Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition hosts Solar Power Hour June 7
As energy prices continue to rise, Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition partners with Citizens Utility Board (CUB) for a solar power program that has helped participants cut their energy bills by thousands of dollars.
Now in its third year, the Grow Solar program offers free educational sessions as well as volume-pricing discounts on solar panels. The Cool Cities-sponsored Solar Power Hour launches on Tuesday, June 7, at 7 p.m. via Zoom.
Navigating the solar market can be intimidating, creating barriers for solar adoption. To help break down those barriers, the Solar Power Hour will directly educate residents about solar through this free, public, informational webinar.
The program is a partnership of CUB, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, City of Chicago, and Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will counties. It aims to bring residents and small-business owners together to lower the price of solar and increase the deployment of clean energy.
Since 2019, the program has helped 205 properties - including 15 Elmhurst homeowners - install 1,474 kilowatts of solar. That's like avoiding 3.3 million miles of car travel or nearly 1.5 million pounds of coal burned. In the past, participants have collectively reduced their energy costs by nearly $100,000 in just a year.
In addition to offering a lower base price for solar panels, the Grow Solar program has a series of price breaks as the program hits participation benchmarks. On top of that are state and federal incentives that can cover a significant percentage of the cost of going solar.
State solar incentives are made possible by the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act and, more recently, the 2021 Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, groundbreaking state energy legislation that CUB supported.
"At a time when the cost of fossil fuels is causing a lot of consumer pain, the Grow Solar Program is a great opportunity to let Illinois families know about solar incentives and programs that can help them save money," said CUB Deputy Director Sarah Moskowitz.
To register for the Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition-sponsored Solar Power Hour, visit https://rb.gy/uoxlcw. For more information on this or other sustainability related topics, visit elmhurstcoolcities.org or contact ecoolcities@gmail.com.