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Community Solar Garden

Going solar just got a lot easier. With our Community Solar Garden program, CEC members can subscribe to have a portion of their monthly energy usage generated by our very own solar array.
Construction will begin as soon as the materials and a contractor are in place. We are seeing delays in production of the items needed for this program, like so many other projects that rely on the same components.

The new solar array will be across the street from our headquarters, on South Alabama Regional Airport property, in Sanford. Participating members will be able to sign up for a 12-month agreement to buy an average of 187 kWh of solar-generated electricity each month at a flat rate of $20.

Ultimately, the goal of Community Solar is not to lower a subscriber’s power bill. Rather, it is to give members looking for more ways to reduce their carbon footprint the chance to get a portion of the electricity they use from clean power — all while supporting renewable energy right here in their community.

The program also gives our members who are uncertain about solar power a flexible option for exploring its benefits. Installing rooftop solar panels can often be prohibitively expensive for individual households, and it requires navigating local zoning laws. Community Solar makes it easy for any members to sign up and start powering their homes with renewable energy right away.

If you haven’t signed up yet, you can still join before the array goes live — or even after you’ve seen it in action. Just call 800-239-4121 with any questions or complete the form below to apply online. All members are eligible to apply, whether you expressed an interest in solar power on previous annual meeting surveys or not.

To sign up for CEC’s Community Solar Garden, please fill out the form below.

  • Community Solar Agreement Terms and Conditions:

    The Member hereby requests a subscription in Covington Electric Cooperative’s Community Solar Program (CSP) for a solar array tentatively to be built near CEC’s headquarters in Sanford. Pending construction of the solar array, Member billing for CSP will begin the first full billing cycle after construction is completed. If there is not sufficient member interest in the CSP, the array will not be constructed, and this agreement shall terminate upon written notice to the member, and CEC shall have no responsibility for supplying the Member with solar energy. This project is called Solar Project “A”, and CEC's RESIDENTIAL SERVICE SOLAR BLOCK. A tariff applies to this project. All accounts participating in the solar garden will be billed in Cycle 1 with electric bills due on the 20th of each month.

    Eligibility

    To be eligible to participate in the CSP, a Member's account must be in good standing.

    Participation Terms and pricing

    Member agrees to participate in CSP for a one year (12 months) contract period. Member understands and agrees that all rules of CEC membership apply to this energy purchase and that by choosing to exit the program at any time, Member must wait 12 months before becoming eligible to participate again. If Member opts out of a solar subscription for any account, Member relinquishes all prior rights to block(s) being subscribed to. Those block(s) will be made available to other members for subscription. The Member understands and agrees that should they exit participation without moving off of CEC's lines and prior to the expiration of contracted term, they will pay the monthly subscription rate for the remaining months of the contract term or a flat fee of $100, whichever is less. If Member moves but remains on CEC lines, the contract obligation as hereunder shall be transferred to the member’s account for the new location.

    The total electrical output from the solar project(s) will fluctuate due to seasons and weather. Participating Members will be billed a flat rate monthly for the block(s) of solar energy requested. The applicable term rate for this contract will be:

    $20 per month/per block with an average of 153 kwh per month per block

  • The Member will pay the normal rate for all non-solar kWh. It is estimated that each block will produce an average 187 kWh monthly. Members are encouraged to subscribe to no more than 50 percent of the consumption on their lowest monthly electric bill. If Member's account becomes disconnected due to an outstanding balance, CEC reserves the right to terminate this contract.

    Cooperative Solar Rider

    Member acknowledges that they have received and read a copy of CEC's "RESIDENTIAL SERVICE-SOLAR BLOCK A” tariff.

    Availability

    Blocks are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. CEC members may sign up to purchase one, two or three blocks per account; however, CEC will not guarantee more than one block per account until demand has been evaluated after the deadline. In the event, at application, no blocks are available, members may be placed on a waiting list.

    Please indicate below the number of blocks you wish to subscribe to along with the appropriate account numbers.

  • Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY

See how our solar demonstration project is going by clicking here.