Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, the solar power industry has been advancing by leaps and bounds all around the world. More and more people were getting convinced to make the shift to cleaner energy sources, and it was becoming increasingly clear that solar is the energy of the future.

However, the global pandemic stopped a full-blown solar revolution cold in its tracks. Production of new solar panels hit a snag with the usual transport of goods interrupted, so even existing orders are getting delayed.

It’s clear as day that the solar power industry needs public help so it can survive and continue to deliver the clean energy of the future the moment the pandemic comes to an end.

What you can do to help the industry keep its head above water is to realize that rooftop solar is not the only way to use clean energy. The case for community solar or shared solar is stronger now more than ever.

As discussed by ChooseSolar, community solar is centered around the idea that the responsibility for building, installing, and maintaining solar panels should not be solely and personally born by customers who just want to enjoy solar power for their residential needs.

So instead of selling solar panels for interested customers, some solar power companies install industrial-sized panels on a remote site, where nearby residents can receive the generated solar power from these farms. And it can reduce your financial burden.

Advocates of shared solar believe that the only way for solar power to move forward and take its place as the next main source of power on the planet is to make things as accessible — if not more — than traditional, fuel-based power.

These solar ‘gardens’ only need interested clients to subscribe to the service of the company running the site. This means customers don’t even have to purchase or install anything — not panels, not receivers, not anything. The subscription can be activated through a phone call or an online application, and all subsequent transactions may be done virtually.

This is a promising concept for newbies in the solar play because most of the hesitation about solar power right now stems from the fact that not many people are willing to let strangers into their homes just to install solar panels. Some COVID-patients in the U.S. reported that they got the virus despite strictly staying at home, just because they had to hire technicians, plumbers, or even HVAC professionals to deal with their domestic troubles.

In the interest of safety, signing up for a shared solar garden is the next most viable solution. This option is also a good bet for those who don’t have roof access, such as homeowners in condominium buildings– or even renters.

With the pandemic notwithstanding, it’s a great time to position ourselves in the solar power industry and reap its benefits when the upside gets fulfilled in the future. While COVID-19 halted operations of roof panel makers, it also exposed us to the staggering impact of the continued use of non-renewable power. When the world came to a standstill, we saw pictures of city skylines without the smog and we realized that virtually all of us have a premium view in our homes– most of it is just hidden and tucked away behind polluted air.

The way we all watched a ‘mysterious virus’  spread all over the world from an unassuming, provincial town in China also got us all thinking about the global repercussions of our acts. There is no denying that we are all part of a global community, so if we truly want to succeed in creating a sustainable lifestyle, we must think long and hard about how far the impact of our actions can reach.

Indeed, we should all be doing our part in ensuring that solar power stands its ground against present challenges, that we may be able to avail of its benefits in the future — hopefully, through shared solar farms.