PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island residents and business owners seeking to jump on the state’s solar economy can now connect with solar farms seeking subscribers through a new online marketplace, the R.I. Office of Energy Resources announced on Thursday.
The Rhode Island Community Solar Marketplace website is the latest in a host of initiatives designed to meet Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s goals of reaching 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy by the end of 2020, and ultimately powering 100% of the state’s electricity through renewable sources by 2030. The new website, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy, also includes education about programs designed to encourage solar use, such as National Grid’s Virtual Net Metering and Community Remote Distributed Generation programs. These programs give electricity bill credits to consumers who participate in community solar projects, regardless of whether the solar projects are located on their properties.
To date, three community solar projects have been completed across the state, with another 15 projects in progress – many of which are already taking sign-ups from interested subscribers. A total of 775 customers signed up to subscribe to the energy systems, according to the website.
Correction: A previous version of this story inaccurately identified the government office implementing the solar marketplace program. The program is administered by the R.I. Office of Energy Resources.
