Website: https://gosolarmusiccity.com/
Music City Solar is a community solar program operated by Nashville Electric Service (NES) in Nashville, Tennessee. The program operates a community solar park that generates renewable electricity and distributes energy credits to participating subscribers, while also supporting charitable donations that benefit low-income customers. According to the company website, the facility is Nashville’s first community solar park, and it went live on August 1, 2018. The solar park was built on a former landfill site and is presented as a way for NES residential and commercial customers to participate in solar energy generation without installing panels on their own property.
Services
Music City Solar offers several programs that allow NES customers to participate in solar energy and charitable giving:
- Solar Panel Subscriptions — Customers can purchase subscriptions to individual solar panels at the community solar park. According to the site, the one-time upfront cost is $166.63 per panel (plus fees), and subscribers receive a monthly energy credit on their NES bill based on the energy generated. The stated average monthly output per panel is 14 kilowatt-hours (kWh), and the annual solar credit is approximately $11.88 per panel. Subscribers can monitor their output through the “My Solar Data” tool in the My Account section at nespower.com.
- Solar Angel Donations (Give Solar) — A charitable giving option through which contributions are made to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee as tax-deductible donations used to purchase solar panels through Music City Solar. The energy output from those panels benefits low-income customers, either through energy-efficiency and weatherization programs or as a solar energy credit on their monthly bill.
- Gift Solar Credits — Customers can purchase solar panel subscriptions as gifts, directing the energy output to another person as a credit on that recipient’s monthly NES bill.
To subscribe, customers log into My Account at nespower.com (or create a profile using an NES account number or phone number along with a meter number or the last four digits of a Social Security number), access the “Subscribe” link under Music City Solar, choose the number of panel subscriptions and optional beneficiary information, select a payment method, accept the terms, and receive a confirmation email.
About
According to its website, Nashville’s first community solar park went live on August 1, 2018. The facility was built on a former landfill off Interstate 65 and contains 17,020 solar panels with a total capacity of two megawatts of DC power. The system uses CAT thin-film solar modules manufactured in the United States, with each panel rated at 117.5 watts and mounted on fixed-tilt racking. Construction was documented on the website through a series of photographs dated from May 2018 through August 2, 2018.
The program is structured around a 20-year power agreement. Subscribers receive solar energy credits on their bill for the length of the power agreement contract with NES. NES residential and commercial customers are eligible to participate, and subscribers can transfer their subscriptions and credits if they move within the NES service area. The Solar Angel Fund operates as a component fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
Location & Contact
The community solar site is located along Interstate 65 on Old Due West Avenue, near TriStar Skyline Medical Center in North Nashville, Tennessee. The program serves the Nashville, Tennessee area through the NES service territory. For inquiries and to gift solar credits, the website lists the email address [email protected] and the phone number 615-736-6900; recipients of gifted credits must provide an address, phone number, and email. The Construction Photos page also lists the email address [email protected]. The website does not publish a public street address or business hours for the program office.
Additional Information
Music City Solar is operated by Nashville Electric Service (NES) and partners with The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for the distribution of the Solar Angel Fund. For customers seeking financing options, the website notes that Regions Bank and Pinnacle Financial Partners offer financing. The program is associated with the NESPower.com website, where account management and subscription functions take place.
The program maintains a presence on social media through the NES accounts:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NESpower
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nespower
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NashvilleElectric
The website’s main sections include Give Solar, Go Solar, FAQs, and Construction Photos.
Profile compiled from the company’s official website (gosolarmusiccity.com).