Microgrid Solar has completed hundreds of solar projects, mostly focused in Midwestern states. The company recently kicked off a national expansion plan to open offices in five cities, including Chicago.

Solar Chicago is a group-purchase program that is being offered by the City of Chicago, in partnership with Vote Solar, a national solar advocacy group headquartered in San Francisco, and the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center. The program administration and marketing is being funded by a grant from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Vote Solar invited solar contractors to bid and a committee selected the team headed up by Microgrid and Juhl Renewable Energy Systems as contractors for the upcoming solar installations.

The contractors are offering financing to homeowners that allows the system to be purchased with no money down, and with immediate savings on electric bills.

But the real opportunity is created through the group-discounted pricing, which provides solar at 25 percent below market rates. Kacie Peters, Chicago area Sales Manager, said, "This program, when combined with the two state incentives and the federal tax credit, is the best deal on solar anyone is likely to see for a long time."

Solar Chicago was officially kicked off July 9, 2014, and the goal is to jumpstart solar installations in the city, according to Chicago's Chief Sustainability Officer, Karen Weigert.

"We think of this as a way to bring more people into thinking about solar as an option," she said. "And as the market gets stronger with more installations happening in Chicago, we expect there to be more and more growth."

Sarah Wochos, co-legislative director of the Environmental Law and Policy center, said her organization's role is to get out the word about the program.

"We have contacted every alderman, every neighborhood group, every book club, every chamber of commerce organization. We see value in trying to help push these types of opportunities into the public space. The more that it happens, the quicker the market grows," she said.

Jessie Denver, program director for Vote Solar, said, "It really makes going solar in this area extremely affordable, and what we really needed for this program to be successful, was to aggregate the demand of the community."

Interested homeowners can visit the program website to register at http://www.mygroupenergy.com/group/solarchicago. Once registered, they will be connected with Microgrid or Juhl to schedule their site evaluation and receive a proposal. Registration does not obligate homeowners moving forward.