Aug 8th 2023 | Posted in Energy by Texas Government Insider

CPS Energy, owned by the city of San Antonio, will launch a request for proposals soon for up to 50 megawatts of additional community solar arrays, up from six megawatts capacity today. The utility aims to secure federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.

An alternative to home solar panels, a community solar farm allows multiple owners to buy one or more panels to access electricity. Currently, 700 customers utilize community solar, but CPS Energy has a wait of over 1,000.

solar 300x192 CPS Energy looks to expansion of community solar projects

The additional community solar farm will allow residents who rent homes, apartments, duplexes or other multifamily housing units to access solar benefits. One megawatt can power 200 Texas homes.

CPS Energy already has three community solar projects, launched in 2015, 2016 and 2018. The first was CPS Energy’s SolarHost project, which allows residents to “rent” solar panels located on residential and commercial rooftops and receive credit back on their monthly bill for electricity the rented panels produce. The other two are a 1.2-megawatt project located in Adkins and a 5-megawatt project in San Antonio that utilizes panels built into arrays that serve as carport rooftops.

CPS Energy officials hope the request for proposals will result in 10 or more projects to be located in different areas of San Antonio, including partnerships with local businesses.