San Francisco Energy Cooperative Launches This Fall

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Introducing: San Francisco Energy Cooperative

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Co-op has new approach to community energy 

SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Energy Cooperative is proud to announce the November 12 launch of it's innovative new way for San Francisco renters to own a piece of the renewable energy market. 

If you don’t own a home, there have been few ways for you to participate in the growing renewable energy industry up until now. With a simple plan to pool little bits of resources from a lot of people, the San Francisco Energy Cooperative is blazing a trail for everyone to possess part of the future of energy, and obtain a portion of the profits in return.

“If you’re a renter, you have no way of getting involved in the renewable energy market in a democratic, equitable manner. You could buy stocks in energy companies or solar panel companies, but those methods all equate money with voice. If you invest a tiny amount of money, you get no say. Your money is going to be put in the pocket of a corporation that’s run by these big Wall Street types. SFEC is a democratic way to do investing as well as a way to take a little bit of money and do some good,” said Evan Wynns, SFEC’s Executive Director.   

“The solution is for communities to have a transparent way for people to put in whatever money they have to spare and get a profit out of it. How do they get the profit? The biggest part of our plan is bulk purchase of solar panels—using rebates, government incentives and taking advantage of bulk pricing—and leasing them back to community members. Using this method, the solar panels will pay for themselves faster, and therefore return an investment faster, than if they were all purchased by individual homeowners at a higher price,” Wynns said.   

The Co-op is a community organization that seeks to address the needs of the Bay Area in all things green energy, and make the business of renewable power accessible, reliable and fruitful for the rest of us.  

“In the long term, we want to create a green business community to be patronized by those who care about the impact they have on their world. And clean energy technologies are improving every day. Really, the sky’s the limit.” 

San Francisco Energy Cooperative memberships start at $10 a year. More information can be obtained on the web at www.sfenergycooperative.com or by calling 415-894-7620. You can meet Evan Wynns and his team at the San Francisco Green Festival, November 12-13.  

Because in the 21st Century, Power is Everyone’s Business.