San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has filed with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval of its new solar proposal called ‘connected…..to the sun.’
The proposal is designed to give all SDG&E customers options to buy solar power even if they do not own a home, cannot afford a solar investment or do not have the ability to put photovoltaic panels on their roof. Customers could choose to buy all or some of their energy from solar projects located in SDG&E's service territory or negotiate directly with a local solar provider.
‘Research shows that fewer than 30 percent of our customers currently can take advantage of rooftop solar either because of structural, shading or ownership issues,’ notes James P. Avery, senior vice president of power supply for SDG&E.
Share the Sun is a community solar pilot program that would offer up to 10 MW from projects owned by solar providers. Customers could acquire a portion of the power produced by a solar energy system in SDG&E's service area to cover all or part of their electricity use and receive a bill credit for the value of the solar power their portion generates.
Customers opting for the SunRate program would have their energy supplied from local solar projects already under contract to SDG&E. As much as 10 MW will be available under this rate. Customers would buy the solar energy from SDG&E to cover 50%, 75% or all of their energy use. The price will be based on the cost of the solar energy from the local solar projects.
