Net Metering Credits

Net Metering Credits in Massachusetts, Suntility Net Metering Credit Services for NSTAR and National Grid Solar and Wind Customers

Clean Energy Is Increasingly Central To The Nation’s Energy Mix

Once dubbed as alternative energy, solar and wind have truly gone mainstream, and are now central and growing pieces of the energy mix. 2020 only accelerated that shift. According to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. energy consumption in 2020 increased for renewables, and fell for all other energy sources. Renewables share of U.S. energy consumption also meaningfully exceeded coal and nuclear in 2020.

At a time when global temperatures are rising and the effects of climate change are disrupting tens of millions of lives; when the dangers of air pollution are becoming clearer with every new study; and when the oldest and least efficient electric power plants are rapidly retiring; clean energy is more important than ever.

Suntility’s laser focus on helping to ensure the success of clean energy projects is critical. Tailored solutions offered from dedicated monitoring; to net metering credit services; to owner’s agent services; and more; advance clean energy owners’ interests. Suntility clients know that they’re receiving expert support only from clean energy industry veterans that have worked on hundreds of clean energy projects, and have decades of experience managing utility-scale and commercial solar projects.

To learn more about how Suntility can work with you to optimize your clean energy facility contact Suntility through the website or by phone at 508-538-4Sun.

Suntility is your trusted partner in success. Suntility provides renewable energy maintenance services, net metering credit services, owner’s agent services and consulting solutions to optimize facility reliability, performance and value.

By Michael on June 4, 2021

Massachusetts Solar Savings Made Simple: Receive Net Metering Credits From A Solar Net Metering Project

Commercial electricity users in Massachusetts are constantly looking for savings, especially during these extraordinary times. The simplest method to achieve savings may be to receive net metering credits from a Solar Net Metering Project.

What is a Solar Net Metering Project? A Solar Net Metering Project is a solar installation in one location, that allocates net metering credits – energy value in the form of a bill credit – to one or multiple electricity accounts located elsewhere. An important note, the solar project and recipient electricity accounts must be in the same service area of the same electric utility.

In return for net metering credits, that offset some or all of their electric bill dollar for dollar, customers of a Solar Net Metering Project typically pay a discounted price for the net metering credits they receive. For a commercial energy user receiving net metering credits from a community-scale Solar Net Metering Project savings typically equal thousands of dollars a year – just for signing a contract. No capital investment, solar panels or maintenance required. Over the term of the agreement savings can well exceed tens of thousands of dollars.

Here are two basic examples, one where a solar project site generates electricity far in excess of what that site could use in a month. It designates to the utility to send that excess value (the net metering credits) to the electric account of a building on a separate property in the same utility territory. The credits arrive on the other building’s electric bill and offset what that building would have normally had to pay that month.Another example is where the solar array allocates net metering credits to multiple accounts monthly.Savvy energy purchasers and budget-conscious energy users across Massachusetts are benefiting from these power purchase arrangements and more stand to benefit as well. Typical customers of Solar Net Metering Projects in Massachusetts include schools, municipalities, manufacturers, and non-profits. These agreements help facilitate renewable energy in Massachusetts as well, helping to ensure the Commonwealth’s energy is from locally generated clean energy.

Are you a commercial electricity user in Massachusetts interested in learning how to save? Contact us at 508-538-4Sun or contact us through our the website here: www.suntilityelectric.com/contact-us-today-for-a-free-consultation-or-for-more-info/

Suntility is your trusted partner in success. Suntility provides renewable energy maintenance services, utility credit services, owner’s agent services and consulting solutions to optimize facility reliability, performance and value.

By Michael on June 4, 2020

Vermont Solar Savings Made Simple: Receive Net Metering Credits From A Group Net Metering Project

Large electricity users in Vermont are constantly looking for savings. The simplest method to achieve savings may be to receive net metering credits from a Group Net Metering Project.

What is a Group Net Metering Project? A Group Net Metering Project is a solar installation in one location, that allocates net metering credits – energy value in the form of a bill credit – to one or multiple electricity accounts located elsewhere. An important note, the solar project and recipient electricity accounts must be in the same utility territory.

