Rooftop Solar

Clean Power Alliance supports our customers’ rooftop solar and other local clean energy generating and storage solutions.

Clean Power Alliance compensates customers for your rooftop solar power by providing credits on the generation portion of your bill, while SCE provides credits on the distribution side of your bill.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has changed the way new solar customers will be compensated by utilities for their solar generation. To maintain consistency for our customers and to help make the electric grid more sustainable and reliable, the CPA Board adopted a new CPA Solar Billing Plan effective September 1, 2023.

Under the new Solar Billing Plan, solar systems paired with battery storage can provide customers with higher value compared with solar-only systems. Beginning in early 2024, Clean Power Alliance will offer rebates for residential batteries to make storage more affordable so that you can use your solar power when it is most needed and valuable.

What does this mean for CPA customers?

If you have solar panels at your home or business that were approved by SCE on or before April 14, 2023, nothing changes. You will remain enrolled in CPA’s and SCE’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) programs for the duration of your 20-year legacy period
If you have solar panels at your home or business that were approved after April 14, 2023 and on or before August 31, 2023, you will remain on CPA’s existing Net Energy Metering (NEM) program on the generation side of your bill for the duration of your 20-year eligibility period, while you will be enrolled in SCE’s Solar Billing Plan on the delivery side of you bill.
If you apply to connect a solar system at your home or business after August 31, 2023, you will be enrolled in CPA’s new Solar Billing Plan on the generation side of your bill and you will be enrolled in SCE’s new Solar Billing Plan on the delivery side of your bill.

Scroll down for more information about CPA’s NEM and Solar Billing Plan programs.

Solar customers with Net Energy Metering (NEM)

If you are a CPA customer and your solar panels were approved by SCE on or before August 31, 2023, you will remain on CPA’s NEM Tariff for the duration of your 20-year NEM eligibility period. Customers new to CPA service who are already enrolled in SCE’s NEM program will be automatically enrolled in CPA’s NEM program upon enrollment with CPA and will retain your legacy status as detailed in your solar agreement.

Clean Power Alliance calculates and applies NEM credits on the generation portion of your bill based on the retail value of the electricity generated by your solar panels. SCE calculates and applies NEM credits on the delivery side of your bill. There are a few small differences between how Clean Power Alliance and SCE administer the NEM program:

Clean Power Alliance customers pay applicable energy charges net of credits on a monthly basis.
Clean Power Alliances trues up all customers on an annual basis each April rather than on a unique date for each customer.
Customers with a credit over $100 at their annual true up will receive their credit amount via a check by mail. Customers with a credit under $100 will receive a bill credit or may contact CPA to request a check.
Clean Power Alliance customers who generate more electricity than they consume in a year are eligible for CPA’s Net Surplus Compensation Rates at a rate 10% higher than SCE’s net surplus compensation rate.

Click on the button below to view Clean Power Alliance’s complete NEM Tariff and contact Customer Service if you have any questions about CPA’s NEM program or your account.

NEW solar customers: Solar Billing Plan

CPA customers whose solar panels are approved after August 31, 2023, will be enrolled in CPA’s Solar Billing Plan on the generation side of your bill. CPA’s plan aligns with the new statewide incentives to promote the adoption of solar paired with battery storage and support a sustainable and reliable electric grid.

How it works:

Each month your bill will include charges for energy used from the electric grid (when your solar isn’t generating as much as you are using, for example, at night). Charges are based on your applicable time-of-use rate schedule.
Each month your bill will include bill credits for excess energy generated from your solar system and sent to the grid (when more energy is generated than needed during the day). Credits are based on hourly CPUC Avoided Cost Calculator prices that reflect the value of electricity to the grid at different times of day throughout the year.
CPA will apply energy charges and credits on the generation side of your bill, and SCE will apply charges and credits on the delivery side of your bill.
Customers who install systems before 2028 will receive an additional “Energy Export Bonus Credit”, which will be applied by SCE to the delivery portion of your bill for the first nine years that your system is in operation.
Customers will continue to receive Net Surplus Compensation for total energy exports in excess of total energy imports over the course of a year, and CPA will continue to offer CPA’s Net Surplus Compensation Rates that are 10% higher than SCE’s NSCR rates.
CPA will conduct an annual true-up in April for all Solar Billing Plan customers. Customers with a credit over $100 at their annual true up will receive their credit amount via a check by mail. Customers with a credit under $100 will receive a bill credit or may contact CPA to request a check.

Click on the button below to view Clean Power Alliance’s complete Solar Billing Plan Tariff (also known as the Net Billing Tariff) and contact Customer Service if you have any questions about CPA’s Solar Billing Plan or your account.

Note that under the CPUC’s new rules, solar systems approved by SCE after April 14, 2023, will be enrolled in SCE’s Solar Billing Plan on the delivery side of your bill. For more information about SCE’s Solar Billing Plan visit sce.com/residential/generating-your-own-power/solar-billing-plan.