Rather than putting solar on your own roof, Community Solar lets you get your power from a larger solar array somewhere else. Depending on the project, you either own the solar panels or subscribe to the power they generate. In either case, you see the savings on your electric bill, just as if the solar panels were located on the roof of your house.
Not every roof works for solar – your roof might be facing the wrong way or be shaded by trees. Community Solar works for those houses, as well as for people who rent and don’t own their roofs. Community Solar also means you don’t have to worry about maintenance of your solar panels, and it’s generally far less expensive than rooftop solar.
Putting solar panels together in a single larger solar project is far less expensive than installing solar on many separate roofs. Community Solar projects can also be located in parts of Oregon where there’s more sunshine, meaning you need to buy fewer solar panels to power your house
If you’re participating in one of our “ownership” projects, you legally own the solar panels and can take the tax credit for them. The federal Investment Tax Credit for solar is currently 30%. There is no state tax credit for solar in Oregon. If you subscribe to a project, we will take the tax credit and use it to reduce the cost of the solar panels.
Community Solar programs have been running in Colorado, Minnesota, New York and elsewhere for many years. Oregon’s Community Solar program was created by the Oregon legislature in 2016, and went live in 2020.
Oregon Clean Power finds a site for the solar, oversees construction, and manages it once it’s built. Electricity customers either buy into the project, purchasing enough panels to cover all or part of their annual electricity needs, or subscribe for a certain amount of electricity. The panels feed electricity into the grid, and your electric utility credits you for the power your panels make on your electric bill each month.
No. PGE and Pacific Power are required by the State of Oregon to show the credits on your electric bill, but this is not a utility program.
You cannot participate in this program, but Oregon Clean Power has other ways you can invest in solar in Oregon.
OCPC is a registered Project Manager for the Oregon Community Solar Program, and would manage, finance and operate the project.
You can subscribe to a project, or we have arranged financing through Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union.
If you move within your utility territory, your panels can stay with you. If you move out of your current utility territory, you can transfer ownership to someone else who is eligible, or sell your panels back to Oregon Clean Power.
Yes, but the program is focused on residential. Businesses receive a 10% lower rate for the power their solar panels produce, and only one large business is allowed per project. Small businesses can participate if their electric bill is on Pacific Power rate schedule 23 or PGE rate schedule 32.
We’re currently taking names of people here, and will let you know when a project is ready for participants.