Solar & Wind Systems

Interest in “green” energy and ways to save money on utility bills continues to grow and some of our cooperative members may be considering the installation and interconnection of a solar array system. As your trusted energy advisor, contact CVEC as soon as you begin considering installing your own solar array. Our team will provide guidance on the process of connecting to the power grid, from pre-inspection to post-inspection. Click the link below to review information CVEC compiled about the interconnection process. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO READ BEFORE PURCHASING SOLAR.

Economy Check

Before deciding to install a solar array system on your property, determine how much the system will affect your monthly electric costs and how long it will take you to break even. In many cases, it’s more beneficial to upgrade your home’s efficiency measures prior to installing a distributed generation, like a solar array, resource in order to reduce your energy bill.

Helpful Links

• https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/ - Estimate the cost and energy production of potential renewable installations.
• https://www.energystar.gov/about/federal_tax_credits - Provides an overview of federal solar tax credits available to subsidize installation costs.
• https://txses.org/ - Learn more about Texas solar and area installers.

The Interconnection Agreement

Distributed generation is a significant and complex undertaking. There are many safety specifications designed to ensure protection of your family, home, and community. Our engineering team will provide you with an interconnection agreement and guidelines that will outline the process that must be followed to ensure the safe and successful interconnection of your renewable generation to Concho Valley Electric’s power grid. There are several regional and national solar installation companies to choose from, and it is important that they adhere to the provided guidelines and the interconnection agreement when installing the solar array system.

Connecting To The Grid

At times, your project may deliver energy to the grid using our power lines. Following the interconnection agreement and guidelines for interconnecting will help prevent improper installation that could potentially cause danger or compromise the integrity of your system and our grid. After installation, our team will inspect the solar array to ensure it will interact safely with CVEC’s distribution system. All solar array systems must pass an inspection by a CVEC employee to be connected to the electric grid.

Generating Renewable Solar Energy

If you have an interest in installing solar energy systems on your property, please call us at 325-655-6957. We look forward to helping you on the journey towards renewable energy.

Please click here for the Agreement for Interconnection.

Please click here for the Distributed Generation Guidelines.

To submit a DG Facility Plan:

1. Member shall complete an Application, which includes detailing the electrical design, interconnection requirements, size, operational plans for the DG Facility, and a one-line diagram (the “DG plan”). Either at the time of submission or at any time during the review process, the Cooperative may require additional information or may require the DG plan to be prepared by a Professional Engineer registered in the state of Texas.


2. Prior to review of the application and DG plan by the Cooperative, the Member shall pay an application fee as indicated below. A separate fee must be submitted for each DG Facility. 
    

   DG Size (Connected Load)	Application Fee	Interconnection Fee	Engineering Fee (Over 15 kW DC)
   0 to 50 kW DC	$100	$200	$100



3. For proposed DG installations over 15 kW DC, Member shall provide Cooperative with sufficient information for Cooperative to conduct a study to determine the maximum DG installation size at the Member’s proposed location.

Facilities Charge

Purchases from a Member

The Cooperative shall purchase electricity produced by the Member owned Distributed Generation Facility in excess of on-site requirements, and delivered to Cooperative, during each billing period at Avoided Cost.

Avoided Cost, for purpose of this tariff (Section No.: 720.54), shall be the Cooperative's power supplier's avoided cost as calculated and provided by the Cooperative by its power supplier for the applicable period.