Energy Innovation
Sacramento Municipal
Utility District
SolarShares Program
 

The Sacramento Utility District is recognized for expanding the use of solar power by providing customers the option to subscribe to a portion of a large photovoltaic system. While Senate Bill 1, California’s Million Solar Roofs Initiative, provides for an important step toward commitment to solar installations for home and building owners, a significant percentage of SMUD’s ratepayers are renters who are not able to access the initiative’s ownership model for photovoltaics (PV). Solar Shares provides “virtual PV ownership,” where customers get the benefits of a PV system without actually having one on their rooftops. SolarShares offers subscriptions to portions of a large locally-sited solar “farm.” For a low fixed monthly fee, SolarShares subscribers receive all the benefits of solar ownership: “virtual” net metering from a guaranteed amount of local solar generation, no maintenance, and portability within district territory. Furthermore, the program encourages energy efficiency as a complement to solar. Finally, SolarShares is a win-win proposition: the economies of scale and full monetization of the federal tax credits work to lower both the costs of solar to customers and the subsidy needed from the utility to make solar affordable.