Sun Select program allows customers to choose to get all their energy from the sun
Tampa Electric customers can now choose to receive some – or all – of their electricity from the sun.
Sun Select, the utility’s new shared solar program, starts today. It allows residential and small-business customers to subscribe to receive 25 percent, 50 percent or 100 percent of their power from solar energy. Larger commercial customers can subscribe in increments of 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kwh).
A 17.5-megawatt (MW) portion of Tampa Electric’s newly constructed Lake Hancock Solar plant, near Bartow, was built especially for the Sun Select program.
“Tampa Electric is proud to be the first investor-owned utility in Florida with a shared solar program,” said Nancy Tower, president and chief executive officer of Tampa Electric. “This is the perfect solution for customers who want renewable energy but cannot or don’t want to install it. It is a simple and meaningful way to commit to solar power – and to let us do all the work.”
Shared solar enables a group of customers to invest in – and benefit from – solar power. The Sun Select program is designed for customers who want renewable energy but are unable to, or don’t want to, install solar panels on their home or business: maybe they live in multi-family housing, or their lot is too shady. Maybe they rent a home, or don’t want to worry about installing and maintaining special equipment.
On their bill, customers will see a new incremental Sun Select charge based on usage, which will be mostly offset by fuel charges that are waived for the same portion of use. For the average residential customer, who uses 1,000 kwh a month and subscribes to 50 percent solar power, the program will add about $17 a month. Over time, it is about the same cost as installing solar panels on a roof.
Customers pay no upfront costs, don’t sign a contract, and can leave the program at any time. If a customer moves within Tampa Electric’s territory, the program can transfer to their new address. Once all 17.5 MWs are reserved by customers, interested customers will be placed on a waiting list. To enroll in Sun Select, visit tampaelectric.com/sunselect.
The Sun Select program is separate from Tampa Electric’s significant solar expansion, which will benefit all customers. Tampa Electric has built seven of 10 solar projects that will provide electricity for 100,000 homes. When the expansion is complete in 2021, Tampa Electric will have the highest percentage of solar power of any utility in Florida.
Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves about 765,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
