Community solar offers communities the chance to reap the benefits of solar energy without having to install solar on their own properties. In a community solar model, a solar facility or farm is built, and homeowners, businesses, and even renters can subscribe to the energy source and receive credit on their electric bills for their share of the power produced. The community solar model has been around for at least a decade, but the market has grown substantially over the last five years. “There’s been an expansion of these types of programs and mechanisms across the country,” said Aaron Halimi, the founder and president of Renewable Properties, a company that develops these kinds of solar facilities in several markets around the U.S. …