In return for net metering credits, that offset some or all of their electric bill dollar for dollar, customers of a Group Net Metering Project typically pay a discounted price for the net metering credits they receive. For a large energy user receiving net metering credits from a large Group Net Metering Project savings can easily equal tens of thousands of dollars a year – just for signing a contract. No capital investment, solar panels or maintenance required. Over the term of the agreement savings can well exceed hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Here are two basic examples, one where a solar project site generates electricity far in excess of what that site could use in a month. It designates to the utility to send that excess value (the net metering credits) to the electric account of a building on a separate property in the same utility territory. The credits arrive on the other building’s electric bill and offset what that building would have normally had to pay that month.Another example is where the solar array allocates net metering credits to multiple accounts monthly.Savvy energy purchasers and budget-conscious energy users across Vermont are benefiting from these power purchase arrangements and more stand to benefit as well. Typical customers of Group Net Metering Projects in Vermont include schools, municipalities, manufacturers, and ski resorts. These agreements help facilitate renewable energy in Vermont as well, helping to ensure Vermont’s energy is from locally generated clean energy.

Are you a large electricity user in Vermont interested in learning how to save? Contact us at 508-538-4Sun or contact us through our the website here: www.suntilityelectric.com/contact-us-today-for-a-free-consultation-or-for-more-info/

By Michael on April 8, 2019

Know Your AOBCs: Alternative On-Bill Credits In Massachusetts SMART Solar Program

Massachusetts has been a solar leader in virtual net metering credits – the ability to generate excess electricity with one account, and send that monetary value to another account to offset electricity usage there. Tens of thousands of solar projects across the Commonwealth use net metering to receive fair compensation for the excess solar energy they generate. With the state having effectively phased out net metering for new large solar projects, a new mechanism under the Massachusetts SMART Solar Program will allow solar projects to send the monetary value of excess production to other electric accounts. This value is called an Alternative On-Bill Credit, or AOBC. While an Alternative On-Bill Credit Generation Unit (solar project) receives the incentive payments from the SMART program, AOBCs can be sent to other accounts and credited on those accounts’ electric bills.

What are AOBCs worth? The value of an AOBC is based on the electric utility’s Basic Service rate. This is also known as the ‘supplier’ or ‘generation’ rate. Typically, in Massachusetts, this value has fluctuated from $0.08 per kWh to $0.14 per kWh. Therefore, if you generate 100 kWh of Alternative On-Bill Credits that is worth somewhere between $8 and $14 worth of credits that can be sent to other accounts, depending on the current Basic Service rate. Those AOBCs can be sent to other accounts within the state, provided that the recipient accounts are in a service territory of the same electric utility.

While AOBCs provide much of the same functionality of net metering credits and have many of the same requirements when allocating credits, there are multiple additional new aspects and nuances to managing AOBCs. Suntility’s expert management and consulting services are helping clients navigate and optimize this new incentive structure and regulatory framework. Massachusetts solar market has always been dynamic. Suntility’s industry insights and technical assistance are a trusted resource for solar owners and those engaged in solar energy deals. Let Suntility help you manage, and know, your AOBCs.

To learn more contact us at 508-538-4Sun

By Michael on January 17, 2019

Don’t Let Your Net Metering Allocations Get Lost In The Utility Shuffle, Work With Suntility

Did you know that Eversource alone has over 1,730 accounts that allocate net metering credits?

Don’t let your net metering allocations get lost in the utility shuffle, work with Suntility.

Suntility’s Net Metering Credit Services are the solution to ensure that your utility credits are flowing smoothly and are being consistently and appropriately applied. This is critical to the economic viability of your solar array. For the largest solar installations, this annual value can easily reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and one or multiple months of errors by the utility can be extremely costly and have a seriously detrimental effect on financial returns. With Suntility’s detailed net metering credit monitoring, validation, reporting, and issue resolution, errors identified trigger immediate Suntility action and resolution. From a decade’s worth of experience in the New England renewable energy markets, Suntility has an extensive track record of recognizing issues quickly and achieving the best outcome for clients.

Suntility currently provides these essential solar asset management services to solar projects in Massachusetts and Vermont, covering the utility territories of Eversource, National Grid and Green Mountain Power.

Suntility’s clients include:

municipalities;
commercial real estate owners;
Fortune 500 energy companies;
financial institutions;
small businesses and more.

Suntility’s expertise in managing complex utility billing processes and tracking thousands of net metering transactions helps you know with confidence that you’re receiving the credits you deserve and that those credits are delivering the proper value.

