Oregon Community Solar Program seeks public input on next phase
The Oregon Community Solar Program recently celebrated its first year of bringing access to local, tidy energy to people and neighborhoods throughout Oregon. Now, the program is expecting the next stage while assessing the progress of the very first year.
Released in January 2020, the program has totally allocated the initial capability available to many projects, with capacity still available for little and community-led jobs. The first jobs granted capability came online earlier this year, permitting subscribers to receive the advantages of community solar while saving cash on their utility bills. Interest in new projects continues to grow as authorized jobs that surpass readily available capability are being accepted to a waitlist.
The program provides a distinct chance to make solar power available to those who may not have the ability to pay for, or have the infrastructure to support, standard solar alternatives. Community solar jobs are available to clients of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power and Idaho Power and lie throughout Oregon. Neighborhood solar projects can be situated either on structures within the neighborhood they are planned to serve, or anywhere else in the same utility service area.
The Oregon Community Solar Program is preparing to release extra capacity and is looking for public comment through June 3. Individuals interested in taking part are invited to send their comments to kacia.brockman@puc.oregon.gov.
On June 4, the Oregon Community Solar Program Administrator and OPUC will host a public workshop to get stakeholder input on the next stage of the program. Workshop details, consisting of guidelines for signing up with, are readily available here.
Businesses and residents thinking about signing up for a part of a planetary system can enroll through the Oregon Community Solar Program site. In addition, Energy Trust provides Community Solar Development Assistance to support early development activities of public and small or nonprofit-led tasks getting involved in the program.
The Oregon Community Solar Program is managed by the Oregon Public Utility Commission and administered by Energy Solutions, Energy Trust and Community Energy Project.