Table of Contents
About Community Solar
Becoming a Community Solar Subscriber
Current Subscribers
- Who should subscribe to River Street Community Solar?
- Who pays for community solar? Are you subsidized in some way?
- What is an allocation?
- Where are the community solar arrays?
- Do you clear a lot of trees to put up solar? What about farmland and wildlife habitat?
- Are you a Competitive Energy Supplier?
- What if I have a different energy supplier than National Grid?
- Is community solar the same as a Green Power Plan or a Clean Electricity Plan?
Becoming a Community Solar Subscriber
- Will I lose my electric service when I subscribe?
- When will I receive my first community solar allocation?
- Why do you need my ACH information?
- Why do you need my historical billing information?
- When I become a subscriber, do I own a portion of the solar array?
Current Subscribers
- Can I get an additional allocation from your new solar array on top of my current allocation?
- Why does my National Grid bill credit not align with this month's community solar bill credit not align with this month's community solar bill?
- If I don't use all my bill credits this month, do they expire?
About Community Solar
Who should subscribe to River Street Community Solar?
Businesses and homes in Massachusetts with National Grid as their electric utility are eligible to subscribe to River Street Community Solar. You do not need to be in or around Halifax, MA.
Due to the size of community solar electricity allocations, we are primarily looking for subscribers with at least $4,000 in electricity bills annually, but we can tailor your subscription to your home or business’ needs.
Who pays for community solar? Are you subsidized in some way?
Community solar is made possible by the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program, which provides incentives for solar energy development in the Commonwealth. These incentives allow us to give subscribers a discount on their electric bills.
What is an allocation?
An allocation is the percentage of the community solar array’s electric bill credit generation that is assigned to a particular subscriber. Most allocations amount to 1-2% of the array’s total generation, or around 35,000 kWh annually. The value of this energy fluctuates monthly based on National Grid’s supply costs.
Where are your community solar arrays?
Our arrays are located off River Street in Halifax, MA. The first array, with a capacity of around 5 MW, was completed in 2019. We are currently in the process of building another 1.5 MW array which is expected to come online in Spring of 2023.
Do you clear a lot of trees to put up solar? What about farmland and wildlife habitat?
Our community solar arrays in Halifax are built on an open field that was previously developed for industrial use. The field has also seen some agricultural use over the years. We do not clear trees to build our solar arrays, and we comply with all Department of Environmental Protection guidelines on endangered species protection.
Are you a Competitive Energy Supplier?
We are NOT a competitive energy supplier. If you choose to become a community solar subscriber, National Grid will remain your primary energy supplier, unless you have opted to contract with a separate company for energy supply. A community solar subscription simply generates bill credits which you can apply against your electric bill.
What if I have a different energy supplier than National Grid?
Good news, you can still sign up for a community solar subscription. Bill credits will be applied against your electric bill regardless of who is supplying your energy.
Is Community Solar the same as a Green Power Plan or Clean Electricity Plan?
No. Green Power Plans and Clean Electricity Plans are offered by Competitive Energy Suppliers, and unlike community solar, they usually don’t offer cost savings and usually don’t invest locally.
Businesses and homes in Massachusetts with National Grid as their electric utility are eligible to subscribe to River Street Community Solar. You do not need to be in or around Halifax, MA.
Due to the size of community solar electricity allocations, we are primarily looking for subscribers with at least $4,000 in electricity bills annually, but we can tailor your subscription to your home or business’ needs.
Who pays for community solar? Are you subsidized in some way?
Community solar is made possible by the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program, which provides incentives for solar energy development in the Commonwealth. These incentives allow us to give subscribers a discount on their electric bills.
What is an allocation?
An allocation is the percentage of the community solar array’s electric bill credit generation that is assigned to a particular subscriber. Most allocations amount to 1-2% of the array’s total generation, or around 35,000 kWh annually. The value of this energy fluctuates monthly based on National Grid’s supply costs.
Where are your community solar arrays?
Our arrays are located off River Street in Halifax, MA. The first array, with a capacity of around 5 MW, was completed in 2019. We are currently in the process of building another 1.5 MW array which is expected to come online in Spring of 2023.
