AriSEIA Joins Letter Supporting Community Solar Bill Credit Value

READ THE FULL LETTER AND SLIDES

Arizona Corporation Commission
1200 W. Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007

RE: Study of Community Solar Value Stack in Arizona - Community Solar (Docket No. E-00000A-22-0103), APS RES (Docket No. E-01345A-21-0240)

Madam Chair, Commissioners, Commission Staff, and Interested Stakeholders,

The signatories to this letter — a coalition of solar and storage industry partners, including developers, subscriber acquisition and management firms, and advocacy groups — appreciate the Commission and Staff conducting the working group meetings regarding the implementation of a community solar program in Arizona. We believe that a properly constructed community solar program will provide bill savings to electric utility customers, promote electric grid resiliency, and assist Arizona in its transition to clean energy. We are committed to docketing information that will assist in the Commission’s consideration of a proposal for implementation and we look forward to continued participation and discussion in the working group sessions.

Attached to this letter is a study completed by The Brattle Group that analyzes the value stack of community solar in Arizona.  The Brattle Group is a leading consulting firm that specializes in answering complex economic, finance, and regulatory questions for corporations, law firms, and governments around the world.  

The value stack of a community solar project represents the costs that would otherwise be borne by ratepayers but that are avoided due to the energy and grid services provided by a community solar project.  The community solar value stack consists of three value streams: (1) Avoided Generation, (2) Avoided Transmission and Distribution, and (3) Avoided Emissions.
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The purpose of this value stack study is to provide the Commission and stakeholders with information to guide discussions on an appropriate bill credit rate and compensation mechanism for the community solar program in Arizona. Brattle will be prepared to present this material and answer questions at the working group session on August 30, 2022. We look forward to additional discussions regarding designing a final bill credit rate, tariff, and compensation mechanism for projects.  ​