Furthermore, maintaining a balance of the flow and use of net metering credits among the various allocation accounts can be an on-going challenge for facility owners and off-takers. Improper or outdated allocations can result in stranded credits or significant delays in the use of credits. Regularly re-balancing allocation ratios of net metering credits is an important element of maximizing the value of your net metering facility and is a key part of this Suntility service and Suntility’s value add. To learn more contact us today or go to https://www.suntilityelectric.com/net-metering-credit-services/

Suntility is your trusted partner in success. Suntility provides renewable energy maintenance services, utility credit services, owner’s agent services and consulting solutions to optimize facility reliability, performance and value.

Contact us at 508-538-4-Sun

By Michael on July 18, 2018

With Solar On The Rise, Keep Your System Ahead Of The Game With Suntility

Solar Owners Need Smart Management Solutions – Suntility’s expert maintenance and net-metering credit services may just be the missing piece of the puzzle in your solar investment. Don’t believe us? Studies show that both commercial and utility-scale solar installations alike that have Suntility’s experienced monitoring services backing them, perform on average 6.5% better than those that don’t. That’s a big advantage!

Solar power is a clean, reliable, energy source but like any facility there can be operational challenges. Equipment malfunctions, grid outages, inverter issues, component failures, and communication errors are common issues that can be quickly resolved if identified. Suntility is trained to catch these issues before they cause a serious loss in revenue. Skillful solar monitoring means more revenue for solar owners. Enroll in Suntility’s services, and we’ll treat your system as if it were our own.

By Michael on December 2, 2016

The Basics Of Net Metering Credits In Massachusetts

Net metering credits are an important source of value for solar projects in Massachusetts.

Commercial and utility-scale solar projects very often send net metering credits to be used on other accounts in a process called virtual net metering. Massachusetts is one of many states that allows virtual net metering. Virtual net metering is the ability for one site that generates excess electricity, to send that value, in the form of net metering credits realized on that account’s bill, to another account’s electric bill. These credits provide recipients with meaningful savings on their electric bills, and for the solar project sending them, a steady stream of revenue.

In one basic example, a solar farm site generates electricity far in excess of what that site could use in a month. It designates to the utility to send that excess value (the net metering credits) to the electric account of a building on a separate property in the same utility territory. The credits arrive on the other buildings electric bill and offset what that building would have normally had to pay that month.

Another example is where the array allocates net metering credits to multiple accounts monthly.

If you own a solar array, or receive net metering credits from a solar array, it is important that you have dedicated professionals ensuring both: 1) the proper amount of net metering credits is being generated; and 2) that the proper value of net metering credits is being received. Hundreds of thousands of dollars up to millions of dollars a year, in net metering credits can be generated by these solar projects. The larger the system, and the more accounts receiving credits, the more critical having a service such as Suntility’s Net Metering Credit Services becomes. Utility and customer mistakes are all too common and proper management and administration helps avoid losing significant value.

Suntility works with many of the largest solar installations in the state servicing hundreds of electric accounts that receive net metering credits. These clients include Fortune 200 energy companies, municipalities, commercial real estate owners, financial institutions and more.

Contact Suntility to learn how your solar project or net metering arrangement can benefit from our expertise in managing Massachusetts net metering credits. Call us at 508-538-4-Sun or contact us through our the website here: www.suntilityelectric.com/contact-us-today-for-a-free-consultation-or-for-more-info/

By Michael on September 20, 2016

Suntility Managed Solar Is Better Performing Solar

Famous management expert and author Peter Drucker said “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Too many commercial solar owners, and those in renewable energy arrangements, aren’t doing either. The cost of ineffective, or absent, management of these systems can easily add up and total in the thousands, tens of thousands, and in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in lost revenue and savings.

While solar is highly reliable and durable relative to so many other technologies, it isn’t flawless. Equipment can malfunction and will degrade, there can be interruptions from weather and animals/pests, equipment resets will often be required, inverters may require preventative maintenance or repair, communication devices can fail and grid/site disruptions can also derail solar performance. These are just some of the factors that can negatively impact solar results and ultimately financial returns.

Suntility is dedicated to helping system owners face their most challenging issues and is driving solid outperformance. In a recent study of commercial and utility-scale systems in Massachusetts, solar installations monitored by Suntility professionals performed 6.5% better than those without Suntility’s dedicated monitoring services. Think of what that could mean financially for your system.

Furthermore the revenue streams that these systems produce are also subject to additional administrative processes that are manual and where errors are commonly found including: the allocation of net metering credits by the utilities; as well as with the brokerage of SRECs. Having an industry leading team overseeing these aspects of your project is a must and just as important as the actual solar production itself.

