Solar co-op raises thousands of dollars for St. Johns County charities

Neighbors in St. Johns County joined together last year and formed a solar co-op to save money and make going solar easier. They met last weekend to celebrate the group’s many successes.

Participants used a competitive bidding process to choose A1A Solar, of Jacksonville, to install solar systems for the group’s homeowners. Included in the company’s bid was a pledge to donate a portion of the revenue it earned from the co-op to local charities. Solar co-op participants would be able to choose where the donation went. Over the weekend, A1A announced a donation of $7,350 to be split between Compassionate St. Augustine, the lead local organizer of the solar co-op, and the soon-to-open tag! Children’s Museum of St. Augustine.

Compassionate St. Augustine engages people, businesses, and institutions in the shift away from single use plastics, and toward increased demand for clean energy. The tag! museum is currently under construction. When finished, it will spark the growth and development of children and families through play-based learning experiences that celebrate the sciences, technology, engineering, art and math. Additionally, the Rich Maguire Environmental Stewardship Matching Fund is offering a 1:1 match for the money being donated to the museum.

More than 200 residents learned about solar energy and 49 homeowners installed solar energy with the help of the co-op. This resulted in more than $893,000 invested into the Northeast Florida economy and 16.85 million pounds of carbon emissions offset.