PG&E Approaches Private Rooftop Solar Milestone
December 09 2016 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced the
company will soon reach a milestone of 2,409 megawatts of installed
private rooftop solar capacity on the energy grid, representing
more than 275,000 solar customers in Northern and Central
California. PG&E expects to reach this state-mandated limit for
its current rooftop solar program this month.
With this milestone, new solar customers that PG&E connects
to the energy grid will be on the next version of the net energy
metering (NEM) program – called NEM 2. NEM is the program for
private rooftop solar customers who generate their own solar energy
and use PG&E energy at night or when the sun’s not shining.
“PG&E is dedicated to supporting our customers’ choice and
control when it comes to their energy. Because of our commitment to
clean energy, we want to make sure our customers are well-informed
and prepared as they start on their solar journey. We’re here to
help them throughout the process and to safely and quickly connect
them to the energy grid,” said Aaron Johnson, Vice President of
PG&E’s Customer Energy Solutions.
While NEM 2 makes modest changes to the structure that has been
in place for more than 20 years, rooftop solar customers continue
to receive subsidies that are borne by all other customers. The
solar market has evolved and PG&E is committed to working with
all parties to find the right balance to support the continued
growth of solar and align the cost of the energy grid for all
customers.
Exploring the NEM 2 program
The NEM 2 program for new solar customers makes modest
adjustments compared to the existing program, including:
- A one-time fee for PG&E to safely
and quickly connect a customer’s rooftop solar system to the energy
grid, which will be $145 for customers installing a system that is
one megawatt or less in size. An average residential customer’s
solar system is five kilowatts in size.
- A small charge for state-mandated costs
contributing to public purpose programs such as low-income or
energy efficiency customer programs. New solar customers on the NEM
2 program will pay these charges on electricity they use from
PG&E’s grid, but not on electricity they use that’s generated
by their solar panels. All other PG&E customers pay these same
charges for all of their energy use.
- New solar customers will be on a
time-of-use rate plan in which the price of electricity depends on
the time of the day.
Solar customers who have already installed their solar panels
and are on the existing version of NEM will be grandfathered into
that program for 20 years from the date their solar system was
connected to the grid.
Continued Support for Solar in California
Since 1993, PG&E has connected more than 275,000 solar
customers to the energy grid in Northern and Central California,
representing about 25 percent of the country’s rooftop solar.
PG&E connects about 6,000 new solar customers every month and
each new solar customer within three business days – compared to
the industry average of four weeks.
PG&E offers a range of tips, tools and resources to help
customers interested in solar get started:
- Prepare your home: By ensuring
their home is energy efficient before going solar, customers can
reduce the size of their solar system and save money in upfront
costs.
- Right-size your system:
Customers can use PG&E’s Solar Calculator to help estimate the
cost and size of the solar system that’s right for them. A new
feature in the calculator will help customers maximize savings by
viewing a customized side-by-side rate analysis using their
historic electric usage data to determine the best time-of-use rate
for them.
- Do the math: Customers should
learn about the different financing options for solar to make an
informed decision that works based on their budget and
lifestyle.
- Pick your partner: PG&E
recommends obtaining bids from at least three solar contractors,
similar to other home improvement projects, and exploring other
ways to hire a vendor that’s right for them.
Earlier this year, PG&E’s announced a new offering for
customers to go solar without installing panels. PG&E’s Solar
Choice program offers customers the option to purchase their
electricity from solar energy generated from new projects built in
PG&E’s service area. This option allows renters, homeowners and
businesses to support solar energy regardless of their location or
ability to physically install solar panels.
Customers can visit www.pge.com/solar to learn more about what
they need to do before going solar, as well as resources for once
they do. PG&E’s dedicated solar customer service center is
available to answer additional questions or concerns at
1-877-743-4112.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
www.pge.com/ and pge.com/news.
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Pacific Gas and Electric CompanyAri Vanrenen, 415-973-5930
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