UTILITY / GRID SUPPLIED RENEWABLE POWER

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In the Bay Area, residents are lucky to be able to choose 100% renewable-generated electricity (i.e. solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric sources).  Renewable power is procured by various non-profit local agencies, and their power is delivered over PG&E lines (Note: PG&E handles the billing, because part of the bill reflects use of their grid to deliver the power).  Renewable electricity costs about the same as PG&E's power (which is a mix of "conventional" and renewable sources).  For example, this MCE webpage compares costs of their electricity offerings to those of PG&E: https://www.mcecleanenergy.org/rates/   If you live in Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma or Solano Counties, your renewable power supplier is MCE https://www.mcecleanenergy.org/ .  If you live in another Bay Area county, find a Bay Area renewable power provider at Bay Area Sunshares' website, at https://www.bayareasunshares.org/opt-up-to-100-renewables .

 

SOLAR ELECTRICITY GENERATION AT HOME

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Solar panels that generate electricity, also known as photovoltaic (PV) panels, have been around for decades.  For more than a decade now, they have become popular on buildings.  Buildings in remote locations that are 'off the grid' may have a stand-alone solar system.  However, for most of us, our homes are served by utility-supplied electricity.  For electric grid-connected buildings (including homes) that have solar electric systems, but no battery storage, their solar-generated electricity goes into the grid.  For buildings with both PV and batteries, solar power that exceeds the demand of home real-time usage, and for charging the battery system, goes to the grid.  Owners of solar electric systems receive payment from the utility for the power that does go to the grid.  For more on whole-building battery systems, see near bottom of this page.

 

In late 2022, the CPUC voted to reduce how much utilities pay for solar electricity generated on residential buildings.  With this change, it is said by those in the solar industry that the payback is longer for systems without batteries than it previously was, but the payback works favorably for systems with batteries - because much more of the on-site generated power is used on site, instead of being sold cheaply to the utilities.  Of course, adding batteries adds to the cost of the system; for some, the additional up-front cost of including batteries, or the longer payback period if not including batteries, will make having on-site solar generation financially infeasible.   In that case, purchasing 100% renewable power is the answer (see top of this page).

 

Why install solar systems when 100% renewable electricity is available from the grid?  Because it helps increase the total amount of clean electricity that is produced.  And depending on installation costs and usage, for some property owners, on-site solar generated electricity could be more economical over the solar system life than using utility-provided power.

 

For more information on solar electric systems on buildings (including homes), see this CPUC webpage:  https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/demand-side-management/net-energy-metering .

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Solar power generation at home has become so mainstream that the current California building energy code requires solar electric panels for most new low-rise single-family and multi-family buildings.

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There are government incentive programs to help with the cost of installing solar electric systems.  For example, see https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/homeowners-guide-federal-tax-credit-solar-photovoltaics  and  https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/residential-clean-energy-credit

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While solar systems are usually owned by the property owner, another option is where the solar installer also owns the panels; in this case, the solar installer/owner sells the power to the building owner at a set price. 

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The US DOE has a helpful website that explains the technology, economics, ownership options, etc.  See https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/homeowners-guide-going-solar .​

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WHOLE HOUSE or WHOLE BUILDING BATTERY ELECTRICITY STORAGE SYSTEMS

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As the cost of battery systems comes down (due to mass production for portable electronic devices and for electric powered vehicles), home battery systems are becoming more popular.  These are helpful foe making the electric grid more resilient, and also provide backup power when the grid is suffering an outage.  Battery systems tied to solar electric systems are becoming so mainstream that the current state building energy code provides a "compliance credit" for new residential buildings that incorporate battery systems tied to solar electric systems.

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There are incentive programs to help pay for whole house battery systems.  See https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/about-cpuc/documents/transparency-and-reporting/fact_sheets/sgip_factsheet_124020.pdf .