Oregon Community Solar program

The Oregon Community Solar program gives you a new option to receive utility bill credits in exchange for buying or leasing part of a community solar project. Community solar projects are large solar systems and can be located on buildings – like businesses, government buildings, schools or churches – or they can be free-standing solar arrays in an undeveloped area. 

Project managers develop and build community solar projects, and you can subscribe to part of a project to receive credits on your electric bills.

How does this work? First, a project manager develops a community solar project. Then, you can subscribe to the project by signing up with a project manager. When the community solar project begins generating clean energy, you will start receiving a credit on your utility bill for your portion of the electricity generated.

For more information, please visit oregoncsp.org.

Steps for Customer Participation

1. Establish your eligibility

Oregon customers of Pacific Power, Portland General Electric and Idaho Power are eligible to participate in the Oregon Community Solar Program. You can participate if you are a resident (whether you own, rent or live in a single-family, multifamily or manufactured home) or a business (whether you own or rent your space).

2. Find a project

Project managers will be able to submit projects for consideration by the Oregon Community Solar Program in January 2020. Once projects are approved by the program and project managers begin building them, you will be able to find active projects on the Community Solar Program website at oregoncsp.org. You will be able to connect directly with a project you are interested in joining through the program’s Find a Project web page. 

3. Subscribe to a community solar project

To subscribe to a community solar project, you must sign up with the project manager that is building or operating the project. You and other subscribers will sign a contract with the project manager for a portion of the solar system. You and other subscribers receive credits on your monthly electricity bills for the energy generated by your portion of the community solar project in the prior month.

English flyer: Oregon Community Solar Program

Spanish flyer: El Programa Solar Comunitario de Oregon

FAQ

Community Solar Program Documents