These days, there are a lot of energy options out there and it can be hard to understand the difference between them. Many people know about or have even joined Energy Service Companies (ESCOs). ESCOs function as energy suppliers that acquire energy from a wholesale market and sell it to homes and businesses. Because many ESCOs supply customers with energy acquired from renewable sources, many people mistake Solstice for an ESCO. However, Solstice is not an ESCO and even households whose energy is supplied by an ESCO can join their local community solar farm.
The Short Answer:
- Solstice is not an ESCO. Community solar and ESCOs are two distinct mechanisms that are not mutually exclusive.
- Community solar is an additional layer, which will offer you savings on your total electricity bill - whether or not you have a third-party supplier like an ESCO.
- Community solar is a subscription service! You aren't changing where you buy power or who it is supplied from. You're just getting a discount on your electricity for supporting the solar farm.
Community solar acts more like rooftop solar: you get credits on your electric bill for the energy your panels produce. Nothing about your electricity supply or delivery will change.
The bottom line is that community solar subscriptions are flexible. Joining Solstice will not change anything about the way you currently receive your energy.