Strike A Chord: Catching Rays is Catching On

Apartment-dwellers in New York City might not think of solar panels as one of their options for cleaner energy. But, as part of WFUV's Strike A Chord series on Energy Conservation catching rays is catching on.

 

Julia Bovey lives in a one family home in Brooklyn. But solar panels aren't on her roof, she said it's too small and too shaded by trees. Instead, she uses a company called Clean Choice Energy which operates offsite solar panel farms. Bovey said the solar project saves her money.

 

"In my case, because the solar energy is what's called net metered against my bill, my bill has gone down significantly.The way that net metering works is that every unit energy thats created by the solar panel gets taken off your bill." 

 

Clean Choice Energy started bringing solar to New York City last year. They said the city is a very small market with potential to expand. But Bovey said people living in the city need to be vocal about wanting access to clean energy.

 

"It shouldnt just be people in the suburbs who benefit from net metering solar. We in the city should have the same opporunity, but that's only ging to happen if companies like Clean Chouce and other developers can put these projects on the rooftops around us," Bovey said. 

 

Clean Choice Energy has two solar farms in New York City with a few hundred customers, but they're working to expand so any city resident can get on the reusable energy grid.