Georgia Power dedicates first solar facility to power community solar program
Georgia Power dedicated Wednesday the first of two planned solar facilities that will supply the company’s new Community Solar program.
The two-megawatt (MW) project consists of 8,200 panels and sits on more than 10 acres in northeast Georgia.
Customers who subscribe to the program will receive a bill credit based on actual solar energy production at the facility.
Leaders from Georgia Power, Georgia Public Service Commissioners Tim Echols and Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, community leaders, and business leaders participated in an event to dedicate the facility in Comer, Georgia.
“Collaboration between Georgia Power, the Georgia Public Service Commission, solar companies and communities across the state have helped continue to position Georgia as a national solar leader,” Greg Roberts, vice president pricing and planning for Georgia Power, said. “Community Solar is the latest addition to a variety of Georgia Power programs that give customers the flexibility to choose how they want to support the growth of solar energy in our state.”
The Community Solar program will begin in January 2018, but Georgia Power opened pre-enrollment in October. Participation in the program costs $24.99 per one-kilowatt (kW) block per month in exchange for a monthly credit based on a solar facility’s production. Customers are limited to their estimated monthly energy usage and a maximum of 10 one-kW blocks. A total of 3,000 blocks are available for subscription. The solar production of a subscription block will vary due to the season, cloud cover and other factors but is estimated to be between 130 to 240 kilowatt-hours per month.
In addition to the new Comer facility, Georgia Power plans to build another one-MW facility to support the program in another part of the state.
