Not every member who wants solar panels can have them — some rent their homes and cannot install solar panels, while others don’t have an optimal site for solar panels to generate energy. In 2015, your Co-op developed the area’s first community solar project, enabling any member to own locally sited solar generation. A second project followed in 2018 and a third in 2025.
How does community solar work?
- Co-op members purchase panels in the Community Solar project. (Or, in the case of Community Solar Phase III, members purchased the generation output of each panel.)
- The sun creates energy, which is captured by solar panels.
- Energy is transferred to Flathead Electric Cooperative’s distribution system.
- Participating members receive bill credits for the energy generated by their portion of the project.
