Two weeks after announcing the development of the Vernon Electric Community Solar Farm in Wisconsin, the 305 kW array was fully reserved. Reservations for the 1,001-panel array, being developed by Clean Energy Collective in partnership with Vernon Electric Cooperative, began March 22.

Open to any utility member in the VEC service area, the shared array was quickly embraced by residential and commercial ratepayers in western Wisconsin. Once complete, the energy generated by individual panels will be credited directly to each member’s monthly utility bills.

Clean Energy Collective’s community solar gardens have proven to be particularly attractive for those with shaded properties. For utilities, the power produced contributes to a utility’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS).

As a result of the high demand, CEC is in conversations with several other Wisconsin utilities to integrate the community-owned solar gardens.