BOISE, Idaho — State officials have approved a utility company’s application to build a solar power project southeast of Boise funded by customers who buy subscriptions.
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved Idaho Power’s application for the 500-kilowatt solar project last week. It will be the state’s first utility-owned solar power production facility.
The so-called community solar project that can power about 730 homes aims to attract customers who can’t install solar panels on their homes because they rent, live in communities with rules prohibiting solar panels, or have houses shaded by trees. A subscription means they’re taking part in producing solar energy.
“We heard from a lot of customers who wanted to see an option like this,” said company spokesman Brad Bowlin.
The solar panels would cover an area about the size of two football fields. Most of the project’s $1.2 million construction cost would be paid by customers who take out subscriptions at $562 per 320-watt panel, with completion of the project expected in June.
Idaho Power initially proposed a subscription cost of $740, with buyers getting a credit 3 cents per kilowatt-hour produced by the panel.
But the commission said subscribers wouldn’t get back their investment, ultimately settling on the lower subscription fee and altering the credit so it could increase from 3 cents to 4.4 cents in 25 years.
“The record demonstrates that there is great interest and enthusiasm” for the program, the commission said in a statement.
Bowlin said the company sold about 20 subscriptions Friday despite not having done much marketing yet, and expects to eventually sell all of them. There are 1,093 subscriptions available for residential customers and another 470 for nonresidential customers.
Bowlin said the number of subscriptions sold in the next 120 days will give the company a better understanding of the interest in the project.
“This is still a learning experience for us, too,” he said. “We have some assumptions and have done some research, but we really won’t know until we see those subscriptions rolling in.”
