You may choose to develop a microFIT project in collaboration with members of your community. For example, you could develop a project with:

• a local school
• a community centre, church or library
• a non-profit organization
• a community cooperative
• a neighbourhood group.

As a community, you could work together to develop your microFIT project by:

• raising money for your project
• selecting a qualified installer and equipment supplier
• choosing an appropriate site location
• connecting your project to the grid
• ongoing maintenance and management.

The community organization would be the microFIT contract holder and would receive payments for the electricity produced from the project. This organization would be responsible for distributing the profits from the project to its members.

Some of the benefits of developing a community-owned microFIT project could include:

• sharing the costs and risks of developing the microFIT project
• contributing to the development of renewable energy projects within your local community.

Some of the risks of developing a community-owned microFIT project could include:

• decision-making within a group may be a lengthier process than reaching a decision on your own
• the equipment you have purchased does not perform as well as expected
• investors leave and new investors cannot provide the required financial support (i.e., the financial viability of the project becomes at risk).