How Do Solar Dividends Work?

Solar Dividends are monthly cash payments that are generated from the sale of solar electricity and delivered to individuals as a guaranteed basic income. 

Any community can form a Solar Dividends nonprofit organization whose purpose is to build and maintain community solar arrays to generate Solar Dividends. The nonprofit arranges for a site, contracts for a system design, arranges financing, and builds the community solar array. The array is connected to electricity customers who pay for the electricity they consume. The nonprofit uses the electricity revenue to cover their operating and maintenance expenses, pay off the construction loans, and then use the balance to pay monthly Solar Dividends. 

Solar Dividends are a revolutionary approach to solving two of the most pressing problems facing the world: economic inequality and climate change. They merge two big ideas: guaranteed basic income and solar energy.

Guaranteed basic income programs provide a regular monthly check to an individual without conditions. They have been tested all over the world and have been proven as a way to boost families out of persistent poverty. But government jurisdictions funding pilot programs from tax money are reluctant to commit to permanent funding. Political leaders would like to fund them, but don’t want to raise taxes to pay for it.