Are you interested in having solar panels installed at your home?  Members who want to generate their own electricity can participate in the Cooperative's Member-Owned Distributed Generation program.  Distributed generation is defined as a member owned electric generation resource of 15 kW or less fueled by solar, wind or methane connected in parallel to the Cooperative's electric distribution facilities.  The member-owned distributed generation facility must be located on the member's premises and be intended to primarily offset all or part of the member's electrical load requirements.

The Cooperative shall credit the distributed generation owner for any energy that is produced.  The price paid by the Cooperative to the distributed generation owner for such energy shall be the Cooperative's avoided cost of wholesale energy, calculated monthly, using the monthly energy supply rate.  The Cooperative will credit the distributed generation owner for such energy on a monthly basis on the member's billing statement.  Wholesale energy costs include amounts paid for purchased power, plus transmission and ancillary service charges incurred by the Cooperative during the month.

Solar as an investment - is it worth it?  Solar panels may be a good investment for some members, but not for others.  The amount of energy you typically use, the amount of sun in your yard, the number of solar panels installed and the cost of installation are just some of the factors that need to be considered when you get estimates for solar PV systems.  We want to be sure our members know what to expect if they do buy a solar generating system for their home.  For more information about solar please see the articles below.

Steuben Rural Electric Cooperative has established a Member-Owned Distributed Generation Interconnection Information Packet which outlines the application procedures, information requirements, application forms and agreements.