#ISOAR COOP INSTALL#

Besides the purchasing power gained from being a member of a larger group, Ely claims the pooling and sharing of ideas, best practices and business strategies from companies nationwide has been a huge benefit. 'Being a member of a purchasing cooperative with a like-minded and dedicated group of quality solar professionals was an easy sell,' said Scott Ely, founder and president of Sunsense Solar, a small solar integration company based in western Colorado that joined Amicus in 2011. And they share expertise and information that often cannot be found at any industry trade show or vendor conference. Amicus members get lower pricing on products as well as distributed cash dividends based on the amount of total purchases each member makes. Member companies range from California's oldest solar company, Sun Light & Power, to the small solar integrator Radiance Solar in Atlanta, Ga. One example of a solar energy purchasing cooperative is Amicus, founded in 2011 when a small group of solar installation companies decided to support each other by sharing best practices and pooling their buying power.Īmicus is jointly owned by its 30 independently owned and operated PV installation member companies from across the United States. Two of the better-known purchasing co-ops are Ace Hardware and Best Western hotels. In a purchasing cooperative, individual businesses band together to enhance their purchasing power.

#ISOAR COOP INSTALL#

Solar cooperatives are helping independently owned solar integrators share best practices, allowing homeowners to install PV systems more economically and giving renters or people living in apartments a simple way to join the solar revolution.Ĭooperatives come in various forms, from consumer-owned to worker-owned to purchasing cooperatives. What they have in common is that they are not about making big profits for shareholders, but rather circulating the benefits back to their member-owners, and these benefits ripple out to the broader community. Co-ops can be owned by workers, residents, consumers, farmers, the community or any combination of the above. So it's no surprise that cooperatives are making their way into the renewable energy field as well.Ī cooperative is a group of people acting together to meet the common needs and aspirations of its members, sharing ownership and making decisions democratically. From day care centers to hardware stores, cooperatives seem to be permeating every sector of society. Today, nearly 30,000 cooperatives are in the United States, with more than 100 million members. While many people associate cooperatives with a place for hippies to buy organic food, the cooperative movement actually has grown far and wide, creating sustainable enterprises that generate jobs and strengthen local economies.