Become a producer> Bidding Process
The open RFP for competitive bids is closed, however projects may be bid into our brokered bid process at any time. Sign up for RFP email alerts here.
While we do provide a financial incentive once a system is producing energy, NC GreenPower does not provide grants, development funding, or any pre-production incentive.
Bidder steps:
1) Initiate your project with a green professional
NC GreenPower provides incentives for projects that are operating. While we would like to serve as an informational resource for helping you develop your project, we unfortunately do not have the funding or staff to advise you. We recommend that you to work with your installer of the equipment for information on any other permits or requirements for your project.
There are many qualified installers and other non-profit agencies that can help you through this process. As you would with any large investment, you should check references and refer to the Better Business Bureau when making a decision about which installer to use. Some excellent online resources are:
2) Work with your local utility
Your local utility will be able to provide you with a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement), which is required for you to become an eligible generator on the NC GreenPower program. You must set up a system to be metered and interconnected to the N.C. electric grid. You will be able to select either Sell All or Sell Excess on your NC GreenPower application. Our program does not accept Net Metering projects.For more information on the differences between these options, please review our FAQ section.
3) Contact NC GreenPower to bid into our program.
Expedited process - Small solar and wind
Solar (5 kW and under, before derating) and wind projects (10 kW and under) may join the program at any time at an established rate by completing the online small solar PV and wind application.
Competitive bids
At the current time, no open competitive bids are being accepted for any large projects. If you would like to be added to our email database for our next RFP, sign up for RFP email alerts here. If you have a question that you don't see answered on our website, please contact the NC GreenPower Resource Manager via email: bids@ncgreenpower.org.
Other resources with information on selling RECs include, but are not limited to:
Brokered bids
Generators may bid into the program anytime to be added for consideration in the Brokered Bids product. All bids will be placed on file until the bid expires as defined by the expiration date in each bid sheet.
To find out more about our current producer bidding process, view our bidder instructions. If you have a question that you don’t see answered on our website, please submit your question to the NC GreenPower Resource Manager via email: bids@ncgreenpower.org. When questions are relevant for other bidders, we will also post answers to these questions in our Resource FAQ section.
4) Notification from NC GreenPower
Expedited process
NC GreenPower will notify small solar PV (5 kW and under) and wind projects (10 kW and under) applicants via email once the project is verified to meet our requirements and the project is accepted into the program.
Competitive bids
The open bid process for competitive bids is currently closed. However, when an RFP is issued, bids must be reviewed by our Resource Committee. These normally require about a month for the review process. Once a decision is made, we will notify you about acceptance, price, and agreement terms.
Brokered bids
Bids will be placed on file until the bid expires as defined by the expiration date in each bid sheet. Bidders will be notified when a customer is interested in purchasing all or part of a project. NC GreenPower will negotiate an agreement at that time.
We do not share any price information for the competitive bid process. However, we do expect larger solar PV and wind systems to come in below our standard rates for small solar PV ($0.10/kWh) and small wind ($0.09/kWh).
5) Agreement signed and returned to NC GreenPower
Agreements will be sent to you via USPS mail within two weeks of approval. New generation projects usually receive a 5-year agreement from NC GreenPower which must be signed and returned within 30 days.
6) Submit generation statements to NC GreenPower for payment
When your system is installed and all the above requirements are met, you may begin submitting copies of your monthly electric utility generation statements to NC GreenPower for a financial incentive for electricity put onto the N.C. grid. In order to reduce paper and administrative costs, payments are currently being made on a quarterly basis (every three months).
Initial generation statements must be submitted within 6 months of the date signed on the agreement. If your project gets behind on the construction timeline, please contact us to renegotiate your agreement.
For additional general FAQ, please visit that section here.
Below is a summary graphic showing the change in costs for a residential 4 kW PV system since 2005: (click to enlarge)
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