COMMUNITY SOLAR / LAND & LOCAL COMMUNITIES
A productive use of land.
A shared local benefit.
Explore what hosting a solar garden involves: site planning, a potential long-term lease or sale, local review, and electricity savings for subscribers in the community.
Explore property opportunities ↗
COMMUNITY-SCALE GENERATION / ENTERPRISE ENERGYFOR PROPERTY OWNERS
Understand the opportunity.
Start with the property, your goals and the practical fit. Enterprise evaluates access, usable land, utility interconnection and local requirements before advancing a site. Lease or purchase terms are negotiated for each opportunity.
FOR LOCAL REVIEWERS & NEIGHBORS
Understand the project.
Review the proposed layout, setbacks, screening, drainage, access and end-of-life plans. The local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) determines the applicable review process. The explainer below shows how a garden serves subscribers through the utility.
01 / HOW COMMUNITY SOLAR WORKS
Local energy.
One utility bill.
In the on-bill payment arrangement shown here, subscribers continue paying their utility. The utility applies the bill credits and subscription charges, then pays Enterprise.
ELECTRICITY / STEP 1 OF 4
Local solar.
Your same utility.
The solar garden sends electricity into the utility grid. Your utility continues delivering power to your home or business.
Follow the next steps to see how community solar changes your bill.
Under this on-bill arrangement, you do not make a separate monthly subscription payment to Enterprise. The utility collects the subscription charge on your bill and pays Enterprise.
Billing and eligibility vary by program and utility. This illustrates the on-bill arrangement described above; some community solar programs use separate subscription invoices. Bill credits are an accounting benefit, not a dedicated wire from the garden to your home.
02 / THE BILL, SIMPLIFIED
Same utility.
A new line of savings.
Credits reduce your bill. A smaller subscription charge pays for your participation, leaving net savings on the subscribed portion.
Illustrative numbers only. Actual savings, credit values and charges depend on your subscription, production and program rules.
- Charges before community solar
- $120
- Community solar credit
- −$100
- On-bill subscription charge
- +$85
- You pay the utility
- $105
03 / WHAT’S ON SITE
A solar garden,
from the ground up.
Solar panels & racking +
Panels convert sunlight into electricity. Racking supports them in fixed rows or on tracking systems that follow the sun.
Inverters & electrical equipment +
Inverters convert direct-current electricity into alternating current for the grid. Transformers, meters and protective equipment support the grid connection.
Foundations & access +
Engineered foundations support the equipment. Access roads allow maintenance and emergency access, with layouts tailored to site conditions.
Groundcover & screening +
Site plans can include pollinator-friendly vegetation, erosion control and screening suited to the location and permitting requirements.
Fencing & monitoring +
Security fencing restricts access to electrical equipment. Monitoring helps operators track system performance and identify issues.
Utility interconnection +
The point of interconnection is where the project connects to the utility’s network. The utility reviews the connection and defines its technical requirements.
04 / COMMON QUESTIONS
A few things to know.
Do I need solar panels on my roof? +
No. The panels are located at a shared solar garden. Eligibility depends on the program and your utility service territory.
Do I change electric utilities? +
No. Your utility continues to deliver electricity. In the on-bill model shown here, it also remains the recipient of your monthly payment.
Who pays Enterprise? +
The utility collects the subscription charge through your bill and remits the payment to Enterprise under the on-bill arrangement. You do not send Enterprise a separate monthly subscription payment.
Will the garden power my home during an outage? +
A community solar subscription does not itself provide backup power to your home. Your service still depends on the utility network.
How much can I save? +
Savings depend on the subscription agreement, program rules and credited production. Review the applicable offer for the savings calculation, eligibility and cancellation terms.
LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT’S POSSIBLE