Community Power at Sunnyside

Community solar is a program where members subscribe to receive a portion of the energy produced by a large solar facility that isn’t located at their property as a credit on their electricity bills.

• The Sunnyside Community Solar Program allows LPEA members to subscribe to solar energy produced by LPEA’s Sunnyside Solar facility. Members can access solar energy without installing their own solar panels. Members receive credits on their energy bills based on their subscription and the actual amount of energy produced at Sunnyside Solar. 

• About half of the Sunnyside Community Solar Program is dedicated specifically to income-qualified LPEA members, and another portion of the program will be open to any residential or commercial LPEA member in the general membership. 

A “subscription” refers to the amount of solar power an individual member will receive. Subscriptions are sized in kilowatts (kW) DC and will be sized based on participating members’ historical usage, up to a limit. You’re not getting power from a particular panel, but from your portion of the overall output of the array. More details are in the Subscription Details section. 

Total capacity is 2.125 MW DC, 1.7 MW AC. It is expected to generate ~4600 MWh of energy annually, enough to power approximately 600 homes. There are 3,627 panels installed. It has a footprint of 9 acres.

• Any LPEA member who does not already have solar or participate in a community solar garden.

• Income-qualified members will need to provide proof of income or participation in another qualifying program in order to apply for the income-qualified program. Find more information in the Income-Qualified FAQs.  

Participants benefit from accessing solar energy without upfront costs or installation legwork, reducing their energy bills, and contributing to greenhouse gas reduction goals. Income Qualified members will also receive 20% energy savings. 

• Residents can subscribe up to 100% of their annual consumption, capped at 10 kW.
• Commercial members can subscribe up to 100% of their annual consumption, capped at 25 kW.

• General members pay a subscription fee based on the estimated solar production from their subscription. The subscription fee is 5% more than current energy rates, and the benefits include accessing local renewable energy and getting a fixed price for the length of the contract. This fee is billed monthly over a 12-month period and remains constant for the length of the contract.

• Income-qualified members have no costs and receive a monthly bill credit equivalent to 20% energy savings based on their kW subscription’s production value.

• To obtain an estimate of your subscription fee, use our Community Solar Subscription Cost Estimator.

Subscriptions will start on October 1st, 2024 and will show up on members’ November bills. Applicable subscription fees will also begin on November bills.

The initial subscription period will be for 5 years, until March 31, 2029.

Absolutely! Community solar is a great option for renters or those who aren’t able to install their own solar panels.

If you move within LPEA’s service territory, you can take your subscription with you! We may work with you to adjust your subscription size, if needed and if additional capacity is available. If you move outside of LPEA’s service territory, your subscription will be cancelled. General membership subscribers will have their net-meter bank paid out to them at LPEA’s wholesale energy cost.

Yes! You are welcome to apply for multiple accounts. The lottery will be drawn by account number so there is no guarantee multiple accounts will be selected.

Yes, absolutely. If you are on a Time of Use (TOU) rate, LPEA will credit the kWh produced from Sunnyside Community Solar to you at a blended rate of ~$0.10047/kWh.

For income-qualified members, any unused solar bank is forfeited at the end of the year. General subscribers will have their solar bank credited using the standard payout procedure for net-metered accounts.

No. You may unenroll for any reason, and at any point of your subscription period.

The Sunnyside Solar facility is expected to produce power for at least 20 years. LPEA intends to conduct four 5-year subscription periods. At the end of the initial subscription period, participating subscribers may have the option to renew their subscription or unenroll, although LPEA reserves the right to open a new enrollment. Subscription terms and conditions are subject to change for each new subscription period.

• Income-qualified members receive a single credit line item on their bill reflecting the value of the energy their subscription produces each month.

• General Members will see two new line items on their bill. There will be a monthly subscription fee based on the kW size of their subscription. There will also be a single credit line item on their bill reflecting the value of the energy their subscription produces each month.

• For both programs, Income Qualified and General Membership, the net meter bank functions like a typical net-metered account, with credits applied to bills when consumption exceeds production and the net-meter bank balance is positive. See the Sample Bill images below.

Current residential LPEA members with annual household incomes under 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) are eligible to participate. You can find the income limits in the graphic below. You can auto-qualify if you are currently receiving or enrolled in a qualifying program: LEAP, TANF, SNAP, SSI, WAP or CARE, Head Start, and the school free and reduced lunch program.

Nothing! Subscriptions are free for income-qualified members.

Community Solar credit is designed to provide a 20% savings on your energy charges that are on your electric bill.

Apply directly with our program partner, 4CORE. They will be managing all income-qualified applications. 

This program is currently filled. You may email communitysolar@lpea.coop to inquire about qualifications and click here to apply to be added to a waitlist. 

Qualification does not guarantee participation. However, LPEA is guaranteeing participation for the first 100 applicants, so apply now!

View the Sunnyside Community Solar Process Timeline graphic below. 

After submitting your waitlist interest form:

1. You will receive a verification email confirming receipt.
2. Your submission will undergo review and verification to ensure eligibility.
3. You will then be added to either the Sunnyside Community Solar General Membership or Income Qualified Waitlist (depending on eligibility).
4. As other subscribers drop off the program or move out of the service territory, subscription capacity will become available. 
5. We will assess available subscription capacity each March and contact waitlist members on a first-come-first-served basis based on waitlist position, so if you are interested we encourage you to complete the interest form today! 

We will assess available subscription capacity each March and contact waitlist members on a first-come-first-served basis based on waitlist position, so if you are interested we encourage you to complete the interest form today! 

Yes, we expect subscriptions to Sunnyside Community Solar to open up each year as members leave the program or move out of the service territory.