Affordable and Sustainable
Solar Urbana Champaign is returning in 2020 with version 5.0! Offered by the City of Urbana, Prairie Rivers Network, and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, home and business owners throughout Champaign County, Piatt County, and Vermillion County may participate in this program to help pool their buying power to secure significant discounts that make installing solar more affordable. Go here to check for updates on solarurbanachampaign.com and announcements on our forthcoming, socially-distant Solar Urbana-Champaign 5.0 bulk solar energy purchase program. 

Join us for this seminar sponsored by local Master Naturalists. Scott R. Tess, the Sustainability & Resilience Officer for Urbana, will discuss City programming designed to develop local solar energy resources. Solar Urbana-Champaign is an ongoing program intended to both simplify the process and reduce the costs of purchasing and installing solar photovoltaic systems for homes and businesses. 

February 17, 6:30–8 pm • U of I Extension, 801 Country Fair Dr. Champaign, IL 61821

Amanda Christenson • Cooperative Extension Service

Attached is the proposal, budget, and presentation for the upgrade of the Lot F-4 parking lot. 

The City of Urbana has partnered with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) and the Grow Solar Partnership to coordinate a second solar group buy in Champaign County, building on the success of Solar Urbana-Champaign, which took place from December 2015 through June of 2016. The advantage of a group buy is the power of volume purchasing, which can significantly reduce the up-front costs of installing solar on your home or business. You do not need to be a City of Urbana resident to participate – the group buy is open to all Champaign County residents and business owners.

Solar Urbana-Champaign is back with version 3.0! 

• New options for renters, homeowners, commercial property owners, businesses, and farm owners.
• Now available in Piatt County in addition to Champaign County.
• Solar Power Hour presentations all summer long.
• September 30 sign-up deadline.
• Solar Power Hour kick-off events: Wednesday, May 16 in Urbana and Thursday, May 17 in Monticello (see below).

The successful Solar Urbana-Champaign group purchasing program is available again in 2018. Since 2016, the program has led to the installation of over 1 megawatt of solar on 138 properties across Champaign County. The program has educated hundreds of individuals about solar and helped people save on solar through volume purchasing.
Now, the program expands eligibility to Piatt County residents as well as Champaign County residents. And, thanks to new state legislation, even more people can get access to solar.
Start by attending a Solar Power Hour (full calendar below). This free information session teaches you the basics of solar, its financial implications for your household, and how the solar group buy program works. Then, get a free, no obligation site assessment from the competitively selected solar installer for Solar Urbana-Champaign 3.0.
This program was brought to you by the City of Urbana, Prairie Rivers Network, and the Midwest Renewable Energy Assocation. We welcome everyone to help spread the word!
If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know by responding directly to this email. Shine on!

- Peter
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October, 31, 2017

Contact: peterm@midwestrenew.org

Solar Urbana-Champaign Bulk Solar Purchase Program Finishes Strong

Claire Johnson and Jill Houser have just finished installing solar panels on Andy Robinson’s roof as part of the Solar Urbana-Champaign 2.0 program. They are  members of New Prairie Construction’s solar installation team, and part of a mostly female crew. They and other teams from New Prairie Construction will be installing 446.95 kilowatts of solar on 58 properties across Champaign County as a result of the program, which helped people save on solar through volume purchasing. Robinson not only went solar through the program, he also helped to lead it.

“I’ve thought solar was a cool way to reduce our carbon footprint ever since seeing the 2007 UI solar decathlon house in DC, but it also needed to make financial sense for our family,” said Robinson, who was hired by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) to facilitate the education sessions, called “Solar Power Hours,” for the program. “Now we will offset nearly all of our electric use and it was a good financial investment.  New Prairie laid out the panels on the front and back roof in a way that looks like it is a part of the design of our 1920 house. We were especially happy to meet the diverse install crew of local women and men, and a highly qualified refugee.”

“In the 1980’s, Jill and I got our start in construction through the woman-owned company Working Women Construction,” said Julie Birdwell, owner of New Prairie Construction. “When we started New Prairie Construction, we made a commitment to providing opportunities for women. We never regretted it. Our New Prairie women contribute more than just diversity. They help contribute to a positive work culture and maintain a high level of attention to detail and craftsmanship.”

“When we think about the benefits of solar energy, we often picture environmental benefits, of which there are of course many,” said Peter Murphy, Solar Program Manager at Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). “But what often gets overlooked is the growing number of solar jobs, which are local and by nature cannot be outsourced.”

“One out of every 50 new jobs added in the United States in 2016 was created by the solar industry, representing 2% percent of all new jobs,” according to The Solar Foundation, a nonprofit organization that conducts a national solar jobs census.

“We recently had an opportunity to hire an Afghan national who worked in construction for the US military in Afghanistan,” said Birdwell. “Hiring such a refugee is a way of acknowledging the risks and sacrifices he and his family have made to support our country. In addition, he and our other employees from different cultures and countries provide positive contributions to our work culture, and we feel, our overall product.”

“In the first day of solar production, our kids said that we were vacuuming with sunshine,” said Robinson. “And they are right.”

“The electricity produced by the 446 kW of solar the program has contracted will offset around 639,035 lbs of CO2 being released into atmosphere in the first year alone,” said Scott Tess, Environmental Sustainability Manager at the City of Urbana. “That amount of solar energy will also save almost 10 million gallons of water from use in thermoelectric power plants that run on coal or natural gas.”

The program was administered by the MREA at no cost to the city or the county. MREA has successfully implemented similar programs in other jurisdictions in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin as seen in Milwaukee, Cedar Rapids, Bloomington-Normal, and elsewhere. Solarize programs have taken place all over the country, from California to Maine.

"The solar branch of New Prairie Construction Co. is a natural extension of our commitment to providing high quality, environmentally responsible solutions for homes and businesses," says Julie Birdwell, co-owner of New Prairie. "Solar Urbana-Champaign 2.0 provides an excellent opportunity for our community to use the power of bulk purchasing to get premium quality installations for a great price.  We are excited to work with our neighbors to help increase sustainability and energy independence in Champaign County."

MREA issued a request for proposals to solar installers in January. A local advisory committee reviewed proposals based on professional certification, experience, and cost. They selected New Prairie Construction Co., based in Urbana. They were chosen as the solar installer for the second Solar Group Buy because of their high-quality solar installations, building science expertise, and emphasis on customer service.

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The MREA was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit shortly after the first Energy Fair in 1990. MREA’s mission is to promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living through education and demonstration. To learn more, call 715-592-6595 or visit www.TheEnergyFair.org or www.midwestrenew.org.