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Community Green Rates

Aerial view of solar parking lot

Community Renewables Program for Developers

SCE’s Green Tariff Shared Renewables (GTSR) program is the result of SB 43, which was signed into law on September 28, 2013. GTSR is a 600-megawatt statewide program that allows participating utility customers to meet up to 100 percent of their energy usage from eligible renewable resources. There are two structures within the GTSR program:

  1. SCE’s Green Rate program
  2. SCE’s Community Renewables program

How the Program Works

The Community Renewables program allows developers to work directly with customers to develop new renewable projects from 0.5 to 20.0 MW that are in SCE’s service territory. The transaction structure of the Community Renewables program has three main components:

Customer Developer Agreement

Customers contract directly with a developer for a specific renewable project and subscribe to a portion of the project’s output corresponding to all or a portion of the customer’s energy needs. This contract is referred to as the Customer Developer Agreement (CDA), SCE is not a party to this contract and each CDA is bilaterally negotiated between the customer and the developer.

Power Purchase Agreement

If selected, developers sign a Renewable Auction Mechanism Renewable (RAM) Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and Enhanced Community Renewables Rider with SCE (the CR-RAM PPA). The customers are not a party to the CR-RAM PPA, which is submitted and approved by the California Public Utilities Commission by advice letter, and is not negotiable.

Customer Energy Statement Credit (a Bill Credit)

Eligible once customers are enrolled, they will receive a bill credit on their SCE energy statement. For more information regarding rates in effect, please review SCE’s Advice Letter 3905-E-A. Bill credits are subject to change at any time, including after a customer enrolls.

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The California Public Utilities Commission (Commission) has ruled that it is essential that participants in the Community Renewables program be protected and that utility customers do not bear the cost of any securities litigation associated with a securities claim related to the Community Renewables program. Therefore, the Commission requires each developer and project to comply with securities laws. Accordingly, SCE makes no representation or warranty regarding whether a Community Renewable project or its developer are in compliance with securities laws, and that customers and participants in the Community Renewables program are solely responsible for ensuring that they and the Community Renewable developer are in compliance with all securities laws.

Getting Started

Some of the Community Renewables program requirements that a developer must satisfy are:

  1. Comply with Green-e® Energy National Standard
    1. In accordance with D.15-01-051, SCE’s Community Renewables program is required to be Green-e® Energy certified pursuant to the Green-e Energy National Standard. For more information visit Green-e® Energy.
  2. Green-e® Energy Marketing Communication Guidelines
  3. Community Interest
  4. Customer Developer Agreement

Summary of Green-e® Energy Marketing Communication Guidelines

Under the Community Renewables program, renewable energy project developers take on the responsibility for marketing their renewable project(s) directly to customers, and must comply with Green-e® Energy environmental and consumer protection standards. This compliance includes following Green-e® Energy guidelines for all product marketing, an obligation to provide customers with accurate and sufficient disclosures regarding the developer’s project(s), and following the California Public Utility Commission’s Decision on Community Choice Aggregation Code of Conduct and the Green-e® Energy Code of Conduct. For more information on Green-e® Energy developer requirements under SB 43, please visit Green-e® Energy’s Information for developers and generator requirements.

Note: Many of the Green-e® Energy Requirements must be satisfied prior to marketing to customers.

The information on this website respecting Green-e Energy and Green-e® Energy requirements was provided in part by Green-e® Energy. Accordingly, while SCE strives to make the information on this website as timely and accurate as possible, SCE makes no claims, promises, or guarantees and does not represent or warrant the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of the information provided by Green-e® Energy, and expressly disclaims any liability for errors or omissions in contents of this website provided by Green-e® Energy. Green-e® Energy requirements can be found here. In connection with a developer’s participation in the Community Renewables program and in connection with the issuance of any Community Renewables bill credit to a customer, the contents of this website do not govern or create privity of contract, the contents of each Customer Developer Agreement, the CR-RAM PPA, or the appropriate advice letter establishing the Community Renewables bill credit will govern, as applicable.

Community Renewables Charges & Credits

The Community Renewables Program is Green-e® Energy certified. Under Senate Bill 43 (SB43), we are required to be Green-e® Energy certified as administered by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions. Green-e® Energy is North America’s leading voluntary certification program for renewable energy. Since 1997, Green-e® Energy has certified renewable energy that meets environmental and consumer protection standards that were developed in conjunction with leading environmental, energy and policy organizations. Green-e® Energy requires that sellers of certified renewable energy disclose clear and useful information to potential customers, allowing consumers to make informed choices. Green-e® Energy Certification provides consumers with assurance that the product sold under SCE meets the Green-e® Energy National Standard, is not double counted, and is marketed in a clear and accurate way to customers.

Under the California Enhanced Community Renewables program, renewable energy project developers take on the responsibility for marketing their solar project(s) directly to customers, and as such agree to comply with Green-e® Energy environmental and consumer protection standards. This compliance includes following Green-e® Energy guidelines on all product marketing and an obligation to provide the end-use customer with accurate and sufficient disclosures regarding the project(s). For more information on Green-e Energy developer requirements under SB43, please visit Green-e® Energy’s California Enhanced Community Renewables Information.

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