Solar Outreach Initiative
For three years, Catskill Mountainkeeper managed the successful Solar Outreach Initiative, a massive campaign that is made it easier and more affordable for nearly 800 homes and businesses in 15 New York counties go solar. Early in 2015, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded a three-year $1.85 million dollar grant to Mountainkeeper and our partners at Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition, Sustainable Hudson Valley, and Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County to launch this campaign, which is writing the book on how to role out community solar on a large-scale. Read our report for more details on how we did it and our success.

The Initiative’s community-based education and outreach campaigns simplified and streamlined the consumer experience of going solar from start to finish, and its bulk purchasing programs significantly reduced costs for consumers and installers alike. 

This work aligns with Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy to build a next generation energy system that is clean, resilient, and affordable for all New Yorkers, and Mountainkeeper is proud to help lead in transitioning to a clean energy future.

Visit RenewableNY.org for more information.

Catskill Mountainkeeper is proud to connect New Yorkers to clean, accessible, solar power through community shared solar! Our developer partners, vetted through our Solar Outreach Initiative, offer two different forms of community shared solar--subscription and purchase. In both cases, the panels are side by side with other community members on nearby sunny land instead of on your property. Participants receive a portion of the solar energy produced by the solar farm, which is credited seamlessly to your utility bill each month. You can easily cover 100% of your electricity usage this way, much like traditional solar. Read on for information about community shared solar, and scroll down for links to our developer partners' sites.