KA dawning sun now energizes more of Northwest Indiana – and the Midwest.

Kankakee Valley REMC is collaborating with additional Wabash Valley Power member cooperatives to offer Co-op Solar, a new community solar program. Retail members of Kankakee Valley REMC can purchase “shares” of solar energy for 20 cents per share each month for up to 50 percent of their total annual energy use. The cost will be added to participants’ monthly electric bills. By participating in the program, Kankakee Valley retail members will support electricity generation from an abundant renewable resource.

“Community solar programs have been gaining interest across the United States as a great way to take advantage of solar energy without requiring homeowners to spend a lot of money to install and maintain hardware themselves,” said Dennis Weiss, CEO of Kankakee Valley REMC. “Often, people are interested in solar power, but are turned off by the complexity of properly installing and maintaining solar arrays, which also can be incredibly expensive. We handle the difficulties so they can participate.”

The solar array near Kankakee Valley REMC’s building in Wanatah is one of five arrays in Indiana, Illinois and Missouri to create up to 1.7 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the program. The arrays are located far apart from each other to maximize the potential to create electricity.

“By spreading the arrays over three states, we have the best opportunity for capturing the most sunlight and creating the most electricity,” Weiss said. “It could be raining in Missouri, while the sun is shining brightly in Indiana.”

Stop by the Co-Op Solar booth at the Annual Meeting to learn more or sign-up for the program. You can also log on to www.PowerMoves.com/solar for more information and to view a dashboard that shows the amount of electricity created in the program.