Oregon Community Solar Program

The Oregon Community Solar Program was first introduced through Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) 860-088. This rule's creation was directed under 2016 Senate Bill 1547, with administrative authority being given to the Public Utility Commission. Community Solar projects may only be approved if ownership is demonstrated for 50 percent or more of project nameplate capacity. Additionally, community solar projects must have a subscription minimum of 5 persons and not exceed 3 megawatts in nameplate capacity. Projects must be located in the Oregon service territory of an electric utility, with at least 10 percent of the project generating capacity allocated exclusively to low-income residential customers. A single participant's ownership or subscription interest may exceed neither 40 percent of the project nor the retail electricity customer’s average annual consumption of electricity.Start-up costs for the program are obtained via electric company rates, on-going costs are obtained through participants. For further information regarding the program, see the Oregon Community Solar Program site.