KUB announces completion of new community solar project

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - On Wednesday, March 15, The Knoxville Utilities Board announced the completion of the first community solar array in Knoxville.

Community solar is a way for KUB customers to support local solar projects and subscribe to the benefits of a shared solar array, KUB representatives said. But what is a community solar site and how does it work?

Essentially, KUB will own, operate and maintain the site, with customers signing up for a monthly subscription. People that subscribe are then credited back a portion of their subscription fee based on the amount of renewable energy produced by the array each month.

Shares of the array begin at $5 for residential and commercial customers, but KUB said that an average of $3.61 is returned in monthly credits to your bill. KUB also said that each share of the array helps avoid the same amount of emissions as recycling 314 pounds of waste per year.

KUB said the array will produce an average of 1.36-gigawatt hours of solar energy per year, which is enough to fill the energy requirements of around 100 homes. Renewable energy generation from KUB’s community solar array will also help avoid approximately 964 metric tons of CO2e emissions per year, which is equal to saving more than 100,000 gallons of gasoline.

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