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Solar Power

Solar Power Information
Online Application
Requirements for Solar Providers
Frequently Asked Questions
Other Solar Info

Solar Power Information

Let Your Cooperative help you make an informed decision about solar energy. As Your Trusted Energy Experts, we will walk you through the process and help you understand the economics. Have peace of mind and allow YOUR cooperative to help you make decisions about your solar energy needs.

 

SOLAR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE PRIOR TO INSTALLATION
We recommend that the Member neither install a solar system, nor enter into any associated financial obligations, until after the Cooperative has evaluated and approved the proposed system.

 

The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs announced new regulations on the marketing and sale of renewable energy.  Solar companies are now required to meet the following guidelines to help consumers make informed decisions:

 

 

  • Consumers aged 70 or older must be given 3 days to review the contract prior to signing.

  • All consumers may cancel a contract without fees or penalty within 10 days of signing.
  • Prospective clients must be provided an educational brochure that details solar basics, consumer rights, questions to ask the seller and red flags to watch for.

  • Before signing a contract, consumers must be provided a disclosure statement that clearly lays out that specifications and costs of the solar installation.

  • When a building permit is denied or a consumer’s homeowners association does not approve the install, a consumer has 7 days to cancel the contract or amend it.

  • Consumers must be given a copy of the contract that contains a description of all fees, install dates, details on any savings described, warranty information and more details required by the law.

 

 

Solar Rates
Edisto’s Value of Solar is $0.0328/kWh. Members will receive a credit on their bill each month for excess energy that is “reversed” through the revenue meter.

Sample Billing for a Solar Member

Solar Application Fees
Residential fee: $150.00
Non-Residential fee: $250.00
Note: In the memo area of the check, please include the address of the member applying for interconnection. (example: 123 Solar Dr. Bamberg, SC 29003)

Online Application

  1. Submit Application by email to solar@edistoelectric.com.

***Commercial Applications or systems above 20kW may have a longer study period or more steps involved before approval and installation.

                    Mail-in application fees:

                    USPS Mail

                    Edisto Electric Cooperative

                    P.O. Box 547

                    Bamberg, South Carolina 29003

                    ATTN: Solar Interconnection

                    FedEx or UPS

                    Edisto Electric Cooperative

                    896 Calhoun Street

                    Bamberg, South Carolina 29003

                    ATTN: Solar Interconnection


What documentation needs to be provided with the Interconnection Application?

  1. Drawings showing the single-line diagram, location of the solar system on the property with north bearing referenced, location of equipment with respect to the utility meter.
  2. Data sheets or specifications for the solar panels, inverters, batteries, etc. being installed.
  3. A copy of the HOI showing sufficient liability coverage
  4. Edisto Electric Cooperative (Edisto) will review the application.  If the system is over-sized, our representatives will contact both the member and the solar company to discuss.
  5. Edisto’s solar rate will be reviewed with the member, and our representatives will offer suggestions and insights, should we observe any concerns related to issues of shading and/or the physical location of the system.
  6. Edisto and the member will both sign the Contingent Approval. This gives assurance that if the proposed system is built, then Edisto will interconnect with it.
  7. After the system has been built, the county will inspect it. Edisto will wait to obtain an approved inspection or release from the county before proceeding.
  8. Edisto will inspect the system and check for back-feed.
  9. Edisto will then sign the Interconnection Agreement. After the Interconnection Agreement has been signed, Edisto will send the executed copy to both the member and the solar company, place the member on Edisto’s solar rate, and give permission to operate.


Contact Us with questions concerning Solar Interconnection.

Requirements for Solar Providers

  • As part of the site-plan diagram, the location of a ground-mount solar system must be clearly marked on the member’s property.  This action would ensure that when the Edisto representative makes a visit to the site, there would be no question about the exact position of the planned solar array.
  • The cooperative will not approve any lineside taps.  Should such a configuration be encountered, the solar-system application would not be approved, nor would the interconnection process be completed.
  • Any plan to install solar equipment upon a power-line right-of-way easement assigned to the cooperative would be prohibited.  Neither project approval nor the interconnection process would go forward until the proposed site of the equipment could be relocated.  The relocation site would need to be situated on ground that rests totally beyond the boundaries of any said right-of-way strip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Always.

Never. The PV system must be on the load side of the member’s existing revenue meter.

Line-side taps are allowed, but they shall not be installed in the meter base. We would prefer that you connect the PV system behind a breaker in the member’s breaker panel when possible.

No. The existing meter is a bidirectional meter. We will change the billing rate after installation and all approvals.

The only label that is specifically referenced in Edisto’s Interconnection Agreement is the Emergency Disconnect Switch. The EDS must be labeled accordingly. Most solar companies place stickers or markers on the meter base.

The average homeowner that installs solar reduced their 12-month average bill by 20% to 40%. This is a wide range and it depends greatly on when the homeowner uses electricity, the size of the system, whether they installed batteries, etc. The important thing to note is that you will still have a bill from Edisto Electric each month.

Solar panels alone will not provide electricity to your home if Edisto Electric is experiencing an outage in your area. The inverter needs to be connected to a power source to operate. There are systems in which a homeowner can install batteries and power certain loads in the home during an outage though. Batteries usually will not run large loads such as HVAC units, stoves, water heaters, etc. though.

Most battery applications are not designed to run an entire home as you normally would. Batteries installed in conjunction with solar panels should be viewed as backup power for essential loads such as refrigerators, freezers, lights, etc. Batteries may be able to power larger loads such as a water pump/well, but this should be looked on a case by case basis.

Other Solar Info

These are websites that we recommend:

Need help? Call us at 1-800-433-3292 or email info@edistoelectric.com

Edisto Electric Cooperative, Inc., Your Touchstone Energy Cooperative®, is a member-owned rural electric cooperative headquartered in Bamberg, South Carolina.

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