CUB Advocates for Transparent and Accessible Community Solar Program
Posted on February 22, 2017 by Liz Jones
Tags, Energy
As most of our readers know, CUB and its allies succeeded in passing legislation last year that will allow PGE, Pacific Power, and Idaho Power’s customers to obtain solar power from “community solar projects”. Until now residential ratepayers had limited options for obtaining solar energy. Under a utility’s “net-metering” program, a residential customer could install solar panels on their home and then off-set the energy generated from those panels against their monthly energy usage.
Unfortunately, for many residential customers, installing solar panels is simply not an option. For example, roof-top solar is not a viable option for customers who are renting, own a home that is shaded or not oriented towards the sun, or are prohibited from installing solar panels by association rules or local ordinances. Yet, set against these limitations, are customers that increasingly want to exercise choice in how their energy needs are met, particularly in favor of clean renewable sources.
So what is a “community solar” project? Broadly speaking, community solar is an array of solar panels that may be jointly owned or subscribed to by multiple customers. Projects may be developed by the utility or a third party developer. Customers then subscribe or purchase a portion of the solar project to be used to meet their energy needs. The projects may be located as near as your neighborhood community center, or in sunny Eastern Oregon.
CUB sees community solar as an innovative program to allow customers to participate in solar in ways that were previously unavailable. Over the past six months, Oregon Public Utility Commission Staff has held, and CUB has attended, multiple stakeholder meetings to discuss the goals and parameters of the program. Staff is currently working on draft rules for the program. CUB will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed rules in the coming months. Ultimately, CUB will be advocating for a community solar program that is transparent, easy for customers to understand and navigate, and which opens avenues for solar participation to a greater number of residential customers.
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02/22/17 | 0 Comments | CUB Advocates for Transparent and Accessible Community Solar Program