THE FUTURE IS NOW

IGS community solar program offers people the opportunity to subscribe to shared solar energy

New ways to power our homes, businesses, schools and places of worship are key to unlocking the sustainable future IGS Energy envisions. To that end, in 2022, IGS launched its purpose-aligned community solar program with the commitment that renewable energy is for everyone.

Community solar gives people the opportunity to use solar power whether they own property or not. In this form of energy-sharing, community members sign up to reserve a portion of the energy that is produced from a local solar array and then receive credits from their utility and guaranteed savings. This form of electricity generation and use doesn’t require people to have the startup costs, rooftops or land upon which to build solar arrays. They just need electricity accounts.

IGS launched its community solar program in Illinois, and it plans to go to Maryland and New York next. Places that make good candidates for community solar have strong state-level support for the program.

There are 41 states, plus Washington, D.C., with at least one community solar project, with a combined 4.9 gigawatts installed through Q2 2022.

IGS COO Brandon Childers is hopeful about what this can mean for the future.

“The introduction of community solar to our offerings helps us achieve two major goals for our business— customer growth and the expanded access of clean, sustainable energy,” he says.