Virginia Administrative Code › Title 20 - PUBLIC UTILITIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS › Agency 5 - STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION › Chapter 340 - RULES GOVERNING SHARED SOLAR PROGRAM › Section 20VAC5-340-50 - Marketing and enrollment

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. A
				subscriber organization shall not conduct any marketing activities related to
				participation in the shared solar program until after the subscriber
				organization (i) receives a license, exemption, or waiver from the commission
				and (ii) has begun registration with the utility, as set forth in
				20VAC5-340-40.
B. A subscriber
				organization shall not enroll subscribers until after the earlier of when the
				utility's customer information system is operating or July 1, 2023, and the
				project receives the executed Small Generator Interconnection Agreement
				pursuant to
				20VAC5-314-40 through
				20VAC5-314-70 and any other
				applicable local and state permits for the shared solar facility.
C. A subscriber organization shall not use
				credit checks as a means to establish the eligibility of a residential customer
				to become a subscriber.
D. A
				subscriber organization shall maintain adequate records allowing it to verify
				the customer's enrollment authorization. Authorization shall be in the form of
				a written contract with affirmed written signature, electronic signature, or
				recorded verbal affirmation. The subscriber organization shall maintain a copy
				of the contract for at least one year after the date of expiration. Such
				enrollment contracts shall be provided within five business days to the
				customer, the utility, or the commission staff upon request.
E. A subscriber organization shall provide
				accurate and understandable information in any advertisements, solicitations,
				marketing materials, or customer service contracts. All such materials shall,
				in a manner that is not misleading, include a statement that price for the
				subscription does not include charges to be billed by the utility.
F. A subscriber organization shall provide to
				prospective subscribers, prior to executing a written contract, consumer
				disclosure information and a description of how the shared solar program will
				function. Such description shall include explanations of the respective roles
				of the subscriber organization and the utility, and a detailed description of
				how customers will be billed.
G.
				Subscriber contracts shall include, at a minimum, the following information:
1. Contract price expressed in per
				kilowatt-hour, or if price is not easily specified, an explanation of how the
				subscription price will be calculated.
2. Size of the subscriber subscription. The
				contract must address modification of subscriptions in the event a shared solar
				facility underperforms during a period.
3. Length of the contract.
4. Provisions for terminating the contract,
				including any termination fees.
5.
				Location of the shared solar facility.
6. Size of the shared solar facility.
7. Description of billing terms
				and conditions.
8. List of
				applicable fees, including start up fees, cancellation fees, late payment fees,
				and fees for returned payments for insufficient funds.
9. Clear descriptions of the responsibilities
				of the subscriber organization and the utility, consistent with this
				chapter.
10. Toll-free number and
				address for complaints and inquiries.
11. A clear statement that
(i) the maximum size of the subscriber's
				subscription shall not exceed their estimated annual usage;
(ii) each customer may only participate in
				one shared solar facility or one multi-family solar facility; and
(iii) a net metering customer may not
				participate in this program.
12. In a conspicuous location, confirmation
				of the customer's authorization for the utility and subscriber organization to
				exchange, at a minimum, the following billing information:
a. Customer name;
b. Billing address and premise address;
c. Utility account number; and
d. Share solar subscription
				information, including, at a minimum:
(1)
				Pricing;
(2) Subscription size;
(3) Contract start date and
				length; and
(4) Terms of
				subscription.
13. In a conspicuous location, signatures
				confirming the customer's request to enroll and the approximate date the
				enrollment will be effective.