Tucson Electric Power customers who aren't in a position to install solar energy systems on their homes can still invest in solar energy under a new program.
Starting tomorrow, TEP customers can enroll in the Bright Tucson Community Solar Program to buy "blocks" of power generated by a TEP-owned, 1.6-megawatt photovoltaic array recently dedicated at the University of Arizona Science and Technology park.
The installation at the tech park's Solar Zone will provide 1,600 blocks of energy for purchase through the Bright Tucson program.
The company plans to increase the energy available as new TEP-owned solar installations come online.
The next planned Bright Tucson installation is a 5-megawatt system near Tucson International Airport, expected to come online later this year, TEP spokesman Joe Salkowski said.
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Here's a look at how the program works:
Buying "blocks"
• The Bright Tucson program allows customers to buy solar-generated power in 150-kilowatt hour blocks, at a monthly cost of $3 per block.
Eligibility
• Bright Tucson Community Solar Program is available to most residential and commercial customers in TEP's service territory.
Bill impact
• Participating in the program will increase your electric bill. Each block replaces the charges for an equivalent amount of conventional power at a rate that currently adds $3.00 per block to your monthly bill.
• Program rates must be paid in full each month regardless of actual energy consumption. Any excess power purchased through the program is carried forward to the next billing period as a credit. Any credit remaining after the September billing period will be paid in full as a credit on the next bill.
Locked-in rate
• Bright Tucson Community Solar Energy rates will remain fixed for 20 years.
• Blocks of power purchased through the program won't be affected by changes to the base energy rate, an adjustment charge for purchased power or fuel, or a renewable-energy surcharge. So Bright Tucson participants potentially could avoid higher costs in the future if energy costs rise, TEP notes.
Cancel any time
• You can purchase as many blocks as you want and cancel at any time. But TEP reserves the right to limit purchases based on customers' anticipated electric use and program availability, and participants can increase or decrease the number of blocks they're buying just once in a 12-month period.
More information
• Go to TEP's home page at www.tep.com and click on the Bright Tucson link (located on the right side). There, you'll find basic information, answers to common questions and online enrollment information. Or call TEP at 623-7711.
The site also has a calculator which customers can use to estimate how many blocks they must purchase to offset a specific amount of usage, monthly and annual premium costs and environmental savings.
By the numbers
How participation in the Bright Tucson solar program pencils out for an average TEP customer with 900 kilowatt hours of monthly usage, buying blocks equal to 50 percent of usage:
3
Solar blocks needed
$9
Monthly premium
13
Approximate number of solar panels dedicated to three 150 kWh blocks of power
19
Equivalent cars taken off the road
81,000
Gallons of water saved