing solar panels.

Once your property has been approved as solar friendly, the providers will discuss various options of purchasing and installing solar panels. Though there are no concrete numbers yet on exactly how much this will cost, every effort is being made to make it affordable.

After your solar panels are connected to the grid, you can sit back and enjoy the savings while knowing you did something right for the planet.

Solarize Brooklyn is expecting a large turn out at the informational meetings. This is the first step, Ellen said, “in making our neighborhoods a hotbed of solar energy.”

Image via Solarize Brooklyn.