CPUC Community Solar Programs Continue Delivering Customer Savings

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) joined local leaders, community partners, and clean energy advocates in Oakland on June 5, 2026, to celebrate the completion of a new community solar project developed by Ava Community Energy, marking another milestone in California’s growing portfolio of community solar projects.

The new 0.72-megawatt (MW) rooftop solar installation hosted by Prologis is another example of a rooftop project to begin operation under the CPUC’s Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff (DAC-GT) Program. The competitively procured project will provide clean, renewable energy and meaningful bill savings to nearby low-income households while advancing California’s clean energy and environmental justice goals. 

California also recently welcomed another community solar project owned by Prologis, a warehouse rooftop solar project in the City of Carson. The project was funded by the CPUC’s Community Solar Green Tariff (CSGT) program. The 1.32 MW project demonstrates how underutilized urban spaces can be transformed into cost competitive clean energy assets.

“The competitively procured community solar project in Oakland creates opportunities for customers who may not be able to install solar panels on their own homes to participate in a program that delivers direct discounts to their electricity bills,” said Kerry Fleisher, a Director in the CPUC’s Energy Division who spoke at the celebration. “Projects like this one demonstrate how the best community solar projects can expand the number of clean energy projects in California while supporting the communities that need the bill relief the most.”

Director Fleisher making remarks at the celebration for the Ava Community Energy Solar Project in Oakland on June 5, 2026. 

Community Solar in California

Community solar allows customers to subscribe to a portion of the electricity generated by an offsite solar facility and receive credits on their monthly utility bills. The CPUC has created a model where the best community solar projects are selected to expand access to solar energy for renters, residents of multifamily housing, and others who may not have the ability to install rooftop solar themselves.

California has developed one of the nation’s most extensive portfolios of community shared solar programs. Beginning with the Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) Program in 2008, the CPUC has established and expanded programs serving residential, commercial, multifamily, local government, and nonprofit customers. 

Most recently, the CPUC streamlined and improved its market-rate Green Tariff offerings and subsidized DAC-GT and Community Solar Green Tariff (CSGT) programs through implementation of Assembly Bill 2316 (Ward, 2022). These efforts continue to demonstrate that community solar is viable and scalable throughout California through the most competitive projects.

Today, more than 1,200 shared solar projects totaling approximately 560 MW are operating across the state, with an additional 430 projects totaling 165 MW currently under construction.

Director Fleisher at the Ava Community Energy Solar Project in Oakland on June 5, 2026. 

Delivering Savings to Disadvantaged Communities

The Oakland project will participate in Ava Community Energy’s Solar Discount Program, which utilizes the CPUC’s DAC-GT framework to provide income-qualified customers with 100 percent renewable electricity at a 20 percent discount.

When combined with other CPUC-administered customer assistance programs, including the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program and the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) Program, participating households may see their monthly electricity bills reduced by as much as 50 percent.

These targeted savings are a key component of the CPUC’s efforts to ensure that the benefits of California’s clean energy transition reach all communities, particularly those that have historically faced higher energy burdens.

Advancing Environmental Justice and Workforce Development

Beyond customer bill savings, competitive community solar projects help advance the CPUC’s Environmental and Social Justice Action Plan by expanding access to clean energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating economic opportunities in local communities through the best community solar projects.

Ava Community Energy’s Solar Discount Program includes support for green job training and workforce development initiatives, enabling trainees to gain hands-on experience participating in solar installations. These workforce investments help ensure that California’s clean energy economy creates opportunities for local residents while supporting the state’s broader climate goals.

The Oakland installation is part of a broader partnership developed under the CPUC’s successful community solar framework between Ava Community Energy and Prologis to deploy five rooftop solar arrays totaling 7.28 MW across Alameda and San Joaquin counties.

Together, these projects are expected to serve approximately 3,000 households through Ava’s Solar Discount Program, demonstrating how underutilized industrial rooftops can be transformed through the CPUC’s community solar program into valuable community energy resources.

As California continues to pursue ambitious clean energy targets, projects like this one highlight the important role competitive community solar can play in lowering customer bills, supporting workforce development, and delivering environmental benefits to communities throughout the state.