Story and photo by Theresa Phillips
Solar panels can be a great way to generate your own energy. However, before you decide whether solar is right for you, we want you to know the facts.
Lassen Municipal Utility District’s (LMUD) Distributed Generation program and rate is available to all customers interested in solar or other customer distributed generation types. But before you sign a contract, let us help you understand how the program works.
First, LMUD does not offer net energy metering. NEM allows customers to bank excess energy for future use. LMUD’s program allows customers to sell back their excess energy at a rate set by the board of directors. That rate is evaluated yearly and is subject to change depending on the solar energy wholesale market. This can affect the value of your excess energy and, in turn, the cost-effectiveness of your system.
LMUD’s current residential rate is 19.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. We do not have a time-of-use rate or tiered rates. Some solar salespeople will base the value of your array on factors that do not apply to our customers. When evaluating your system, remember that our rate does not fluctuate based on the time of use or generation. Your buy-back rate is the same no matter when you generate or buy energy.
Second, LMUD requires all customers who wish to install solar to complete a solar application with supporting documentation. We also require LMUD Distributed Generation customers to sign an interconnection agreement with the district. Our engineering team reviews these documents and, once the application is approved, the customer and the contractor will receive an approval letter with further instructions. We will not interconnect your array to our system without proper permits and documentation.
Finally, we are here for you. We want you to understand the complexities of customer generation and get the most out of your solar array. Our team of energy experts has nearly 20 years of experience in this field, and we uniquely understand how solar works in our service territory. As a community-owned utility, our responsibility lies with you, our customers. If you have questions about solar energy, please give us a call at (530) 257-4174. You can also visit lmud.org and click on the solar button.