Key Takeaways

  • Shared solar lets you buy bill credits from a local project without rooftop panels. Rules and caps limit subscription size and credit value.
  • Typical caps: 100–120% of your past-year usage, project sizes of 1–5 MW AC, and anchor customers limited to about 40% of output.
  • Average residential electricity runs around $0.16–$0.17/kWh; community solar discounts typically range 5–20% off credit value.
  • EV owners use roughly 270–330 kWh/month per 1,000 miles. Home batteries are typically 10–20 kWh with ~90% round-trip efficiency.
  • Caps and phased rollouts help manage grid stability and ensure broad access to new energy programs.

What You Need to Know

  • Shared solar basics: Subscribe to a local solar farm share and receive bill credits for the kWh produced. You pay a subscription rate below the credit value, creating savings.
  • Common caps: Programs limit individual subscriptions to 100–120% of historical usage, cap project size at 1–5 MW AC, and restrict anchor subscribers to ~40% of output.
  • Credit rates vary: Credits might equal retail rates or a fixed wholesale-like rate. If your credit is $0.16/kWh and subscription is $0.14/kWh, you save $0.02/kWh.
  • Low-income bonuses: Federal bonus credits add 10–20% for projects in low-income or Tribal communities, often passing larger savings to eligible households.
  • Market participation: Aggregated distributed energy resources can participate in wholesale markets, influencing program design and credit values.
  • Prices and efficiency: National residential electricity averages mid-teens per kWh; home battery round-trip efficiency runs around 85–95%.

How to Save Money

  1. Size your subscription to 80–100% of usage. Oversubscribing beyond caps can forfeit credits or reduce payouts. Check your last 12 months of kWh.
  2. Compare the spread. Savings = credit value minus subscription price. At 7,000 kWh/year, a $0.02/kWh spread yields ~$140/year.
  3. Align EV charging with credits. An EV at 300 kWh/month with a $0.02/kWh spread saves ~$6/month. Off-peak charging adds more.
  4. Use a battery to shave peaks. A 13.5 kWh battery at 90% efficiency nets ~12.2 kWh usable per cycle for TOU arbitrage.
  5. Watch rollover rules. Some programs buy back excess at lower wholesale rates. Aim to avoid surplus.
  6. Check income-eligible offers. Bonus credit projects may offer larger discounts to qualifying households.
  7. Verify timelines. Project delays can postpone savings. Ask for a realistic energization window.

Bottom Line

Shared solar caps exist to share benefits broadly and protect the grid. Match your subscription to usage, confirm the credit-versus-price spread, and pair EV charging with off-peak rates to maximize value. Review official program documents to choose a project that reliably cuts your bill.