| SANTA BARBARA — The Community Environmental Council (CEC) announced the launch of this year’s Solarize Ventura County – a community-led, group purchasing program for solar and battery systems open to residents of Ventura County through December 9. CEC’s 2020 program is offered in partnership with Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance, the County of Ventura, and the cities of Ventura, Thousand Oaks, and Camarillo.
To take part in the program, homeowners can visit SolarizeVentura.org to submit an application. On the website, those looking for more information can also register for CEC’s free webinars:
- Residential Solar and Battery Systems 101, on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Home Solar, Electric Vehicles, and Battery Systems: Affordable Options for Your Lifestyle, on Thursday, November 5, 2020, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The October 7 webinar will cover the basics of solar and battery systems including incentives, tax credits, financing and logistics, as well as how Solarize makes the process easier and more affordable with discounted prices, vetted installers, and high-quality equipment. CEC staff and solar installers will be available to answer questions from attendees.
The November 5 webinar will include information on some of the 40 plug-in hybrid and pure EV options, charging at home or on the road, and financial incentives and lease offerings. The webinar will also cover solar and battery system basics and is designed for an audience that wants to explore “driving on sunshine” – charging EVs at home from solar systems.
As CEC’s Director of Energy and Climate Programs, Michael Chiacos, explained, “Pairing an electric vehicle with a home solar system is a great way to save money on electricity and gasoline, as they help each other with synergistic paybacks. With the incentives on both solar and EVs, it’s surprisingly affordable to go solar and either buy or lease an EV.”
Battery systems are also an increasingly popular option. “As we saw at the end of 2019, fire conditions can activate widespread power outages without much advance notice, making solar paired batteries a critical power backup option,” CEC’s Renewable Energy Program Senior Manager April Price noted. “Pairing solar and batteries gives homeowners resilient, automated energy supplies that seamlessly maintain power during grid outages.”
CEC worked with a volunteer committee of local energy experts to select this year’s installer partners: California Solar Electric and Sespe Power Solutions. These partners offer reduced prices for the duration of CEC’s Solarize Ventura County program, ensuring that homeowners get the best price for a quality solar system. For each order placed, the installer also pays a small fee to CEC, which supports future Solarize programs in our community.
CEC also continues to offer their Solarize Nonprofit programmers round to nonprofits in Ventura County. The program, which is offered in partnership with Asteri Solar, creates an affordable, accessible pathway to solar power – with no upfront costs. The program has already served seven nonprofits regionally, and is looking to bring their first Ventura County-based organization online. Participating nonprofits in Santa Barbara County are forecasted to save hundreds of thousands of dollars by going solar. To take part in the program or to learn more, nonprofits can visit SolarizeNonprofit.org. |
