Partnership allows Maryland and DC homeowners to install solar panels for free while paying for their solar electricity and utility power on a single bill
Clean Currents, a leading supplier of green electricity, today unveiled a new clean energy purchasing program that allows Maryland and Washington DC homeowners to pay for electricity from solar panels at a discount to utility rates on a single, consolidated electric bill. Rockville’s Clean Currents is partnering with SolarCity—a national leader in clean energy products and services with local offices in Jessup, MD and Washington, DC—to create the program.
Under the new program, homeowners sign a fixed-price Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Clean Currents and get a free solar panel installation on their roofs from SolarCity. The pricing of the PPA will be available at rates lower than current utility rates, saving homeowners money in the short-term, while allowing them to protect their family budgets in the long term. SolarCity also insures and monitors the systems, guarantees their performance and provides necessary repairs for no additional cost.
“The Clean Currents Solar PPA will vastly improve how homeowners buy clean electricity in Maryland and Washington DC by allowing them to lock in a competitive fixed rate for decades, while helping the environment and promoting green power,” said Gary Skulnik, Clean Currents’ President. “By partnering with SolarCity, a national leader in clean energy services, Clean Currents is giving customers access to a first-of-its-kind product.”
In addition to helping homeowners lower their energy costs, Clean Currents has made it more convenient for customers to pay their bills by presenting all the charges on their residential electricity bill. Clean Currents’ customers will receive a monthly bill that will combine information about their wind and solar generated electricity along with the use of electricity from their local energy company. The customer therefore can work with only one vendor for both their on-site solar power and their electricity purchasing.
“SolarCity has provided clean energy products and services to more than 25,000 homes, businesses and non-profit organizations—we help a new customer make the switch to better energy every five minutes of the workday,” said Toby Corey, SolarCity’s Chief Revenue Officer. “We believe this is the first time American homeowners have been able to pay for self-generated solar electricity on a consolidated bill—this is the model of the future.”
As an incentive to get the program started, Clean Currents is offering the first month of solar power free of charge to anyone who signs up before World Environment Day (June 5th, 2012). The program will initially be limited to specific utility territories in Maryland and Washington D.C. Interested homeowners can find additional information.
“This is another green energy solution we’re proud to now offer our customers,” noted Skulnik. “You can buy wind power from us at competitive rates and now also buy power from solar systems from us at special low rates.”
Maryland and the District of Columbia are among 23 states that have deregulated their electricity markets to allow competition. This has encouraged companies to innovate to create new, cleaner energy options for business and residential customers.