How does solar energy production affect crediting and billing?

There are a lot of moving parts between when your share of the solar farm produces (or generates) energy, when your community solar credits are applied to your utility bill, and when Solstice charges you for your credits. The process typically takes up to 4 months to play out.

Here's an example of a timeline:

1. Your solar farm produces energy between January and February.
   
   
2. Your utility provider is notified of the energy produced and calculates your credit based on the energy produced and their own supply cost. Depending on your meter read date, the credit would be applied to your February or March utility bill.
   
   
3. Your utility company then sends Solstice a report to tell us the amount of solar energy produced and the credit value applied to your utility bill. This report is typically sent to Solstice 1-2 months after the credit is applied. In this example, Solstice would likely receive the report in March or April.
   
   
4. Solstice then sends you your invoice or credit explainer detailing the discounted charge for your credit and when that credit was produced. The "production period" on your Solstice invoice or credit explainer reflects the period when your credit was produced by the solar farm before it was applied to your utility bill. If we received the report from your utility in March or April, you would receive your Solstice invoice or credit explainer in one of those months.

It's important to note that solar energy production is also affected by seasonality. For example, when days are longer during the summer months and there's more sunlight, your credits may be higher than in winter months when days are shorter. Weather can also affect solar production. Snow and ice, for example, can prevent the solar farm from producing energy at its full capacity.

In your Solstice account, you can always track your credit and billing history, monitor your panels' solar production, and see your savings and the environmental impact of using clean energy!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [e-mail] or 845-853-0768.