going solar: expected bill? Advice Wtd / Project
I'm thinking about going solar in California, and trying to price it out. Based on my utility's rate plans (PG&E), I expect that the typical monthly cost will be something like $25 ($15 E-ELEC, $10 delivery charge) plus whatever I give/take to the grid.
One solar company mentioned that my utility essentially "taxes" solar arrays by charging a fixed amount per each kW of solar. But I cannot find anything online about this--either at the utility website, or searching via google. Can anyone who recently went solar in the Bay Area tell me what I can expect? Thank you!
Edit: Yes, I'll have a battery.
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u/ArtOak78 11h ago
There is no per kW fee for PG&E or for other CA utilities. Fees are currently set at the state level for both local permitting (statewide cap; they can charge less, but I don’t know of any jurisdictions that do!) and for interconnection.
Do remember that the new flat rate kicks in next year, too, which will be a set rate of around $24 per household with lower per kWh rates. That changes the math a bit too.
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u/AngryTexasNative 10h ago
Just realize you won’t get very much for what you give to the grid and will be charged a great deal for what you take.
Winter solar production in NorCal is lousy, so if you have a heat pump you’ll likely import a lot of power.
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u/wizzard419 8h ago
It really depends on how large an array you're getting. I don't have a bill because mine is over my normal usage and am on NEM2, but if you have a smaller system you may end up having a bill, but it may still be worth it if it's cutting a major chunk out of costs.
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u/SunPathSolutions 8h ago
There is a lot of speculation about what's going to happen with solar across the country. Some power companies do charge a minimum monthly connection fee, but it tends to be in the $15-25 range. Nowhere near enough to say solar isn't worth it.
I sense as the market matures, self generation of electricity is going to be embraced, the power companies will stop fighting it, and we'll find an equilibrium. Likely what will happen is these power companies will focus their attention on maintaining the grid, which we will still need, and let all the independent sources (homeowners and businesses) generate the electricity. Decentralizing our energy sources is beneficial for a host of reasons.
For right now you're looking at powering your home with the panels you purchase, storing some of that in batteries, and backfeeding as little as you can as they don't buy it from you at full retail cost anymore. It's not as good as net metering, but with batteries, it's really not that bad. It is a larger investment, but no one can look at the numbers and honestly say it's not worth it.
Happy to help when you're ready.
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u/Generate_Positive 8h ago
Good installers should be asking you for your interval data and use that in their proposal software to provide, among other data points, a forecast of what you should expect to still owe PGE for electricity once you have solar and storage with net billing tariff aka NEM3
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u/GreenFutureSD 5h ago
What that solar company is buying the electricity generated from their solar system on your roof. PPA or lease under NEM 3.0 is just a scam. We explained this point to all our clients and all the people who signed PPA term under NEM 3.0 and are regreting everyday.
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u/rproffitt1 14h ago
About the roof top tax. Not yet. It's been floated a few times. https://solarrights.org has written about it often but not yet.