Suntility’s solar management solutions provide the oversight and insights to help ensure that clients are receiving as much value as possible from their clean energy. To learn more about our services check out these links:

– Solar Maintenance Services

– Solar Net Metering Credit Services

– Solar Consulting Services

– Solar Owner’s Agent Services

To learn more contact us at 508-566-6322

By Michael on September 1, 2016

Four Keys To Success If You’re A Commercial Or Utility-Scale Solar Project Owner

Want a better performing solar array and better solar financials? Learn ways to ensure the proper management of the significant investment you’ve made in solar with these four keys to success.

1 – Monitoring Your System

Many owners wrongly assume that their installation will work flawlessly from commencement, or that if something does go wrong they’ll somehow be alerted. While solar installations are designed to last 25 to 30 years, issues will come up. Being able to recognize those issues early on and respond effectively can be the difference between losing a few hundred dollars of savings and tens of thousands of savings.

That is exactly why active remote monitoring is essential. Only with industry experts monitoring your system and measuring it’s performance relative to other systems in the area can you rest assured that your system is performing as it should. As issues are identified and alerted directly to you, you’ll save significant production value in the process.

2 – Performing Regular Inspections

Many major system issues that cause lost production and expense are entirely avoidable. By performing regular inspections with the right expertise, system owners can ensure better uptime and lower costs of operation long-term. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish by not investing in the proactive management of your array. Furthermore, regular inspections are viewed favorably by insurance companies as they reduce risk and demonstrate the owners commitment to strong and consistent solar production.

3 – Verifying The Value Of Your Net Metering Credits And Resolving Billing Issues

In states such as Vermont and Massachusetts net metering credits are a critical source of value for solar project owners. However, because of old, arcane, and in many cases manual billing systems, utilities make significant errors when providing these credits to solar projects and their recipient accounts. That is where expert verification comes in. By tracking and analyzing the flow of net metering credits, errors can be identified and resolved to not only ensure full value but to save tens of thousands even hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost revenue and savings.

4 – Understanding You Have Choices When Selling SRECs and RECs

Most solar project owners only believe they have one choice when selling their SRECs or RECs. SREC and REC markets can be all too opaque and working with the right broker can make a huge difference in cash flows. Knowing the right questions to ask, and key qualifications are important when considering this solar project value stream. A solar project owner should be prudent and work with a broker that can offer the best in liquidity, pricing and platform.

Learn how Suntility’s professional solar services can help you and your existing solar array achieve success. Contact us today at 508-538-4-Sun.

By Michael on April 23, 2016

Sippican Community Solar Garden® Project receives prestigious 2016 Photovoltaic Project of Distinction Award

The nation’s premier approach to community solar, exhibited with the Sippican Community Solar Garden® Project, receives prestigious 2016 Photovoltaic Project of Distinction Award.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) presented My Generation Energy and Enphase Energy with the award at the Solar Power PV Conference & Expo – Boston on February 24, 2016.

The Sippican Community Solar Garden Project, 912kW, demonstrates a number of unique design features as well as a one-of-a-kind program approach for the purchasers of the output. The project team consisted of My Generation Energy, Inc. (installation and design) as well as Suntility Electric, LLC (Cooperative setup, enrollment and program management).

To improve the effectiveness of the site in Marion, Massachusetts, and reduce project and on-going costs a new microinverter solution from Enphase, the C250, was paired with high efficiency panels. This high voltage microinverter solution eliminated the need to install site mini-transformers, improves the capacity factor of the installation and reduces future maintenance costs. This solution, with it’s simple cabling, also helped speed the project construction during a winter that featured exceptionally harsh conditions for the Northeast.

The purchasers of the output, in the form of net metering credits, from the project include a Cooperative and a local financial institution. The Sippican Community Solar Garden Cooperative leverages the purchasing power of a large group and aids hundreds of community members in receiving substantial direct savings on their electric bills over ten years. From across 23 towns in Southeastern Massachusetts members of the Cooperative span from low-income, to condo owners, to small businesses, families, faith organizations, non-profits and more.

This Cooperative approach continues the success of a program pioneered in Brewster, Massachusetts, with the Brewster Community Solar Garden Cooperative, which was one of the first community shared solar programs implemented in the nation in 2012. The Brewster project, 346kW, was spearheaded by the same project team as the Sippican project, and has consistently exceeded production expectations and was one of the inspirations for the Community Shared Solar designation in the SREC-2 program in Massachusetts that the Sippican project has achieved. My Generation Energy and Suntility Electric are pursuing additional projects of this nature.

By Michael on March 4, 2016

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