The Project
The Solar Commons Project provides communities with a free, robust digital and legal toolkit to gather and share the sun’s common resources through collectively-governed solar technology infrastructure.
Image on left: Solar Commons Mural in Trust Beneficiary Neighborhood (Wright Elementary School, Tucson, AZ) Artist: Karlito Espinoza 2020
Value and Scalability Studies
The Solar Commons Project embeds solar technology in social and ecological relationships that support equitable local livelihoods for low-income communities in rural and urban regions. Research from Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has demonstrated the capacity of the Solar Commons Model to iterate across the US through donations, within the span of a decade.
RMI results suggest that the right scale for Solar Commons setups is the 500kW array, which can generate around $70,000 to $100,000 per year (depending on the region’s solar capacity and net-metering rates) for over 20 years, in each locally-governed community trust fund. In 10-year models, RMI found that the Solar Commons could produce a positive net present value to donors, at a minimum of 10GW, as it proliferates across the US. Read the RMI Financial Analysis here or the RMI Scalability Analysis here.
Research Team
The Solar Commons Project is part of the Minnesota Design Center at the College of Design at the University of Minnesota and is led by legal anthropologist Prof. Kathryn Milun. The research also depends on partners in several disciplines, from law, art, and architecture to engineering, economics, and computer science. Learn about the team!
Partners
From hot and cold climates, our partners work with the Solar Commons Project research team on Solar Commons legal, economic, and governance tools, in alliance with testing and co-creation from Living Labs. Partners include community and tribal groups in Minnesota and Arizona as well as the University of Arizona School of Art, the international Commons Strategy Group, Minnesota- and Ontario-based solar manufacturing company Heliene, Inc., and the Lake Superior Living Labs Network. Learn more about our partners!
Funders
This Project depends on the financial contributions of the US Department of Energy, the Pulliam Charitable Trust, US Green Building Council (Arizona), the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, and others. Learn more about our funders.
Connect
This work involves a growing network of collaborators. If you would like to learn more or explore collaboration, please email Prof. Kathryn Milun or call +1-218-726-7071.