Greenville Utilities Commission (GUC) is now accepting enrollment applications for its first Community Solar Farm.
The farm will hold 1,120 panels generating 88,173 kilowatt hours a month - all of which goes into GUC’s energy grid. Residential electric customers will have the chance to subscribe to up to five panels.
Each panel will have a one-time set-up fee to cover the costs of enrollment and interconnection. Then each month, subscribers will receive a small credit for how much energy the panel produces, minus a small fee to cover operation, maintenance, and disposal. In the end, it should cost subscribers less than $5 per month, per panel.
Results of GUC’s last two customer satisfaction surveys, along with increasing growth in customer-owned renewable energy interconnections, led to the project. Upon completion, GUC will become the second public utility in North Carolina to offer community solar to residents.
In GUC’s most recent customer satisfaction survey, 53% of respondents said they wanted to help reduce carbon emissions and would be willing to pay extra each month to do so. Most said they’d be willing to pay between $1 and $5 extra, with some saying they’d pay more than that.
“Providing renewable energy options for only those customers who are willing to pay for it is tricky outside of personal solar installation,” said GUC’s Electric Planning Engineer Kyle Brown. “After researching and talking to other public utilities, we chose community solar. It allows our electric customers to access solar-produced electricity when they can’t install panels at their home due to cost, space, or rental status.”
GUC contracted with Axis Energy to build a 500-kilowatt solar farm next to its Liquefied Natural Gas Plant across from Bradford Creek Soccer Complex. Construction is set to begin in March. When complete, GUC will own, operate, and maintain the facility.
To register or find more details, customers can call 252-752-7166 or visit Community Solar Program.