Dive Brief:

• Enphase announced it has partnered with GRID Alternatives on the installation of a residential solar-plus-storage project in the Imperial Irrigation District’s (IID) service territory.

• The partners say the system will reduce a low-income customer's bill by 45% and produce more power than it consumes for roughly 10 of 12 months.

• The partners say the project could serve as a business model that could help GRID Alternatives connect 50 low-income families with solar-plus-storage projects in IID’s territory  this year.

Dive Insight:

As California utilities hit or approach their net metering caps, solar-plus-storage projects are becoming more attractive.

The Imperial Irrigation District hit is 5% net metering cap in March 2016, reverting residential solar customers to wholesale rate compensation. IID was the first muni in California to hit its net metering cap, but about 10 others, including the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, are nearing their limits.

California’s municipal utilities are not subject to state net metering 2.0 measures and can limit new net metering once they hit the 5% cap.

GRID originally planned to install 50 rooftop solar installations for IID in 2016 at no cost to customers, but was only able to complete 18 projects because of the change in net metering provisions. GRID is now installing the solar-plus-storage systems thanks to donation by Enphase, and said it expects to complete 50 solar installations for IID customers in 2017.

Enphase is providing microinverters, 1.2-kW AC batteries and an Enphase AC combiner box (beta version) to the project.