The Nonprofit group Solar United Neighbors (SUN) announced the launch of the Metro Richmond 2023 Solar and EV Charger Co-op to help residents and small businesses in the Metro Richmond area go solar.

“The City of Richmond is excited to provide yet another tool to our community members to help deploy solar locally,” said Laura Thomas, director of sustainability for the City of Richmond. “Not only is this a cost-effective approach, it helps educate folks on the process, all with the aim to drive down our emissions and reach our shared goals outlined in RVAgreen 2050.”

The co-op is free to join and open to homeowners and business owners from Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, and beyond. Together, co-op members will learn about solar energy and leverage their numbers to purchase top-quality solar systems at a competitive price.

After a competitive bidding process facilitated by SUN, which remains vendor neutral, co-op members will select a single solar company to complete the installations. Joining the co-op does not obligate members to purchase solar. Members will have the option to individually purchase panels and electric vehicle chargers based on the installer’s group rate.

Partners in addition to Richmond include Henrico County Energy Management, Viridiant and Norfolk Solar.

SUN will host several free information sessions to educate community members about solar energy and the co-op. For more details, visit solarunitedneighbors.org/rva2023.