The Power of Community Solar

Community Centered

The Nature Conservancy’s first community solar installation took place in 2022 at the Middlesboro Community Center, a city-owned building that hosts community events such as weddings and birthdays. The installation is saving the city approximately $4,000 per year on the building’s energy bills.

“With the Middlesboro Community Center hosting a kitchen, a gym and a public pool, it has been an exceptional facility to save electric costs with solar,” says Josh Bills, a certified energy manager with Mountain Association. "With the pool operational in the summer, the electric use skyrockets in the summer. Thankfully, that is when solar shines the brightest. Before solar, the Center’s electric bill would approach $2,500 in a summer month due to the pool pumps and filtering. Now, the most we see in a summer month is a $1,400 electric bill. The rest of the year, when the pool is closed, and since the building is heated with natural gas, the Center has been charged no more than the minimum electric bill, that being the monthly $65 fee for the meter. In the two years since the solar panels were installed in January of 2024, the City of Middlesboro’s budget has been enhanced by more than $17,000 from solar offsetting. Those payments would have gone to the investor-owned electric utility serving Middlesboro, that is headquartered many counties away!"

Solar in Action at Community Action Center

In 2025, solar panels were installed at KCEOC Community Action Partnership. Established in 1964 as one of the original 23 Community Action Agencies as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s declaration of the “War on Poverty,” KCEOC provides education, housing and food assistance, home weatherization, job training and more to eastern Kentuckians.

“This solar project is actually two projects in one!” says Bills. “The solar is fully offsetting the electric use from two electric meters serving KCEOC, with expected electricity cost savings greater than $9,000 each year for KCEOC’s Emergency Support Center, a 23-bed facility providing a safe setting for adults and families experiencing homelessness to find relief and supportive services. Care was taken as well to ensure that the installation is battery-ready and can easily incorporate battery storage one day for resilient emergency backup power, without having to undo or redo what has been installed so far. In just the first four months of operation, solar has offset 38,060 kWh, saving the ESC more than $4,000!”

Check out this video, from Solar Energy Living, LLC, the team that installed the panels at the KCEOC site.

Building More Sustainable Communities

Red Bird Mission also received solar panels in 2025. The panels added to an existing installation on the organization’s school, furthering its energy cost savings. Red Bird Mission provides education, housing improvement, economic opportunity and health care for eastern Kentuckians.

“Even with the solar modules installed, the installer is still navigating interconnection approval with KY Power, so the added solar has not been commissioned yet,” says Bills. “That said, we are looking forward to it getting approval and getting turned on. This will take solar up from offsetting 10% with the system in place since August of 2020 to offsetting more than 25% of annual usage!”

We aren't finished yet. The Nature Conservancy and its partners are preparing for more community solar installations in the near future. We thank all of our community partners for working with us toward a more energy-efficient Kentucky!