On November 24, the Virginia State Company Fee (SCC) issued its closing order in Dominion Power’s Shared Solar minimum bill proceeding — delivering a long-awaited repair that may make this system way more workable for purchasers. The ruling represents a serious enchancment for Virginians who should not exempt from the minimal invoice and can assist develop entry to one of many state’s only instruments for decreasing vitality prices.
The Shared Photo voltaic program aligns with Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger’s Affordable Virginia Plan, guaranteeing that every one Virginians can entry inexpensive, dependable vitality. Nonetheless, the Fee stopped wanting recognizing the complete advantages that shared photo voltaic tasks convey to the electrical grid, shoppers and finally to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Shared Photo voltaic program was created in 2020 — and expanded once more in 2024 — to assist renters and households that may’t set up rooftop photo voltaic achieve entry to inexpensive clear vitality. Prospects subscribe to a neighborhood undertaking and obtain invoice credit that decrease their month-to-month energy prices. However when the SCC set an especially excessive “minimal invoice” in 2022, Shared Photo voltaic grew to become dearer — no more inexpensive — for many non-low-income members, stopping this system from working as supposed.
“As we speak’s order represents a big course correction and may assist extra clients entry considered one of Virginia’s only energy-affordability applications. The Fee made important progress towards enhancing Dominion’s Shared Photo voltaic Program on this ruling and we stay up for working with them subsequent yr to acknowledge the complete vary of grid and ratepayer advantages these tasks ship so this system can function because the Normal Meeting supposed,” mentioned Charlie Coggeshall, Mid-Atlantic regional director for CCSA.
A key a part of yesterday’s ruling is that the Fee reversed the flawed methodology adopted in 2022 and aligned Dominion’s minimal invoice construction with the framework just lately accepted for Appalachian Energy Firm’s Shared Photo voltaic program. Below the brand new construction, the minimal invoice acts as a easy ground — the bottom level a subscriber’s invoice can go — as a substitute of being added on prime of a buyer’s invoice.
For instance, if a buyer’s month-to-month Dominion invoice is $100 and the minimal invoice is $60, Shared Photo voltaic credit can now scale back that invoice to $60. Below the previous system, the client would have paid the $100 invoice plus the $60 minimal invoice, eliminating their financial savings totally.
Whereas the ruling is a serious step ahead, the Fee once more restricted the record of advantages that Shared Photo voltaic tasks are allowed to depend towards lowering the minimal invoice. The Fee acknowledged solely prevented technology and transmission prices for now, leaving out further grid advantages — like prevented line losses and ancillary providers — that decrease system prices for all clients. Though regulators directed Dominion to check these advantages additional, they declined to incorporate them on this minimal invoice calculation. Additionally they continued to deal with the broader financial and environmental advantages of shared photo voltaic as absolutely captured by renewable vitality certificates, regardless of proof on the contrary.
“CCSA stays dedicated to making sure that the complete worth of shared photo voltaic — for purchasers, the Commonwealth and the electrical grid — is mirrored in Virginia’s insurance policies. We stay up for working with the Fee, Dominion, APCo and stakeholders through the recalculation proceedings anticipated over the approaching months to make sure clients are being pretty compensated for the worth that’s being created,” mentioned Coggeshall.
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