A solar-power group-purchasing program in Madison County is dipping its toe in new waters for its second year.

Solarize Madison enlisted Madison County residents, businesses, farms, and organizations to buy or lease photovoltaic electrical-generating systems in 2012. By bringing the individual purchasers together, the program aimed to help buyers pay less for their solar panels than they would have if they purchased them individually.

The initiative is still going to offer a photovoltaic purchasing program in 2013. But it will also add a program for the acquisition of solar hot-water systems.

“We’re going to do both,” says Janet Myers, who is Solarize Madison’s program coordinator. “We’re going to primarily focus on solar hot water for our educational campaign. It’s a technology that many customers don’t understand.”

Instead of producing electricity, solar hot-water systems use the power of the sun to generate hot water. They don’t always completely replace electrically heated hot-water and tanks, but they preheat water to cut electrical consumption, according to Myers.

She doesn’t know exactly what the systems on offer will look like or what they will cost, because Solarize Madison is in the process of selecting installation firms for 2013. The organization issued a request for proposals (RFP) on Feb. 6, with a March 6 deadline for installers to reply.

Pricing won’t be available until the RFP process is complete. Myers hopes to install 20 hot-water systems and 15 photovoltaic systems in Madison County in the program’s the second round.

In 2012, Solarize Madison helped individuals from 28 locations in the county sign contracts to install photovoltaic systems. That was just short of its goal, which was 30 contracts signed. However, the initiative exceeded its power-generation goals — the contracts totaled 177 kW, beating Solarize Madison’s goal of between 100 kW and 150 kW.

The initiative offered the option of purchasing or leasing systems in 2012. ETM Solar Works, of Endicott, was selected to install five leased systems, and Arista Power, Inc., of Rochester, won a bid process to install 23 direct-owned systems.

Crews had completed all but seven of the direct-owned systems as of Jan. 15, Myers says. They had an average price per watt of 4.47 cents. The seven systems yet to be installed were slated to have an average price per watt of 4.1 cents.

Solarize Madison also helped facilitate the installation of a $29,400 system in Oneida County. It totals 7 kW.

Myers doesn’t know if Solarize Madison will select multiple installers or a single installer for its second year.

“There’s a lot of unrest in the industry right now,” she says. “We want to see what our options are and what’s out there.”

Even though installers have yet to be selected, the initiative is signing up early registrants for its second year. It will be open to residential owners, businesses, farms, and nonprofits again. But Myers wants to work to reach more farms, businesses, and nonprofits.

“They have huge benefits for going solar,” she says.

The Madison County Planning Department stands behind the program, which also has support from Morrisville State College. More than 20 Morrisville students trained with Arista Power last year when it installed Solarize Madison direct-buy systems.

Other Solarize programs rise in New York

Programs in other parts of the state are following Solarize Madison’s lead.

Arista Power and the Genesee County Economic Development Center partnered to start Solarize Genesee, according to Myers. Arista is also part of Solarize Hornell and Solarize Seneca initiatives. And another effort, Solarize Tompkins SE, will offer group purchasing for those in Caroline, Danby, and Dryden.

Myers, who owns the Solarize service mark in New York state, says she will act as a consultant with the new programs.

“Jan’s been a huge help,” says Mark Witmer, Solarize Tompkins SE project manager. “She provided their RFP and we have bought the Solarize name for our campaign, so we’re allied with her project.”

The Tompkins efforts started after Witmer met Myers at the end of October, he says. Solarize Tompkins SE put out its RFP Feb. 18. Interested firms must respond by March 18, and the initiative will settle on an installer or installers after that.

Solarize Tompkins SE wants to offer photovoltaic systems and hot-water systems in 2013. Its goal is to help set up 30 total systems.

Like Solarize Madison, Solarize Tompkins SE wants to make its systems available to homeowners, farmers, businesses, municipal buildings, and other institutions. While only those in Caroline, Danby, and Dryden can take advantage of the program in its first year, a wider service area could be on the horizon.

“I would be really surprised if it doesn’t expand next year to the whole county or to large portions of it,” Witmer says. “We hear interest from everywhere, which is exciting.”

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com