Come next year, low-income residents will be able to switch to clean energy and save

TRI-CITIES—Next summer, residents will be able to switch to clean energy, and low and moderate income residents can save 10 to 20 percent off their normal energy bill.

And you don't even need to have solar panels on your roof to access it—it's for everyone, especially those who live in public housing.

How does that work? In 2020, a bill was passed in the General Assembly that allowed for the creation of shared solar. Contractors like Dimension Renewable Energy were than able to construct solar facilities throughout Virginia, building solar panels for communal use. The energy generated from these "solar farms" get fed into the electrical grid for the region, and allow people who normally can't have put solar panels on their roofs—like renters—to be able to switch to the solar energy produced through these community solar farms.

Those using Dominion Energy will be able to switch to a clean energy carrier of their choice. Those that decide to switch to solar energy will pay a subscriber fee and a "minimum bill" fee. As of July, that minimum bill fee was $55, but legislators are working to hopefully reduce the cost, as clean energy advocates state this fee is the highest in the nation.

However, fees will be different for those who are low to moderate income (LMI). The bill also mandated that 30 percent of customers who switch to this solar service be low to moderate income, those who make under 80 percent of the area median income. For LMI individuals, they do not need to pay the minimum bill fee. And for Dimension customers, there will also be no subscriber fee; residents will just pay for whatever their watt usage is for the month. LMI households should be able to see a 10 to 20 percent reduction in their energy bill.

Dimension Renewable Energy has built eight solar farms and has partnered with nonprofit Community Housing Partners to enroll those that live in CHP's public housing into the renewable energy program next year. Some 450 Hopewell and Petersburg CHP residents will have the option to enroll in shared solar and benefit from lower energy bills, including those that live in Hopewell's Kippax Place and The Summit Apartments, and Petersburg's Westover Commons and Sentry Woods Apartments.

"Shared solar is another way for us to help low-income families in a responsible, climate-friendly way," said Janaka Casper, CEO of Community Housing Partners and a member of the Virginia Clean Energy Advisory Board. "We plan to work with Dimension and other partners to help bring the benefits of shared solar to our residents."

The shared solar program starts next July. Anyone interested in switching to solar can do so through the Dominion website, where they will be setting up a customer portal.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia low-income residents set to access shared solar next year