Oct. 31 is the deadline for local residents and commercial building owners to enroll for a free evaluation through the Solarize Kansas City campaign, the unique community-led group purchasing program for solar energy and battery storage. Solarize Kansas City is a private-public community coalition, developed and launched by a group of local organizations, community members, and the KCMO government to help make this form of renewable energy more accessible and affordable to all.
Open to all Kansas City-metro area residents and businesses since May, more than 620 residents have enrolled for an evaluation to advance toward potentially owning a system through the community discount program.
While the deadline to sign up for a free evaluation is Monday, Oct. 31, residents actually have until Dec. 31 to assess their free proposal and the estimated cost for a home rooftop system, then decide whether to enter into a contract. Owners of commercial buildings have until March 31, 2023, to enter into a contract.
The campaign – based on a unique community group-purchasing model – recently reached its lowest-priced tier since its launch this past Spring. Tier 8 lowers the cost of solar down to $2.55/watt.
In addition, the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act means that federal tax credits have increased to 30 percent in savings for newly-installed systems and batteries.
Since the campaign’s inception, more than 56 property owners have completed contracts, comprising more than 406 in total kW of solar power. Once these systems are operational, the equivalent of 711,000 lbs. of carbon emissions will have been avoided annually in Kansas City.
The coalition of organizations involved in partnering together to ensure Solarize KC is a success include: the City of Kansas City, MO; Kansas City Public Library; Metropolitan Energy Center; USGBC – Central Plains; Climate+Energy Project; Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club; Westside Housing; Greenwood Consulting Group LLC; Center for Neighborhoods; Jerusalem Farm; and MY REGION WINS!, with support from Solar Crowdsource. Following a rigorous selection process, Sun Solar was chosen to lead the installation process. Interested residents may go to solarizekansascity.com to learn more and sign up for free – with no obligation – prior to the Oct. 31 deadline