St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. — Solarize St. Thomas, the community-based group purchasing campaign, is hosting an Open House over three days in Red Hook to bring the message of solar power’s value and benefits to St. Thomas residents and business owners.

The campaign, which launched locally in January, has attracted nearly 100 homeowners to sign up for a free solar power evaluation for their properties. Already, seven contracts for solar installations have been completed, resulting in 78,567 lbs annually of avoided CO2 in the
Virgin Islands.

Coalition organizations involved in ensuring Solarize St. Thomas reaches more residents locally include Rotary Club of St. Thomas East ECO, UVI’s Caribbean Green Technology Center, Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John, Virgin Islands Conservation Society, VI Electric Vehicle Assoc.-North, and Solar Crowdsource as well as the Virgin Islands Energy Office.

The Open House in Red Hook will take place over three days – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, July 20-22 – and will be located at the Red Hook Plaza Shopping Center on the upper level-west end near the Red Hook mail service. Those who attend the free Open House will learn how a solar power installation on their property will lower their monthly utility spending while using a more resilient and reliable form of renewable energy that positively benefits the Territory’s environment.

St. Thomas residents are welcome to stop by anytime between 10 a.m.-6 p.m. to meet campaign organizers, view solar energy and battery storage equipment, and sign up for a free evaluation. Anyone who brings their electricity bill information can get a preliminary evaluation immediately.

“Getting started with solar energy and battery storage technologies can sometimes be intimidating and the benefits can be difficult to understand, said Don Moreland, owner of Solar Crowdsource and administrator of the Solarize St. Thomas campaign. “We want to provide a place where St. Thomas residents can meet campaign organizers, see the selected solar and battery equipment selected for campaign, and leave with a understanding of how solar plus storage can benefit them, including the number and location of solar panels on their property, amount of energy they can generate, associated costs, incentives available, monthly savings, and financing options available through the campaign.”

A federal tax credit of 26% is available through the end of 2022 and no money down, low-interest financing options are also available for qualified homeowners and businesses.

To make solar energy significantly more affordable, the Solarize St. Thomas campaign leverages the power of group purchasing. The more St. Thomas property owners who participate, the greater the cost savings for all.

Following a rigorous evaluation process, the Coalition selected Silver Sun Solar to provide local property owners – both residential and commercial – with solar power equipment, battery storage and energy-saving technologies.

“Silver Sun Solar is honored and proud to have been selected as the contractor partner for the 2021 Solarize St. Thomas crowdsourcing campaign,” said Brian Marinelli, CEO of Silver Sun Solar. “We are excited to provide USVI residents a wide range of products and various ways to implement renewable energy into their daily lives.”

Interested residents may sign up for a free evaluation at the Open House. Residents and business owners can also visit solarizestt.com to learn more about the program and enroll.