California SB-43 enables Pacific Gas and Electric customers to subscribe to community solar projects without rooftop panels. Santa Clara County renters and condo owners can join the Green Tariff Shared Renewables and Community Solar Green Tariff programs.
California Senate Bill 43 (2013) and follow-on Public Utilities Commission decisions created community-solar subscription programs through investor-owned utilities. In Santa Clara County, Pacific Gas and Electric administers the Green Tariff Shared Renewables (Solar Choice) and Community Solar Green Tariff programs that let customers without suitable rooftops support and receive bill credits from off-site solar arrays. Subscribers in disadvantaged communities receive a 20-percent bill discount under the Community Solar Green Tariff. Silicon Valley Clean Energy and San Jose Clean Energy, the local community-choice aggregators, also offer 100-percent renewable products that complement the SB-43 framework. Enrollment is monthly and subscriptions can be canceled with 60 days' notice without penalty.
There are no penalty regimes for residents because participation is voluntary. Marketers misrepresenting affiliation with PG&E or community-choice aggregators can be reported to the Public Utilities Commission and Attorney General consumer-protection division.
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See how Santa Clara's community solar rules stack up against other locations.
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