The city of Milwaukee and the Village of Shorewood are partnering with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) to help home and business owners go solar this summer. With support from a U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative grant, the MREA has used the partnerships to establish two programs, Solar Shorewood and Milwaukee Shines Solar Group Buy, to facilitate group purchasing of solar power. It will host a free informational session about volume purchasing plans at 6 p.m., June 6, at Colectivo Coffee, in Shorewood.

Residents who attend the session will also learn about the basics of solar electric power; what makes a home ideal for solar; the financial outlook for a solar investment; and the steps for participating in the group-buy programs.

Since 2013, the city of Milwaukee has collaborated with the MREA to bring neighborhood-based group purchasing programs for solar to residents all over the city, and 98 Milwaukee-area home and business owners have used group buys to install new solar electric systems totaling 322 kilowatts of clean, renewable energy. Participating neighborhoods include Riverwest, Bay View, Layton Boulevard West, Washington Heights and the East Side.

Location: 4500 N. Oakland Ave. For more information about the program and future information sessions, visit GrowSolar.org.