Sign Up For Community Solar

Summary: Sign up for community solar and start saving money and the planet with reusable energy today!

Description

What is community solar and how does it work?

The easiest way to explain community solar is that you are purchasing coupons for your electricity bill each month. By signing on for community solar, you both support the construction and maintenance of local green energy projects, and you save money on electricity. It’s a win-win! For a breakdown of the specifics of community solar, here’s a step-by-step guide to how it works, using Nexamp and Eversource as examples.

Who can participate in community solar?

Anyone who receives a monthly electric bill can participate in community solar, so this program is perfect for renters, condo association members, homeowners, landlords, and even companies. Nexamp specifically works with customers who have Eversource or National Grid as their electricity provider. 

Is Nexamp the only community solar company in this area?

Not at all! There are lots of community solar projects in Massachusetts right now, provided by an array of companies. Compare costs, requirements, and estimated annual savings for projects in your utility’s service area by visiting:

https://goclean.masscec.com/clean-energy-solutions/community-solar/

Why do it? 

A community solar subscription saves you money on your electric bill and helps to support development of solar power in Massachusetts. This is a great option for renters, condo owners or those who can’t put solar on their roof. 

Where are the projects?  

The project can be anywhere in your utility’s service territory. 

Deep Dive

Steps to Take

1. A community solar company (e.g. Nexamp) builds a solar farm.

2. The energy produced by this solar farm goes into the local utility’s grid (e.g. Eversource).

3. Eversource gives energy credits to Nexamp equal to the value of the electricity produced by their solar farm.

4. You sign up with Nexamp to participate in their community solar program.

   • There is no fee for sign-up or cancellation with Nexamp.

5. Nexamp reviews your electricity usage from the last year and assigns you a certain number of solar panels on their farm.

6. The energy produced by these solar panels is applied to your Eversource account as a “Net Metering Credit”.

7. This credit rolls over month to month, often resulting in 0$ electric bills from Eversource.

8. Each month, you receive a bill from Nexamp for the energy credits applied to your Eversource account.

   • These energy credits are discounted by 12.5%, leading to significant savings over the course of the year.

   • You will receive more credits in the summer when the solar panels are producing the most energy. This means your bills from NexAmp will be higher in the summer and lower in the winter.