When you buy in bulk, you save. The same goes for solar power. Communities across the globe are taking advantage of group savings offered by companies like Solar City, which offers a 15 to 20% discount through a community solar program.

We recently posted a blog on one such community in Alberta, Canada. But these Drake Landing residents are not alone, as the following 6 examples show. Not only do community solar projects save money, they demonstrate the power of working together and making a positive change, through teamwork.

Pebble Creek Community Goes Solar
Several dozen homeowners in the Pebble Creek Community in Goodyear, Arizona are taking advantage of an American Solar Electric “Sunny Community” group discount program to consolidate their solar buying power. Together, the homeowners will save over $17,000 on installs.

Muir Commons Solar Co-Housing
The Muir Commons co-housing community hosts one of the largest residential PV systems in Davis. Almost 4,000 square feet in size, the common house has a 10,000 watt system that produces 70 percent of the house’s electricity from the sun.

Crime-Ridden City in Mexico Goes Green
This community of nearly 6,000 residents in Mexico City will receive millions to become a prototype for green development. As a whole, the community will save about $300,000 per year on electricity bills.

Nyland Colorado Co-housing/Sharp Solar
Nyland, Colorado was one of the first co-housing communities in the country. Consisting of 42 private homes, Nyland welcomed 22 new solar installations by the end of 2007.

One Block Off the Grid
With the help of 1BOG.org, San Francisco hopes to welcome 10,000 solar roofs by 2010, encompassing the largest solar community conversion in the U.S.

The Crucible Arts/Industry Community Solar Project
The Crucible, a non-profit arts collaboration, is saving tens of thousands of dollar a year by using solar panels to help generate the electricity for its 56,000 square feet of studio space.

Tell us about your community’s effort to go solar and save!

photo credit: cooperativecommunityenergy.com

Posted on July 25th in Going Solar by Renee.