The New Hampshire Solar Shares project was selected as a Meaningful Benefit Category Special Recognition winner for Community Engagement for the Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar, an initiative of the National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP).
The NCSP, a program of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), supports a coalition of stakeholders working to expand access to affordable community solar to every U.S. household and enable communities to realize meaningful benefits, such as greater household savings, low- to moderate-income (LMI) household access, increased resilience, community ownership, and equitable workforce development. NCSP is working toward a 2025 target to enable community solar to power the equivalent of 5 million households and generate a cumulative $1 billion in energy bill savings.
The Sunny Awards were launched in 2022 to recognize community solar projects and programs that employ best practices to increase equitable access to the meaningful benefits of community solar for subscribers and their communities. Meaningful benefits are key outcomes of community solar development identified by the NCSP. These community solar benefits bring positive impacts to the households, organizations, and the surrounding communities where the projects are developed and operate.
Project Overview
- Project Name: New Hampshire Solar Shares
- Location: Plymouth, New Hampshire
- Project Size: 28 kW
- Project Subscribers: residential
- Year Energized: 2018
- Lead Organization: Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative
- Partner Organizations: NH Electric Cooperative, Lakes Region Conservation Trust, Granite United Way, Squam Lakes Conservation Society, Center Harbor Energy Commission
- Business Model: charitable funds used to develop and build the project
- State or Utility Program Leveraged: N/A
- Bill Savings: N/A
- LMI Access: 100% LMI
Meaningful Benefits Best Practices
The New Hampshire Solar Shares project was launched by the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative (PAREI) and in partnership with NH Electric Cooperative and other local partners. The volunteer-led, grassroots project works with a taskforce of volunteers and uses charitable, in-kind donations to help LMI households subscribe to the project and receive electric bill credits. In addition to energy savings, participants in the NH Solar Shares project also receive free energy education and participate in regular meetups to connect and maintain the project site.
NH Solar Shares has a goal of building three community solar arrays in Plymouth, Warren and Harbor Center, New Hampshire. To accomplish this, the group formed a committee of local volunteer organizations including the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative, Center Harbor Energy Committee, Lakes Region Conservation Trust, PSU, Squam Lakes Conservation Society, and Holderness Climate Taskforce and Americorps. The Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative also partnered with land conservation leaders and other community volunteers to design an environmentally-friendly agrivoltaics system that co-exists with pollinator flowers, low blueberry bushes, and others. Over the lifetime of the Plymouth, Warren, and Center Harbor solar arrays (26 years), more than 400 local families will have the opportunity to reap the economic, educational, and community engagement benefits of participating in NH Solar Shares.
Learn more about the New Hampshire Solar Shares project or contact Sandra Jones at sandra@plymouthenergy.org.