Community Scale Solar: No Roof Required

One of the unique features of solar power is that it can be installed almost anywhere at almost any scale. And yet by some estimates 75% of homeowners and businesses are frustrated in their pursuit of solar power because they don't have the necessary space on their home or office to install it. This on-site requirement is the largest barrier for people who want to generate their own power, whether for cost savings today or protection from rising energy bills.

That restriction may go away if SB 843, the "Community-Scale Solar Bill" that recently passed the California Senate, can get through the Assembly and make its way to Governor Brown's desk. Authored by Senator Wolk of Davis, SB 843 would allow any customer of California's big IOUs to invest in offsite "community-scale" clean solar power and see the result directly on their energy bill. Schools, business, churches, renters — all would have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of solar power.

Here's how it would work. Under SB 843, utility customers could contract directly with the owner of a large solar power project to buy as much clean electricity as they need. The electricity generated by the solar power project would be delivered to the grid at no cost to the utility. The utility in turn would credit the customer's bill for the amount of electricity they purchased from the project owner.

The beauty of SB 843 is that it not only provides a clever solution to a market barrier but it introduces some important customer benefits as well. Because larger solar systems typically cost less to install than rooftop systems, electricity from community-scale solar will actually cost less than electricity from an onsite system. Plus community-scale customers will be able to choose from multiple suppliers, further ensuring they get a competitive rate.

For developers of large solar projects (like my company Recurrent Energy), SB 843 would open up new markets by enabling access to customers who have previously been difficult to serve. The bill anticipates creating up to 2 gigawatts of new demand for solar, providing a welcome complement to California's RPS program. For rooftop solar companies it provides an alternative product to offer when prospective customers don’t have the right real estate.

Bottom line, there are a lot of things to like about this approach to solar. It allows customers who otherwise have no option the freedom to go solar. It delivers solar to retail customers at competitive prices. It increases the demand for clean energy generation in California without any state subsidy. And it only requires those who benefit to pay; there's no cost-shift burden on non-participating utility customers.

I'm hopeful the leaders in the Assembly will get in gear and schedule the bill for a vote. With the governor's signature SB 843 can go from a great idea to another great California policy driving the future of solar power in our state.

Comments

[Sähköhinta]

Solar panel are one of the most useful things now a days on providing electricity,in Finland now a days electricity and other e-tendering are really successful and lot of all people love it.

[solar power california]

Solar panels at on offsite location is a great idea for businesses without large roofs or sun exposure. Being able to rent solar panels for less than the cost of electricity each month is a viable solution for businesses to help reduce their carbon footprint. Solar power in California is on the rise and it's exciting to see how it is becoming a viable solution for long term reduction of dependence on fossil fuels.

[Sally Johnson]

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[Roof products]

when need to use water proof material in roof construction because roof is outer area and it face all the bad weathers so good quality material is must.

[http://www.quarrix.com/]

Microgrid and utility scale solar plants can be mounted on pole mounts or ground mounts. Where pole mounts organize panels vertically, ground mounts place them side by side on racks.

[Solar Panels]

Luckily, a well-designed and installed solar panel system is durable and simple in concept. In fact, the only part of a solar heating system that has any moving parts requiring maintenance is the pump. Plus, while earlier versions of solar panels were relatively fragile, solar panels are now constructed from strong unbreakable materials, so a solar panel itself requires minimal maintenance to continue doing its job.

[Kurt Amezcua]

Hmm… they should push the SB 843 bill for solar energy. Allowing the community to have solar power will save a lot of things. First it will be the environment, cutting down on pollution then, it will be the person’s finances, helping them to save money. In addition, solar panels can last up to 30 years or more. That’s a lot of benefits don’t you think?

[jessesToons]

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[rentalprotectionagency.com]

How great was your utility invoice this month? If you instantly discover your invoice has rised lately, you have to discover out why it is so great. If the invoice is regular all the while, it may be great all the while without you conscious about it. To determine why your utility invoice is so great, you have to discover the determine for regular utilization. Even though the electrical powered utilization is at regular stage, it does not mean good. Probably it can even further decrease to preserve price.

[Sean Carter]

Solar power has really become a great option. The costs are rapidly decreasing and the service is phenomenal. I've been using bay area solar for awhile now and have only had good experiences

[Bill Shields]

I guess if you don't need a roof, then you don't really need a (http://www.greatcanadian.ca) roofer. Hopefully most people will still want a roof though. People need jobs. -Calgary

[local internet marketing services]

It's very convenient to install solar power because it could be installed anywhere at any scale. But problem will arise to home owners because this technology is invented later that their house has not a particular design for its installment.

[Walter Stevens]

I'm thinking of hiring someone to do roofing in Vancouver for my mother. Her roof is in desperate need of repair. http://affiliatedroofers.ca/

[Solar Panel Melbourne]

The popularity of solar panels, which can be fixed at your roof has grown up in recent years. Solar power is most feasible for majority of households. Thanks!

[Dalzell Destefano]

This solar energy is good to conserve energy. This is also helpful in the far-flung areas where there is no electricity. Even at home we plan to buy equipment for this solar energy.

[Cousar Null]

It's a fabulous article! This could be an answer of the high electric bill nowadays...and this solar energyis very helpful to us!

[Ferrera Hornsby]

This article could be the solution for our problem for the rapid increase of our electric bill.

[Jennifer]

As community solar is large-scale compared to typical residential solar, and this enables it to benefit from economies of scale. solar panels “fixes” our electricity cost, because buying solar panels is like buying 30 years of electricity in advance, so the cost of it cannot increase, and our electric bill would be immune to fossil-fuel price increases.

[Dexter]

Very interesting article. I am wondering how much solar roofing in Abbotsford would cost. Is http://www.cascaderoofing.ca a good place to learn more? Thanks.