Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) customers will soon be able to buy blocks of solar power even if they don’t own a solar electric system. SMUD awarded a contract to enXco to build a one-megawatt solar panel array, the power from which SMUD will buy and then sell to interested customers through its SolarShares pilot program.
The program is the first of its kind in California as well as the largest of its type in the nation and provides all SMUD customers affordable options to purchase solar power. For less than $5 per month and up to about $30 per month, most customers can ensure that at least 10% and up to 50% of their energy comes from the new SMUD “solar farm.”
The solar farm will be located on property near the town of Wilton in southern Sacramento County. Construction begins soon and the array is expected to begin delivering clean, renewable solar power in July.
This array will feature a fixed-tilt system using First Solar modules (Nasdaq: FSLR), which provide generation even in low light.
While enXco as a private entity can take advantage of federal tax incentives to reduce installation costs, SMUD also benefits as the utility can buy solar power at a lower price and pass the savings on to its customers. SMUD also has the option of working with enXco to expand capacity as the SolarShares programs grows.
SolarShares is similar to the SMUD Greenergy® program, which provides an opportunity for customers to buy renewable or “green” power by paying an extra charge on their monthly bill. SMUD then matches up to 100% of their electric needs with purchases of renewable resources for use on the SMUD power system. The very popular SMUD Greenergy program is the fifth-largest green pricing program in the nation with more than 30,000 customers enrolled.
Loading...