MONROE, Ga. – Walton Electric Membership Corporation has released details on pricing and availability of its innovative cooperative solar project.

The project consists of a one-megawatt solar electricity generation site in northeastern Walton County. The six-acre facility will use 4,280 individual solar panels and is expected to produce approximately 2 million kilowatt-hours of solar electricity per year.

Only customer-owners who have residences connected to Walton EMC’s electric grid are eligible to receive solar-generated electricity.

Blocks of solar electricity are $25 each per month. Each block is equal to 1/750th of the total output of the project and is expected to produce between 180 and 260 kilowatt-hours per month, depending on the sun’s angle, the time of year, the number of cloudy days in the month and other factors.

Kilowatt-hours produced by the solar electricity units will offset the same number of kilowatt-hours on each participating customer-owners’ monthly bill. Each customer-owner may purchase up to two blocks. Requests for more than two blocks will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Sign-ups are currently open on a first-come, first-served basis by calling Walton EMC at 770-267-2505. Once solar electricity blocks are sold out, customer-owners will be placed on a waiting list.

“Walton EMC customer-owners are enthusiastically embracing our cooperative solar project, said CEO Ronnie Lee. “We’ve had many ask to sign up even before details of the project were firm.”

Cooperative solar projects allow access to consumers who might otherwise be excluded from owning and installing their own solar electricity generation.

Obstacles like upfront cost, improper roof orientation, excessive roof shading, restrictive subdivision covenants or landlord prohibitions are frequent barriers to homeowners and renters who want to install solar systems.

Atlanta-based Radiance Solar, LLC, has construction of the facility on schedule, with solar electricity expected to be flowing by July 1. Founded in 2007, Radiance Solar is a leading solar contractor specializing in engineering, construction and maintenance, and has completed over 180 solar projects throughout the Southeast.

Walton EMC is a customer-owned power company that serves 123,000 accounts over its 10-county service area between Atlanta and Athens.

# # #

Technicians install some of the 4,280 solar panels that will come to life by July 1 to power Walton EMC’s innovative cooperative solar project. Customer-owners who have residences connected to Walton EMC’s electric grid will be eligible to receive solar-generated electricity.