No. Dominion Energy does not install or finance solar panels.

Not all homes are suitable for solar. Before you make the commitment to install, make sure that your home (roof structure, capacity, pitch, shading, etc.) is suitable for solar panels. This A Consumer Guide to Solar for the South Carolina Homeowner can help.

If your home isn't suitable for installation of solar panels, you can still participate in solar energy through our Community Solar program.

We are unable to offer assistance, but we strongly recommend working with a certified tax advisor to determine your eligibility for federal tax credits and SC tax credits.

Yes. You can visit USDOE ‐ Federal Clean Energy Tax Credits to find our more about the tax credits and their expiration dates and we suggest you consult with your tax advisor for more information.

Dominion Energy does not offer cash rebates or financing for installing solar.

For inquiries pertaining to your solar system, contact your solar contractor. After reviewing this website, if you have additional questions specific to Dominion Energy's solar programs, please email us.

Check with your city and county (and, if applicable, your Homeowners Association) to identify any zoning laws or HOA restrictions that may prescribe where you can place solar panels on your home.

Homeowners will need to obtain any building or other local permits required before installation. Typically, your installer will assist you in obtaining permits and clearance from the city and county.

Dominion Energy does not offer installation services or provide oversight of the installation process; however, we conduct a field inspection to ensure that the installation meets our requirements. Selecting an experienced solar contractor is one of the most important steps in the overall installation process.

A Consumer Guide to Solar for the South Carolina Homeowner is an excellent resource to help educate customers on the overall process for installing rooftop solar, including selecting a contractor. Also be aware of the factors you should consider in order to determine if solar is right for you.

Dominion Energy does not offer financing options or installation services for solar systems.

The costs associated with installing a rooftop solar array can vary widely depending on your home’s specifications and which installer you choose to work with. See a general idea of potential costs by using the PVWatts calculator tool on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory website.

Customers can offset up to 100% of their electrical usage without exceeding 20 kW for residential customers and 1,000 kW for non-residential customers. Dominion Energy uses a customer’s last 12 months of electric usage and a capacity factor of 1,589 to determine the amount of solar a customer can have.

FORMULA:

CUSTOMER USAGE (kWh)

(365 DAYS * 24 HRS PER DAY * CAPACITY FACTOR * DC/AC CONVERSION)

EXAMPLE:

ANNUAL CUSTOMER USAGE - 10,717 kWh

10,717 / (365 * 24 * 0.1589 * 1.1) = 7

7 kW - MAXIMUM SYSTEM SIZE

After all required information is entered into PowerClerk, the following forms will be produced for your completion and digital signature: Interconnection Request Application, Solar Energy Program Application, and IRS W-9 Form. You must also upload Proof of Property (Liability) Insurance and a Single Line Diagram.

Renewable Energy customers who interconnect on or after January 1, 2015 are eligible to receive an annual bill credit if their solar generation exceeds their usage. The value of any bill credit/payment you receive could be treated as income. Consult with your tax advisor for more information.

Your project will go through an Application review and then a Technical Review by our Engineer. Once your paperwork is approved, you will receive an email letting you know that you are approved to install the system.

The South Carolina Interconnection Standard requires that customers “obtain and retain, for as long as the Generating Facility is interconnected with the Utility’s System, liability insurance which protects the Interconnection Customer from claims for bodily injury and/or property damage.” The Standard also prescribes the amount of liability coverage for residential and nonresidential customers based on the size of the Generating Facility.

We do not partner with solar installers or leasing companies to sell products or services to our customers. We provide interconnection services to our customers and work through solar installers (at the customer’s request) to help facilitate that process. Claims that Dominion Energy is working with solar installers to sell rooftop systems or leases are not true, and should be reported to the SC Office of Regulatory Staff or the SC Department of Consumer Affairs.

The reviews are a very important part of the application process. It is conducted prior to installation to ensure that the system design is within the limits of the program and confirms that all required equipment is included and in the correct order. Waiting for approval prior to installing the system helps eliminate any delays of your project and may prevent costly changes.

The reviews are a very important part of the application process. It is conducted prior to installation to ensure that the system design is within the limits of the program and confirms that all required equipment is included and in the correct order. Waiting for approval prior to installing the system helps eliminate any delays of your project and may prevent costly changes.

Your project will go through an Application review and then a Technical Review by our Engineer. Once your paperwork is approved, you will receive an email letting you know that you are approved to install the system.

The standard meter cannot differentiate between incoming and outgoing energy. Without the bi-directional meter, you could be charged for outgoing energy your solar panels generate that is sent back to Dominion Energy.

