On November 18, a group of bipartisan California elected officials joined Dimension Energy to celebrate the launch of the first-ever community solar project in the Central Valley. Dimension Energy’s Joe Henri was joined by Senator Anna Caballero, Assemblymember Devon Mathis, California Energy Commission’s Raja Ramesh and Community Organizer Melynda Metheney for a solar array just 10 minutes from downtown Visalia to demonstrate the many benefits of community solar. prices. residents of the valley.
“Dimension Energy is proud to provide an affordable energy solution to Central Valley residents,” said Joe Henri of Dimension Energy. “We hope this is just the beginning. We envision a real, functioning community solar and storage program across the state of California that will enable more farmers and landowners to host these facilities, preserving farmland within families while creating jobs and locally clean energy is generated.’
The Visalia project is one of three new solar pilot initiatives in the Central Valley developed by Dimension Energy as part of the state’s Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff (DAC-GT) program. The other two projects in this pilot program are located in Corcoran and Lemoore. The three projects will provide clean solar energy to more than 3,700 residents of the low-income valley at a 20% discount, saving families an average of $40 per month.
Dimension worked hard to ensure the benefits of each project were localized by partnering with trusted community organizations such as Proteus and Self Help Enterprises to bring affordable, clean energy to the residents who need it most, and through development programs for sponsor the workforce that creates opportunities for quality jobs on each project. According to the latest available census data, Tulare County is 50% non-English speaking: a significant portion of enrolled residents were Spanish-speaking, and all of Dimension’s community partners were also Spanish-speaking.
The DAC-GT program ended earlier this year, making these pilot community solar projects the first and last of their kind. Ideally, the projects will serve as a model for the CPUC as it considers how to deploy the $250 million in Solar For All funds allocated by the Environmental Protection Agency this spring. The federal funds provide the opportunity to initiate the creation of a comprehensive statewide solar energy program.
Speakers at the event highlighted the additional benefits to families in the Central Valley if the PUC commits a majority of federal funds to expand solar energy across the state this fall.
“This is an exciting and innovative project that will help thousands of Valley families pay less on their electricity bills. But as exciting as this project is, it will help less than 1% of the more than 2.4 million California households who cannot install solar panels on their roofs because of cost or because they are renters,” said Senator Anna Caballero. “We need more projects like this to help the state’s millions of renters who need relief from their high energy bills. California needs to do better. We can do better.”
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