Reconsider Rooftops

It’s becoming more clear year after year that solar power is the renewable energy source of the future. For years, Very Large-Scale Solar Arrays (VLSA) have grown and maintained a monumental cost advantage over conventional rooftop solar. 

However, as technology continues to develop, more optimal means of solar collection, specifically via traditional rooftop arrays, are becoming more viable solutions with benefits far outweighing ground-based, utility-scale solar farms.

There are multiple reasons to reconsider rooftop solar installations over ground-based VLSAs. 

Better for Businesses

Small businesses are the heart of the state economy and generate the majority of state domestic product, employment, and tax revenues. Rooftop installations give small businesses access to all the subsidies and incentives that they already pay for through surcharges on their electricity bills. VLSAs deprive small businesses of the right to self-determination over their own energy bills.

 

Better for the Community

VLSA developers are rarely connected to local communities nor do they provide any other benefits to the communities financing solar projects. VLSAs often pursue profit with little regard to property valuations or the local pastoral quality of life. Imagine learning a 400 acre solar farm has been approved to be built next to your home, instantly devaluing your property.

 
 

Better for the Environment

The essence of rooftop installations is that they take full advantage of existing infrastructure. VLSAs have a direct environmental impact on rainwater runoff, local wildlife, and overall scenic appeal. They immediately create a loss of cropland/green space. Rooftop solar is immune from these concerns. 

Rooftop installations are decentralized and put energy into the grid evenly at a local level. VLSAs do little to promote distributed energy generation, strengthen grid resilience, or position the grid for conversion to a microgrid model. While they are certainly “green”, they remain a form of centralized energy generation.