Santa Clara City encourages every Solar Applicant to research solar before deciding if it is right them. Here are some helpful links to help your research:
Consumer Affairs Solar Energy Guide – please note this link will redirect you to the consumer affairs website.
What is Net Metering?
How does it work?
- The Customer uses energy produced from their solar panels. If they produce more energy than what the home needs, the excess energy is fed into the Utility.
- The City of Santa Clara provides power to the customer when needed (when the solar panels aren’t producing enough energy).
- The Customer is billed off the net usage between what they used from the City and the energy they fed into the Utility.
How are Solar customers billed?
- Solar Customers shall be billed for the appropriate customer service charge (base rate) as other customers of the City in the same rate class.
2. One of these two options:
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- If the Customer uses more energy from the City than the energy supplied back into the Utility, then the customer shall be billedfor the net kWh usage in the same rate class as other Customers of the City.
- If the energy generated by the Customer and distributed back to the Utility exceeds the energy supplied to the Customer then the Customer shall be creditedfor the excess net energy at the Renewable Power Rate of .06 cents per kWh.
3. Billed the Solar Reliability Charge.
What is a Solar Reliability Charge?
To determine your Solar Reliability Charge, take the total kW installed and multiply by 158 kWh (estimated generation per month), to get the total kWh solar generation for the month. The Solar Reliability Charge is $0.-2613 per kWh or $4.13 per kW.