City of Norman kicks off group solar panel program for residents and businesses

Apr. 4—After announcing its partnership with an Oklahoman solar energy company two weeks ago, the City of Norman officially kicked off its group solar purchasing program.

The City's partnership with EightTwenty Solar hopes to produce two megawatts' worth of power through solar arrays installed onto residential and commercial properties. At Wednesday's kickoff event, EightTwenty CEO Tony Capucille and local leaders explained more about the program.

Those interested in installing panels on their home, business or nonprofit have until Aug. 31 one to join the group purchasing program, which is cheaper than an individual install.

The group purchasing agreement is tiered, with the lowest prices coming after 350 kilowatts worth of solar panels — less than a quarter of Norman's overall goal — have been purchased by residents through the program.

"We're going to get there. There's no way we're not going to get to that number," Capucille said. "And I will tell you, I never liked it when the first person pays and we do a rebate later, so we're just starting everyone at the lowest price in the purchasing program, day one, because our confidence level working in Norman has been off the charts."

Capucille added that $369 billion of federal funding is available to residents, businesses and nonprofits in the form of tax credits for transitioning to renewable energy.

The project is largely the brainchild of Michele Loudenback, the City of Norman's Environmental and Sustainability Manager. Loudenback wrote a request for proposals based in part on Solarize OKC, a similar project completed in Oklahoma City, and multiple Oklahoma-based solar companies submitted proposals.

"It really came down to doing our due diligence, going to the Better Business Bureau, calling references, looking at the products, understanding what types of materials are going to be put in," Loudenback said. "It really became clear that the contractor that we needed to go to was EightTwenty."

The group purchasing program is co-sponsored by several local entities, including Food and Shelter, the Sierra Club of Oklahoma and the Norman Chamber of Commerce.

"We're trying to do the right thing," said Chamber president Scott Martin. "That's certainly the case with our businesses in town, and certainly with us as citizens, we want to do the right thing, and this gives us a really great opportunity to step up."

Capucille aimed to dispel some common misconceptions about solar, including the idea that solar panels let a resident go "off-grid."

"You're still on the grid, so our partnerships with utilities are really important because they're essentially your battery. Whenever you're over-producing during the day, your meter is running backwards, and that's sending the energy back to the grid. Then at night, you're pulling back from it," Capucille said.

In Oklahoma, energy companies use "net metering," which allows individuals with solar to offset their energy usage dollar-for-dollar.

Because people with solar are still on the grid, they will still lose power during outages. However, EightTwenty can install batteries to allow people to use their own energy during outages.

Capucille also stressed that the panels are not a "money-making opportunity." When selling surplus energy back to the grid, utility companies pay wholesale rates (up to 125%) but not more lucrative retail rates.

"We don't want to size you too big; we want to size you smartly," Capucille said, adding that EightTwenty's projects are sized based on a building's energy efficiency alongside its usage.

EightTwenty panels come with a 10 year "craftsmanship warranty," including responsibility for any roof leaks caused by the panels.

Capucille said the panels are rated to withstand golf-sized hail, and that during a storm last year, a Norman customer had panels cracked by softball-sized hail, but the panels continued to function.

Norman currently has EightTwenty panels installed at the City's water treatment facility. City Manager Darrel Pyle said he's been impressed with how the array has withstood violent weather.

"We had a tornado pass directly over the top of our solar install at the wastewater treatment plant. It wiped out one of our buildings on the police department shooting range; it didn't faze that solar farm at all." Pyle said before quipping, "We should have covered that building with solar, it would still be standing."

About a hundred people attended the kickoff event, including EightTwenty employees who used satellite imagery from Google Earth to give interested residents renderings of where they might be able to install solar panels on their properties.

If you're interested in a consultation for your own home, business or nonprofit, visit eighttwenty.com/norman.