Joule Assets, through Joule Community Power, has secured separate contracts with Luminace and BQ Energy, for a combined 31,000 MWhs of community solar expected in the first year of operation. The contract with Luminace for the provision of approximately 24,600 MWh in the first year of operation represents the nation's largest solar generation supply agreement dedicated to community choice solar to-date. Luminace is one of the largest fully integrated providers of distributed energy solutions to commercial, industrial and public sector customers in North America. 

A large portion of the capacity will be used for opt-out community solar (or "community choice solar") programs in Marbletown, Beacon, and Philipstown, New York that are expected to launch in early 2022. Part of Hudson Valley Community Power, a Joule-administered community choice aggregation clean energy program, the community choice solar offerings will be available to more than 4,500 households and small businesses, approximately 35-50% of which are expected to be low- to moderate-income (LMI) residences. One of the offering's key benefits to participants is a solar credit on their monthly electric bills that equates to a discount of up to 10% on an annual basis.

"Hudson Valley Community Power will be the first opt-out community solar program that explicitly prioritizes LMI residents for solar benefits," said Jessica Stromback, CEO of Joule Assets. "We have already brought thousands of New Yorkers monthly savings on their utility bills while promoting clean energy, and these deals will help those who need it most."

"Without having to lift a finger, our residents will be able to gain benefits from renewable energy while saving money," said Marbletown Supervisor Rich Parete. "This is an amazing benefit for our town and the result of some terrific collaboration."

A two-month community outreach period will soon begin to introduce the program to residents through local news outlets, social media accounts, public events, open Q&A sessions, and more.

Traditional community solar programs, which rely heavily on individual outreach to enroll program subscribers, typically sign up less than 5% of those eligible. Alternatively, eligible participants of community choice solar programs are automatically enrolled without having to sign an individual contract, undergo a credit check, or receive a separate solar bill. Under this format, engagement increases to roughly 90% of eligible program participants. Solar developers are also able to add thousands of new subscribers almost instantly.

"Repurposing landfills and brownfields to start generating new, clean energy is at the core of our mission and a benefit we are thrilled to expand upon in the Hudson Valley," said Paul Curran, Managing Director of BQ Energy. "Knowing that the majority of our capacity is going to low-income residents adds a social value element to our environmental efforts."

Before year-end, Joule is looking to contract an additional 200 MWs of community solar capacity to meet the demand of its current pipeline and support future projects. Joule, having facilitated clean energy projects for dozens of communities across New York, including the country's first opt-out community solar offering, can help eligible developers fill their projects and take advantage of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Inclusive Community Solar Adder incentive. Visit joulecommunitypower.com/contact to contact us and learn more.

Joule Community Power | joulecommunitypower.com

BQ Energy Development | https://www.bqenergy.com

Luminace | https://luminace.com