The South Carolina Generator Interconnection Procedures (SCGIP), requires Dominion Energy SC to maintain a reserve circuit phase capacity on each circuit for projects ≤ 20 kW. The intent is to prevent larger projects from taking all the capacity and blocking out smaller projects. If you receive this message, your project is on a phase circuit that has reached/exceeded the ≤ 20 kW reserved capacity. This means that ≤ 20 kW interconnection application process can no longer be used and your project will have to follow the ">20 kW SCGIP Fast Track Process", which involves further review by Dominion Energy SC to ensure the system will not affect the safety and reliability on that circuit.

You can resubmit your application for consideration, at which point it will be reviewed to determine if it can be connected to the Dominion Energy grid.

No. Residential customers, churches, schools and municipalities with electric service from Dominion Energy South Carolina are eligible to participate.

There are two different ways to participate, so you can go solar in a way that best fits your needs and your budget: by Subscribing (or renting) or by Purchasing. Subscribe to panels at a low monthly rate to see instant savings, or purchase panels and see greater savings over the 20-year term of the program.

Please Note: Effective October 15, 2017, our Community Solar program is currently fully subscribed, however, if you are interested in participating you can add your name to the wait list. As customers leave the program over time, we will be adding new customers.

You can subscribe to offset up to 100% of your electrical usage in kilowatt (kW) hours without exceeding 20 kWAC for electric residential customers, or 1,000 AC/DC for schools, churches and municipalities.

Subscription: For subscription customers, there is a monthly fee of $0.20 per Kilowatt of solar capacity subscribed. The average subscriber would pay about $15/year*, and fees are applied to your monthly Dominion Energy bill and spread across your monthly statements. Monthly credits are expected to be greater than monthly fees, providing for instant savings.

Subscription customers can convert to ownership in years 6, 11, 16, and 20, with the option to purchase panels at market value.

Purchase: Initially, a single solar panel (117.5 Watts DC) costs $264, or market value. The average customer will require approximately 55 panels for a total off-set (enough to produce all the power you need). A monthly credit of $.10 per kWh will be applied to your electric bill. Cumulative monthly credits are expected to cover your purchase price by the 13th year of the program after which 100% of your bill credits can be applied to your monthly usage charges.

*Estimates are based on the average household electric usage of 1,000 kWh per month. Please speak with a Community Solar Specialist to discuss savings and environmental benefits specific to your electric usage. Consult your proposal and/or contract for specific terms and conditions.

Under the purchase option, customers receive an interest in the solar output (actual generated electricity) of their selected solar panels, rather than an interest in the solar panels themselves. In their sixth year, customers may purchase the panels outright on an as-is basis under the purchase option price outlined in the contract. At that time, the customer would also need to sign an ownership agreement. Ownership of the specified solar (PV) panels would then by conveyed by bill of sale. Customers who do not want to purchase full ownership may opt to simply retain the purchase interest option for the full term of the contract. The Dominion Energy South Carolina bill credit of $0.10 per kilowatt hour remains the same for the full term whether or not the customer elects to purchase the panels outright.

Retaining the ownership of the solar panels allows the solar farm investors to realize the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for qualified advanced energy projects. The savings from the tax credit is reflected in the price of the solar panels available through the community solar purchase option.

After the solar arrays are constructed and your bill credits begin, each month CEC will calculate the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) attributable to each customer in the RooflessSolar arrays based on a pro rata share of the output. Once the kWh usage for each customer is determined, Dominion Energy South Carolina will apply a credit to your bill that is equal to the number of kWh produced.

Subscription customers earn $.01 per kWh, while purchase customers earn $.10 per kWh. The credits are then applied to your bill, reducing the total costs owed to us. If you ever have more credits than what you owe, your credits will carry forward and be applied to future months, as needed.*

Your bill credit will vary from month to month based on the solar panels’ production. In months when there is more sunshine, you will have a higher bill credit, and in cloudier months, you will have a lower bill credit.

Your bill credit will vary from month to month based on the solar panels’ production. In months when there is more sunshine, you will have a higher bill credit, and in cloudier months, you will have a lower bill credit.

The agreement will be between you and the owner/operator of the community solar facilities, Cypress Creek Renewables. The program and enrollment process is administered by Community Solar Platform.

Because the program is designed to ensure that all of the energy in the community solar facilities is accounted for by a purchaser or subscriber, there are fees associated with terminating or downsizing a contract.

• Termination Charge is billed when a customer decides to no longer participate in community solar or they final bill their account. The Termination Charge is $50.00/kW and remains this amount throughout the term of the contract.
• Downsizing Fee is a billed when a customer decides they want to lower their contracted share. The Downsizing Fee is $50.00/kW and remains this amount throughout the term of the contract.

In both cases, the fee is billed to the customer by CEC, not by Dominion Energy South Carolina. Also in both cases, if the customer can find another eligible customer to assume their downsized share, the applicable fee will be waived.