The purpose of a group buy (also known as a Solarize program) is to increase education of local residents about solar photovoltaics (PV), and increase market penetration of residential and small commercial solar PV through a group purchasing program.
Group Buys are important tools for increasing solar deployment in a market in a short period of time. When done correctly, they can be beneficial to everyone involved, including residents, businesses, local organizations, and jurisdictions. They work by aggregating demand for solar, usually in a small geographic area, achieving economies of scale. They lower the solar installers’ “soft costs” further by providing up-front customer education en masse, leading to a higher-than-average conversion rate for solar leads. Home and business owners see lower prices for their solar array, and communities move toward achieving their sustainability goals.