A new Kansas City metro-area coalition is launching a Solarize KC initiative that will offer up to 25-percent discounts for solar and battery storage installations.
The program will provide volume discount pricing for both home and business solar installations throughout the metro area in both Missouri and Kansas. Final discounts will be determined by the number of installations, but will range between 20 to 25 percent. So, the more solar purchasers, the lower the total price for all who install a renewable energy system through the program.
Solarize KC will officially launch at a free, public event at 6 p.m., Monday, June 6 at the Operation Breakthrough Ignition Lab, 3039 Troost Ave., Kansas City, MO. Attendees will learn about solar energy technology, battery storage, cost benefits, how the bulk pricing works and how to sign up for a free Solarize KC evaluation. Speakers include:
- Mayor Quinton Lucas, KCMO
- Brian Platt, KCMO city manager
- Representatives from the coalition organizations that created Solarize KC
- Representatives from Sun Solar, the company selected through a bidding process for the solar installations
Property owners can begin registering now at Solarize KC for a free evaluation to determine if their property has solar potential and to receive a project bid. Sun Solar can also work with homeowners on energy-efficiency upgrades. The program will run through September 2022, with installations completed by June 2023.
“Clean, renewable solar energy should be available to each and every home in Kansas City, and this campaign will expand that opportunity for everyone,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas. “Working together, we can build a Kansas City with cleaner skies and lower power bills.”
For homeowners who have low or moderate incomes, the coalition will offer subsidies to make solar energy more accessible and equitable for all residents.
“What a winning opportunity to reduce the cost of energy,” said Gloria Ortiz-Fisher, executive director of Westside Housing, one of the coalition partners. “All families – especially the low-income families we work with – will benefit from solar power.”
Solarize KC will offer financing options through selected companies that will provide no-down payment or low-interest loans. Homeowners can also select their own financial lender.
Homeowners who install solar in 2022 can also quality for a 26-percent federal tax credit. In 2023, the tax credit decreases to 22 percent. Find more information at the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.
Solarize KC is one of numerous cities using similar programs coordinated by Solar CrowdSource. As a comparison, in 2019 the city of Atlanta, GA had 1,103 residents and businesses signed up for free solar site evaluations. Solar was installed on 140 properties for a total of 885 kilowatts (kW) of residential solar panels at $2.50 per watt and 35.58kW of solar on businesses for $1.85 per watt. The annual environmental impact is in a total reduction of 1,742,350 pounds of carbon emissions (CO2).
“Since then we’ve seen an increasing interest in solar, plus prices have decreased and there are more financing options,” said Donald Moreland, founder and president of Solar CrowdSource. “Even the people who don’t convert to solar right now have the opportunity to get educated and may choose to add solar later.”
The local coalition organizers include: City of Kansas City, MO; Kansas City Public Library; Metropolitan Energy Center, USGBC – Central Plains; Climate+Energy Project; Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club; Westside Housing; Greenwood Consulting Group LLC, Center for Neighborhoods and My Region Wins with support from Solar Crowdsource.
“We believe in the power of renewable energy and know that it will help our city become cleaner, healthier and more sustainable,” said KCMO City Manager Brian Platt.
Solarize KC plans to offer several additional clean-energy education and outreach events to the public during the campaign. For more information, visit Solarize KC or contact Andy Savastino, KCMO chief environmental officer, 816-513-3460.
Photo: Sun Solar