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C IT Y O F PO R TLA N D PH O TO
State law requires solar power projects include benefits to low-income Oregonians - but no one knows how
BY E M ILY GREEN
STAFF WRITER
s their deadline approaches, policy
makers are figuring out how to
implement state-mandated community
solar programs across Oregon.
But the challenge lies in connecting low-
income ratepayers with solar power without
raiding already starved energy assistance
programs for the poor.
In 2016, lawmakers in Salem passed the
energy-overhaul bill SB 1547. It requires
Oregon phase out coal by 2035, and that 50
percent of energy used by Oregonians come
from renewable resources by 2040.
Currently, the state is about 15 percent
renewable energy usage. (That does not
include hydroelectric power, some of which
fails to meet certain renewable standards.)
The bill also mandates the Oregon Public
Utility Commission - the state agency
responsible for regulating utility customer
rates and services - to write and adopt rules
for a community solar program by July 1.
The idea is that such a program will help
the state boost its use of solar power, which
at last estimate two years ago, accounted for
less than 1 percent of total energy sources
in Oregon, according to the state’s
a
Department of Energy.
The Public Utility Commission is still in
the information-gathering phase of
designing a community solar program, and
it’s not yet clear exactly what it will look
like, but it is expected to resemble other
models, such as those in Colorado,
Washington and Minnesota.
Generally, ratepayers on a power grid are
invited to partially own or lease a solar
power project. The solar panels could either
be placed on the property of one of the
participants, incorporated into a new
development, or even located on a property
that isn’t affiliated with the project, such as
on the roof of a big box store.
That solar energy goes directly into the
power grid, and then the utility company
pays the ratepayers who funded the project
for the use of the power it generated in the
form of a credit on their electricity bill.
That size of the credit would depend on
the amount of electricity generated and by
the size of their contribution to the project,
which can come in the form of an up-front
investment or monthly payment, depending
on how the commission decides to design
the program.
Community solar is a viable option for
people who want to expand solar
infrastructure in their community, but who
rent or live somewhere that isn’t ideal for
solar panels, such as in a condo or beneath
thick shade trees.
While solar power has a long-held
reputation as being out of reach for lower-
income ratepayers, Oregon lawmakers
included in the bill a provision that requires
10 percent of the energy output go to
benefit those who cannot afford the start-up
investment.
But what exactly that means and how to
meet that requirement is up for debate.
The Public Utility Commission has held a
series of workshops bringing together
stakeholders including utility companies,
developers and energy experts to discuss
what the program should look like.
At the last workshop in this phase of
planning, hosted by Portland General
Electric on Feb. 14, the commission sought
feedback from stakeholders on how to meet
the low-income requirement
It became clear during the workshop that
this unfunded mandate poses serious
challenges, and if it isn’t funded correctly, it
could potentially cause more harm than
good for low-income ratepayers.
One option for funding the bill credit is to
reallocate existing state and federal funds
that support energy assistance and
weatherization programs across the state.
Doing so, however, could mean kicking
thousands of households off of energy
assistance programs, and there is no
guarantee the bill credit would be
substantial.
For those who cannot afford to pay their
electricity bill, there are federal and state
funded energy-assistance programs that
help low-income ratepayers avoid getting
their power shut off that could be used to
fund the solar credit.
Because this winter has been unusually
cold, “an unprecedented number of people
are asking for help,” Margot Bryant told
stakeholders at the workshop. She manages
social equity policy at Portland General
Electric, and said 49 percent of the >,
customers receiving assistance on their
electric bills through PGE are elderly.
According to Dan Elliot, a policy analyst
for Oregon Housing and Community
Services, the state currently has two energy
assistance funding options: the Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program
See POWER, page 5