January 20, 2015

Dominion Community Solar (DCS) Pilot FAQs

What is the DCS Pilot?
The DCS Pilot program will enable qualifying customers to voluntarily purchase electric energy from a 2
MW (DC) Dominion-owned solar distributed generation facility in Virginia.
Why is Dominion proposing the pilot program?
The DCS Pilot will provide an option for customers who want to support and purchase electric energy
produced by a solar distributed generation facility but may not have the ability or desire to install solar
generation facilities on their homes or businesses. The pilot will allow Dominion to gather information
about the appeal to customers of a subscription-based solar distributed generation model, which
promotes the development of renewable energy in Virginia.
What are the advantages of Dominion owning and operating the facility?
Dominion can offer a pilot to potential participants that is easily accessible (no credit score qualification,
no capital outlay), convenient (no long term commitment), flexible and customizable (ability to change
subscription level at any time) with high performance standards. The participants will know they are
purchasing solar electric energy from a trusted provider with a long history of delivering safe and
reliable service.
How will the DCS Pilot work?
As proposed, participants would purchase a specified number of DCS Blocks (each representing 100
kWh) of electric energy from a dedicated 2 MW solar DG facility located in the Companys service
territory through a subscription-based program. Customers will have the ability to opt into the pilot
without a long-term commitment during the two-year pilot term. Customer participation will renew
automatically month-to-month, and subscription termination requires only one months notice.
How much does each 100 kWh block cost?
The price for both commercial and residential customers is $4.00 per 100 kWh block and will remain
fixed for the term of the pilot. Each $4.00 block will be an additional amount to a customers bill.
How is the block price determined?
The block price is determined by calculating the cost of the solar energy from the DCS facility then
subtracting certain credits to lower the cost for participating customers. The credits being applied to
offset the cost to the customer are the amount of traditional grid power being replaced and the sale
of the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) associated with the distributed solar generation from the
facility.
Who can participate in the DCS Pilot?
As proposed, the pilot will be available to residential and commercial customers, with the exceptions of
our largest customers, who have an existing option to purchase renewable energy under Schedule RG,
and customers receiving temporary service.
Customers also participating in other Dominion program options, such as net energy metering, the Solar
Purchase Program and the Dominion Green Power program will be eligible to participate in the pilot.

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Are there limits to how many blocks can be purchased?
Dominion is proposing a maximum of five blocks per month for residential customers and ten blocks per
month for commercial customers to manage the allocation of the 2 MW (DC) solar distributed
generation facilitys electric energy output. For each month under the two-year pilot term, residential
participants can purchase between one and five blocks and non-residential participants can purchase
between one and ten blocks.
If approved by the State Corporation Commission (SCC), when will the pilot be available to customers?
The pilot will begin subscribing customers within 90 days of SCC approval, or when the distributed
generation solar facility is installed and fully operational. Dominion anticipates a Q4 2015 launch.
How long will the DCS Pilot be available?
Dominion is proposing an initial two-year pilot term to evaluate customer interest and efficacy of the
pilot structure. At the end of the pilot term, or sooner depending on customer interest, Dominion may
file for an expansion of the DCS Pilot or approval of a permanent program.
What are the overall benefits of the pilot?
In addition to expanding the range of renewable energy options available to customers, the DCS Pilot
also enhances fuel diversification in Dominions generation portfolio, provides economic benefits such
as job creation and tax revenues and promotes solar energy in Virginia through distributed generation.
What are the participant benefits of the pilot?
The pilot provides customers with a highly flexible option to purchase electric energy from a Dominionowned solar generation facility and to directly support renewable energy generated in Virginia.
Additionally, participants will not have to worry about upfront capital expenditures, ongoing or longterm costs associated with operating and maintaining customer-owned solar generation facilities,
inadequate rooftop conditions or property owner association rules and regulations they may otherwise
have to deal with if installing solar facilities on their own homes or businesses. Commercial customers
who lease their space, but who may not be allowed to install solar facilities in their leased spaces, the
common areas or buildings surrounding their leased spaces, will have an option to purchase distributed
solar generation for some of their electricity needs under the DCS Pilot.
Why is Dominion proposing to restrict participation in the pilot?
By narrowly tailoring the participation restrictions, Dominion can more easily evaluate customer interest
and test the pilot structure before growing the pilot into a full-fledged program. If customer interest
results in reaching pilot capacity within the two-year pilot period, Dominion may seek Commission
approval to expand or modify the program and offer more Dominion solar distributed generation
facilities for voluntary subscription to meet customer interest.
Where will the 2MW solar PV facility be located?
Dominion anticipates that the facility will be a ground-mounted, 2 MW (DC) solar PV distributed
generation facility located in the Companys Virginia service territory. Currently several sites are under
consideration and we expect to have the facility in service by the end of the year.
Will the DCS Pilot impact rates for all customers?
As designed and proposed, the DCS Pilot should not impose additional costs on non-participants.