Do you clear a lot of trees to put up solar? What about farmland and wildlife habitat?
Our community solar arrays in Halifax are built on an open field that was previously developed for industrial use. The field has also seen some agricultural use over the years. We do not clear trees to build our solar arrays, and we comply with all Department of Environmental Protection guidelines on endangered species protection.
Are you a Competitive Energy Supplier?
We are NOT a competitive energy supplier. If you choose to become a community solar subscriber, National Grid will remain your primary energy supplier, unless you have opted to contract with a separate company for energy supply. A community solar subscription simply generates bill credits which you can apply against your electric bill.
What if I have a different energy supplier than National Grid?
Good news, you can still sign up for a community solar subscription. Bill credits will be applied against your electric bill regardless of who is supplying your energy.
Is Community Solar the same as a Green Power Plan or Clean Electricity Plan?
No. Green Power Plans and Clean Electricity Plans are offered by Competitive Energy Suppliers, and unlike community solar, they usually don’t offer cost savings and usually don’t invest locally.
Becoming a community solar subscriber
Will I lose my electric service when I subscribe?
No. When you subscribe to community solar, you remain a National Grid customer, and you enjoy the same reliable power supply. You continue to pay National Grid for any electricity use or bill charges that are not covered by your community solar allocation.
When will I receive my first community solar allocation?
You should expect to see your first allocation in early 2023. We will let you know when allocations and billing become active. We encourage you to sign up now and reserve an allocation while we still have capacity for new subscribers.
Why do you need my ACH information?
Your ACH information allows us to set up automatic payments from your bank account. This makes things easier for both you and for us. Before withdrawing a payment, we always send you a billing statement alerting you to the amount due.
Why do you need my historical billing information?
Your historical billing information allows us to determine an allocation that best fits your energy needs.
When I become a subscriber, do I own a portion of the solar array?
Subscribing to community solar does not entail owning part of the solar array. That means no upfront cost, no maintenance burden, and the flexibility to back out of the community solar subscription if necessary.
No. When you subscribe to community solar, you remain a National Grid customer, and you enjoy the same reliable power supply. You continue to pay National Grid for any electricity use or bill charges that are not covered by your community solar allocation.
When will I receive my first community solar allocation?
You should expect to see your first allocation in early 2023. We will let you know when allocations and billing become active. We encourage you to sign up now and reserve an allocation while we still have capacity for new subscribers.
Why do you need my ACH information?
Your ACH information allows us to set up automatic payments from your bank account. This makes things easier for both you and for us. Before withdrawing a payment, we always send you a billing statement alerting you to the amount due.
Why do you need my historical billing information?
Your historical billing information allows us to determine an allocation that best fits your energy needs.
When I become a subscriber, do I own a portion of the solar array?
Subscribing to community solar does not entail owning part of the solar array. That means no upfront cost, no maintenance burden, and the flexibility to back out of the community solar subscription if necessary.
Current subscribers
Can I get an additional allocation from your new solar array on top of my current allocation?
Of course! If you’re a current customer who wants additional community solar bill credits to save more money on your electric bill, we invite you to sign up for an allocation from our new array. Contact us if you’re interested in signing up.
Why does my National Grid bill credit not align with this month’s community solar bill?
Due to National Grid’s internal processes, there is a lag of approximately one month (and possibly longer) before community solar bill credits show up on your National Grid bill. This means that this month’s National Grid bill likely matches a previous month’s community solar bill.
If I don’t use all my bill credits this month, do they expire?
No, bill credits do not expire! You can apply your bill credits to any future National Grid electric bill.
Of course! If you’re a current customer who wants additional community solar bill credits to save more money on your electric bill, we invite you to sign up for an allocation from our new array. Contact us if you’re interested in signing up.
Why does my National Grid bill credit not align with this month’s community solar bill?
Due to National Grid’s internal processes, there is a lag of approximately one month (and possibly longer) before community solar bill credits show up on your National Grid bill. This means that this month’s National Grid bill likely matches a previous month’s community solar bill.
If I don’t use all my bill credits this month, do they expire?
No, bill credits do not expire! You can apply your bill credits to any future National Grid electric bill.