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Community Solar

Have an electric bill? You can go solar.

Community solar lets anyone* plug in to the sun and save an average of 5-10% per year.

How it works

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Visit the Clean Energy Marketplace
Compare local solar projects, in partnership with EnergySage, and see your estimated annual savings, based on your location and average energy use.

Sign up with a solar farm and start earning credits
You’ll purchase credits from the solar farm based on how much solar power is generated by your share of the project.

Credits go toward your Central Hudson bill
You’ll see the value of your credits being deducted from your electric bill.

Save money on your annual energy expenses
You’ll save thanks to a 10% discount on the value of your solar credits — meaning for every $1 deducted from your electric bill, you pay 90 cents.

 

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Fresh from the farm
Many of us in the Hudson Valley are familiar with community-supported agriculture programs, which allow residents to subscribe to a local farm and, for a set cost, receive a regular share of seasonal produce. Community solar is a bit like this. Both connect local producers with customers who are making a conscious choice about how they want to source one of life’s essentials. Both involve subscriptions, which allow the producer to plan ahead and guarantee a certain minimum amount of business. Both programs support local businesses. And, of course, they’re both called “farms!”

Sample case: Monthly bill comparison

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Sample case: How credits and usage might vary over a year

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Key idea
Community solar is best understood as an annual program. This makes sense because it’s based on the sun. The important thing to keep in mind is you will always save in the long run because you’re purchasing solar credits for 90 cents on the dollar, and some portion of your electric bill (sometimes all of it) will always be offset by the face-value of these credits.
 
 

More information

Central Hudson has partnered with EnergySage to provide our customers with an easy way to explore local community distributed energy options. Visit the Clean Energy Marketplace to learn more. Hydro electric options are also available. 

Compare options

Download this information as a printable .pdf. 

*Any commercial or residential Central Hudson customer who does not already have solar panels at their home or a business.