Does solar make any sense when the city council is switching us to solar anyway?
I've been looking at solar for my home trying to decide if would make sense. I just received quotes from solar company who would install solar on my home and I would pay $0.15-$0.22kWhr. I've signed a tentative contract and but just received a notice city councils in many Bay Area cities have voted to have citizens buy renewable electric power for only $0.07 kWhr.
From what I've read once the city council votes everyone is AUTOMATICALLY switched from buying electricity from PG&E to an organization called MCE? If you want PG&E you have to opt out of the program. This has already happened in Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Benicia and many other cites in the East Bay, (But not the city I am in.)
There's a cryptic billboard on 680 in Walnut Creek about the program.
If MCE sells renewable (solar, wind) electricity for $0.07 kWhr it seems like it would be silly to install solar on my roof and pay 3 times as much to the solar company for electricity.
Does anyone know about this program? Am I right not to install solar now as our city council might be switching us in a few months?
Thanks
Parent Replies
It is more efficient to get solar through the utilities- whether it's PG&E or a community choice aggregator like MCE. California requires that 50% of electricity sold will be from renewable sources, so all the utilities are purchasing more solar and the trend will only continue...my point being that if you live in California, you can do nothing (other than voting for and supporting candidates with strong values about addressing climate change) and still be pretty green. If you want to support solar development, invest in projects in other states without such strong environmental laws. That said, if you can lock into a $0.15 per kWh rate, with no upfront costs and no other hidden monthly charges, you'll probably save money over the long haul. Utility rates go up every year. Because of net metering, the more electricity you use, especially during peak times, the more putting solar on your roof will help you.
While your community's proposed switch to Community Choice Aggregation such as MCE will increase the proportion of renewable energy your monthly bill pays for, you may still benefit from your own rooftop solar installation as 100% of that energy will be renewable. Whether or not you save money is complicated. As the initial response suggests, you will lock in a price and it is most likely that rates will go up over time. However, PG&E will still be responsible for your grid infrastructure. So there may be increased charges (Minimum bill or fixed charges) beyond the price per kilowatt hour consumed as the CPUC decides what PG&E can charge over the next several years.You should look at the contract you are signing to see how subsequent charges for grid infrastructure will affect the bill your solar installer will charge you.
By the way, I suspect the quote of $ .07 per kilowatt hour relates to the wholesale purchase price for larger scale solar not what MCE will be charging you...