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Milwaukee’s solar initiative is seeking to expand on its first group-buy solar initiative last year that helped lead to more than 30 installations across the city in 2013.

That’s three times as many as were installed in 2012, and the city credits the growth to a solar group-purchase program that was piloted in Riverwest.

The public-private partnership helps residents take advantage of lower cost solar installations through volume purchasing. The group buy was responsible for 16 installations in Riverwest alone, along with another in Bay View.

“The solar group buy model has proven successful because it provides education on the technology, financing solutions and utilizes the strength of volume purchasing to bring the cost down even more,” said Amy Heart, manager of Milwaukee Shines, a project of the city's Office of Environmental Sustainability.

The Solar Bay View initiative officially will kick off later today with an event at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave. Enrollment will take place between now and May.

Solar Bay View’s sponsors include Riverwest Cooperative Alliance, Milwaukee Shines and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association.

The program is open to Milwaukee-area residents outside of Bay View, but its main focus will be within the neighborhood.

"The concept of a group-purchasing program fits right in with the principles of cooperatives everywhere. People come together to meet an otherwise unmet need," said Peter Murphy, who works with the Riverwest Cooperative Alliance, an organization comprised of local cooperatives. "In this case, the Bay View neighborhood has a unique opportunity to show the rest of Milwaukee how people power can accomplish meaningful and practical goals, like energy independence."

Paula Papanek of Bay View put 12 solar panels on her roof a few years back and was able to take advantage of the Riverwest group purchase last year to install 18 more panels on her garage. She's volunteered to advise neighborhood residents on what questions to ask and provide feedback on her own experience.



"it’s important that homeowners have the opportunity to talk to somebody who's done it as opposed to hearing from a sales rep," she said.

Adam Gusse, vice president of the solar business at H&H Electric in Madison, said the Riverwest group purchase program followed a similar one in Madison. Participants in the group buy saved about 20% compared to a solar installation of a comparable size, said Gusse.

Part of that came from the fact that so many projects were located close together, from buying a greater quantities of panels and from reduced sales and marketing costs, he said.

“It was really great to have a coalition of many different organizations coming together to make for what is a great success for solar in Milwaukee,” Gusse said.