At 17, I wore a mask while bike riding through the streets of DC. Instinctively, I knew that my early respiratory challenges were tied to increasing levels of air pollutants.
Some of you remember the enlightened — but brief — era of solar popularity in the 1970s. Research rolled into mainstream media endorsing evidence that delivery of electricity to homes and businesses by solar panels was an economical route to protecting the health of the planet and its inhabitants. That impulse was lost to two decades that encouraged profit over people. Now, as a result of undeniably extreme weather events, a higher logic has risen out of the fossil fuel-driven dark ages of the 80s and 90s to attempt a quantum leap forward after that inevitable two steps backward.
Thankfully, a percentage of urban, suburban, and rural thought leaders were able to lead the emergence of a political will that won our District of Columbia’s “Sustainable DC Initiative.” Dedicated to the decarbonization of our city, this initiative has become a model for the country and the world. It is an invitation to emulate or surpass our targets to reduce carbon emissions by “50% below 2006 levels by 2032 and 100% by 2050.”
For those of us who want to reduce the threat of destructive Climate Change events, community solar offers an affordable option to participate in a solar revolution, a paradigm shift into the reality of a mutually held green dream.
Though rooftop solar was the solution I initially sought, my ability to achieve that reality was restricted by economic and circumstantial limitations. I mourned the loss of that option but, thankfully, community solar emerged as the best match for me and the solution for those of us who are low to middle-income who want the economic benefits that solar brings. Participation can reduce financial stress through an annual savings of $500 or more on utility payments.
Community solar is the opportunity to choose solar and participate in the citywide and worldwide effort to turn the Climate Change tide from rising tsunami to subsidence. I discovered that a community solar subscription is 99.9% less hassle than installing solar panels, and it saves me roughly $600 each year on my energy bills. Had I been able to install solar panels, it would have cost me thousands. I would have also had to pay the cost of replacing my roof and upgrading my electrical panel earlier than necessary, especially since my roof may have 3-6 years left of durable service.
I care deeply about the environment and actively take steps to reduce energy consumption. Community solar afforded me the option to participate in the global campaign to decarbonize the planet while helping me save on my electric bill.
When I pass the St. Carmelite Solar Installation at Bunker Hill Road and Eastern Avenue, as a senior citizen and Ward 5 resident, I am truly proud of my role as a community solar subscriber, helping DC become cleaner and greener.
The more people that sign up, the closer we get to energy justice in DC and beyond.
Rita Campbell*
Community Solar Subscriber