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 Alternative Retail Electric Suppliers (ARES). ARES function as energy suppliers that acquire energy from a wholesale market and sell it to homes and businesses. However, Solstice is not an ARES and even households whose energy is supplied by an ARES can join their local community solar farm.
The Short Answer:
- Solstice is not an ARES. Community solar and ARES 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 ARES.
- Community solar is a subscription service! You aren't changing where you buy power or who it is supplied from.
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.