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Florida Veterans for Common Sense (FLVCS) is partnering with Solar United Neighbors (SUN) to encourage our members to consider installing rooftop solar by joining the Sarasota or Charlotte County Co-ops that just opened. Solar co-ops get “bulk pricing” and can save you a lot of money and helps you through the entire process.

FLVCS believes that climate change is a national security issue as does the Department of Defense (DoD). One of the best ways that individuals, businesses, and even the DoD can help minimize climate change and some of its impacts on themselves is to install rooftop solar. If battery storage is added, it provides resiliency during grid outages caused by extreme weather events. Several FLVCS members have participated in SUN’s Co-Ops and have had great experiences. One of those members was Jack Merriam who said: “The solar Co-Op saved us thousands of dollars on our solar panels, and that allowed us to use those savings to add battery storage to our system. During Hurricane Ian last year our neighborhood lost grid power for 5 days and our solar panels and storage battery kept our family of four comfortable, silently, without the noise and fumes of a generator.”

Why Go Solar?

So, what are the reasons you may want to consider going solar? Here are some of the top reasons we as FLVCS members might consider going rooftop solar:

1. Support our national, state, and local security. This includes military, health, and economic security!
2. Provide resiliency that provides your family the ability to stay cool, cook and store food, continue internet with fiber optic service, and even charge your electric car during grid outages.
3. Save money with a payback of 10 years or less. As your electric utility raises its price for selling you electricity, your rooftop solar becomes even more valuable.
4. Save energy:
   1. Rooftop is decentralized, hence has less transmission and distribution loss. Transmission and distribution of electricity across the grid loses 5-7% in-line-lose as heat so rooftop solar avoids those losses.
   2. Thermoelectric power plants (fossil fuel and nuclear) lose most BTUs from burning their fuel as waste heat and require water for cooling. Rooftop solar shades part of your roof keeping it cooler, can be used right at your home and does not require cooling water.
   3. Rooftop solar combined with an Electric Vehicle (EV) charged in your garage saves energy, money, and your time by avoiding trips to the “gas” station.
   4. Electric motors convert over 85% of electrical energy into motion compared with less than 40% for a gas combustion engine.
   5. According to the Department of Energy in an EV about 59-62% of the electrical energy from the grid goes into turning the wheels, whereas gas combustion vehicles only convert about 17-21% of energy from burning fuel into moving the car.

   Find Out More

   Watch the “Solar 101” video below produced by SUN which is a non-profit organization which organizes and implements solar co-ops. A solar co-op is just a group of homeowners who would like to learn more about solar energy and may decide to install solar panels and perhaps a storage battery on their house. The Co-ops often have 60 or more homes that get an estimate of what it would cost, so the entire group gets the benefit of “bulk” pricing. The selected installer gets many installations without having to do marketing and homeowners who choose to go forward get lower prices.

   A group of the homeowners will review the bids and select the one that they think is best, based on numerous factors including price, experience, warranty offered, knowledge of financing and tax credits, etc. The fact that tax credits, which are not deductions, but come right off your tax liability make going solar very affordable right now. In addition, the credits can be carried forward if your tax liability is less than 100% of the 30% tax credit in one year.

   SUN has just opened new co-ops in Sarasota and Charlotte Counties, and they will be open to join until about November 30^th. If you would like more information or would like to talk to Jack Merriam about his experience, you can email him at jack.merriam@gmail.com. 

Have Questions? Go to the Sarasota Charlotte 2023 Solar Coop page to find out more.

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