News

July 25, 2023

2023 Updates!

Hi everyone – it’s been a while, so let’s catch up! We are excited to share the recent progress that Cleveland Solar Cooperative has made this year. 

First, we want to celebrate the 41 Member Owners who are helping to make CSC’s vision of democratically owned solar infrastructure possible! In 2020, CSC was formed by a small community of individuals who are committed to sustainability, equality, solidarity, and anti-racism – all of which are necessary for a Just Transition to a clean energy economy. Today, CSC’s membership base is stronger than ever – and growing!
 

CSC’s First Solar Project: Where are We Now, and What’s Next?

We have been working hard to build our power by completing CSC’s first solar project – Ohio’s first community-owned solar array. Our co-op has signed a Letter of Intent with the Cuyahoga Land Bank to install an array on the Mickey’s Building in East Cleveland. The Mickey’s Building – a former car dealership – is an important part of a revitalization initiative in East Cleveland, launched by the Land Bank in partnership with the City of East Cleveland. 

We are so grateful to be a part of this project. Our co-op has been working to organize East Cleveland community members to join us and enjoy shared ownership over the solar project that is being built in their community. We are closer than ever to signing a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Land Bank, which would allow us to move forward with building and energizing the array on the Mickey’s Building. 

Our next membership meeting will be on Sunday, August 27th, 2023. We are looking forward to gathering with CSC member-owners to discuss the PPA, changes to our by-laws, and the next steps for our first array. More information about the Mickey’s Building project and the awesome events we have attended to come!

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Building Knowledge & Community to Build our Power

Is energy democracy a new concept for you? Or are you on board with the energy democracy initiative, but want to learn more about CSC’s foundation? Our friends and allies have been working to educate community members and promote awareness of the importance of energy democracy across Cleveland communities, and thanks to their hard work, we have some wonderful resources to share.

RE-AMP Energy Democracy Summit

In May, Cleveland Owns and Cleveland Solar Cooperative attended the RE-AMP Network’s Energy Democracy Summit – which was held in Cleveland this year. Over 130 organizations, including Cleveland Owns, have joined the RE-AMP Network to work together to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions in the Midwest by 2050 (or sooner!). This event offered us the opportunity to share and learn with people and organizations who are advancing energy democracy work, both locally and regionally. CSC was even able to highlight the work we are doing in Cleveland by coordinating a tour of the future location of Ohio’s first community-owned solar array!

Energy Democracy Summit in Northeast Ohio

This past spring, we gathered with 50 local activists at the Energy Democracy Summit in Northeast Ohio. Crystal Huang, the national coordinator of the Energy Democracy Project and a worker owner at People Power Solar Cooperative, shared important insights into the importance of using a commons mindset when working in solidarity to advance racial equity and build our collective wealth. You can watch her full comments on Cleveland Owns’ blog post. 

Case Study on the Founding of the Cleveland Solar Cooperative

Finally, in the fall of 2022, we published this case study on the founding of our co-op, exploring the ups and downs we faced as we navigated cooperative economics, local energy policies, and energy democracy in practice. After discussing our learnings along the way, the case study offers an Energy Democracy Tool Kit with a variety of helpful resources for organizing communities and promoting a Just Transition through energy democracy.