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Grow SolarGrow Solar
A Midwest Partnership to Move Markets.
  • Get Involved
    • Become an Installer
    • Become a Member
    • Become a Partner
    • Become a Volunteer
    • Contact Us
    • Donate
  • Group Buys & Events
    • Active Group Buys Map
    • Illinois
      • Grow Solar Metro East
      • Solar Switch Chicagoland
      • Solar Urbana-Champaign
    • Iowa
      • Grow Solar Cedar Valley
      • Grow Solar Polk County
    • Missouri
      • Grow Solar St. Louis
    • Wisconsin
      • Grow Solar for Humanity
      • Grow Solar Greater Milwaukee
      • Technical Assistance
        • Solar PV Assistance for Institutions
  • News
    • Requests for Proposals & Updates
    • Rise Up Midwest Podcast
  • Resources
    • Community Resources
    • Interconnection Processes
    • Rise Up Midwest!
    • Solar on Schools
    • Solar Project Builder
    • Solar Project Finance
    • Solar Training
    • Value of Solar
  • Solar Toolkits
  • What is a Group Buy?

Grow Solar Metro East is back!

Grow Solar Metro East, part of Grow Solar Gateway Region is a public education and group purchasing program for residential and small commercial solar. Offered by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association ( MREA), Piasa Palisades Group of Sierra Club and other local partners, property owners throughout Madison County, St. Clair County, and Monroe County in Illinois can participate in this program to help pool their buying power and secure significant discounts that make installing solar simple and more affordable. The program builds on previous years of successful programs that helped over 234 local property owners go solar.

Live across the river? Check out Grow Solar St. Louis!

How to Participate

Start by attending a Solar Power Hour. Our free virtual information session teaches you the basics of solar, its financial implications for your property, and how the program works.

Then, get a free, no obligation consultation from our competitively-selected installer, Nelnet Renewable Energy (formerly GRNE Solar)

Have questions about your solar consultation? Reach out to Nelnet at or at 312-859-3417 and don’t forget to mention the program.

Sign Up

Have questions about going solar?

Knowledge is power and education is the first and most important step when beginning your solar journey. With the tools below, you can ensure the quality and protection of your investment.

Grow Solar’s Consumer Guide breaks down the process in a simple guide. Where as MREA’s Community Resources allows you to dive deeper to understand the technology, provides step-by-step of going solar, FAQs and more!

Grow Solar's Consumer GuideMREA's Community Resources

Grow Solar Metro East Events

Grow Solar events are free and open to the public. All times listed are Central Time.

Remaining Solar Power Hours: 

In-Person Solar Power Hour: Monday, October 2, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Edwardsville Public Libary, 112 S Kansas St, Edwardsville.

Virtual Power Hour: Wednesday, October 4, 12:00-1:00 p.m. on Zoom (Click to register)

Virtual Power Hour: Tuesday, October 31, 11:00-12:00 p.m. on Zoom (Click to register)

Grow Solar Gateway

Help spread the word! The only way this program is successful is through community- led outreach. Please considering sharing with your networks because the more people who go solar through the program, the lower the price for all.

Media Kit

Did you miss our Solar Power Hours?

You can still watch a recorded version to learn the basics of solar, its financial implications for your property, and how the Grow Solar Metro East program works. Check out our virtual resource packet for resources complimentary to this presentation. Then, get a free, no obligation site assessment from our competitively-selected installer, StraightUp Solar, by filling out this short form. The deadline to participate in this program is September 30th, so don’t delay.  Your solar journey awaits!

WATCH NOW

One Program, Big Impact since 2016

1,193 people attended Solar Power Hours

234 properties added solar

2,266 kilowatts of solar have been installed

Every year, that’s like avoiding:

4,843,056 miles driven by the average passenger vehicle

2,129,936 lbs. of coal burned

OR like 81,995 trash bags recycled rather than landfilled

Grow Solar Metro East Participant Testimonial

SINCE 2019, GROW SOLAR METRO EAST HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY

Follow us on Facebook!

2021 marks the fifth year for the Grow Solar Metro East program. Since 2017, the environmental impact has been huge. Each year, the PV systems installed through this program will singlehandedly avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 3,955,075 lbs. of CO2. So, thank you to you for making this program successful year after year and for helping to keep our part of the state beautiful, clean, and healthy.

Since 2017:

Still on the fence about solar?

Got some burning questions you’re just not quite sure about?

Join us for a special event on Wednesday, September 16th from 6:00-7:00 p.m.: “Everything you want to know about solar but are too afraid to ask!” We will celebrate the program’s successes, talk about why now is a great time to go solar, and hear from solar owners and experts alike!

REGISTER NOW

Ready to schedule a site assessment or wanting to receive important program updates? Fill out this short form to either request a free, no obligation site assessment with StraighUp Solar, receive important program updates directly to your inbox, or both.

SCHEDULE/RECEIVE UPDATES

Need more information about this program? Learn about the MREA’s history of facilitating these programs, the success this program has previously experienced, and a biography for this program’s installer, StraightUp Solar, on our About page.

LEARN MORE

Want to see more solar in the Metro East area? Help us get the word out about the Grow Solar Metro East program! Check out our media kit for easily shareable social media and email language and graphics. Thanks for helping grow solar!

SPREAD THE WORD

Organizations and jurisdictions listed above are supportive of the Grow Solar Metro East Program’s efforts to educate consumers about solar. The Program follows a standard competitive public RFP process coordinated by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) to select a solar provider. The final decision whether to contract a solar installation is that of the home or commercial property owner. The organizations and jurisdictions listed above have no legal responsibility or hold any liability for the performance of any contract between the solar installer and residents or businesses in Madison County, Monroe County, or St. Clair County.

MREA

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Headquarters: 7558 Deer Road, Custer, WI 54423 | 715-900-2474 |

© 2023 · Grow Solar

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