​Solar Co-op Seeks Pinellas Residents Interested In Solar Energy

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Pinellas County residents interested in getting solar panels or bringing solar energy into their homes or small businesses are invited to learn more about the Pinellas 2022 Solar Co-op.

The local co-op is hosted by nonprofit Solar United Neighbors and is open to all interested residents of Pinellas County.

The co-op is free to join. Together, co-op members will learn about solar energy, leveraging their membership numbers to obtain competitive pricing and high-quality solar panel systems.

Electricity is the biggest contributor to community-wide greenhouse gas emissions, with most of that electricity being used for lighting, cooling and heating buildings. Transitioning to solar energy can help lower the use of fossil fuels, a leading cause of climate change.

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The co-op will host free monthly information sessions starting this month through December, which will cover topics such as Solar 101, benefits of solar and co-op details.

The next session will be Sept. 29, 5:30 to 7 p.m., at Countryside Library, 2642 Sabal Springs Drive, Clearwater. A virtual session will take place Oct. 19 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Click here to register.

Co-op partners include the cities of Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo, Safety Harbor, St. Petersburg, the Suncoast Sierra Club, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and the League of Women Voters of both north Pinellas County and St. Petersburg.

Solar United Neighbors has hosted more than 70 solar co-ops in Florida since 2015. According to the group's estimates, more than 2,260 homes and businesses now have solar panels because of the co-ops. This has resulted in 22,000 kilowatts of solar power, $52.6 million in local solar spending and more than 670 million pounds of lifetime carbon offsets.