Rooftop solar is not practical for every household. Renters, homes with limited roof space or shading, and households that prefer to avoid the upfront cost of an owned system have limited options under standard interconnection rules. NV Energy’s Community Based Solar Resources (CBSR) program addresses part of that gap by developing smaller solar installations on community host sites—typically schools, public buildings, businesses, and nonprofits. The energy produced at those sites is allocated to eligible low-income and underserved customers through the Expanded Solar Access Program (ESAP).
The sections below describe how CBSR projects are structured, how host sites are selected, which customers receive bill credits, and how the program differs between Northern and Southern Nevada.
Note: To keep up with fast-moving solar trends in Nevada, I use AI tools to help with research and writing. Every post is personally reviewed and edited by me.
How the CBSR Program Works
Community Based Solar Resources are utility-owned and utility-operated solar installations located on community host sites. Unlike customer-owned rooftop systems or third-party subscription programs, the utility develops, maintains, and controls the projects. The following sections outline how the installations are sited and how the resulting energy is allocated.
Utility Ownership and Maintenance
NV Energy designs, constructs, owns, and maintains each CBSR installation. The host organization provides only the physical space—typically a roof, an open land area, or a parking lot that can support a solar canopy. Because the utility funds and operates the project, the host incurs no capital cost or ongoing maintenance obligation for the solar equipment.
Built Local, Connected Local
CBSR installations are limited in scale, typically to approximately 1 MW, and interconnect directly to the local distribution system. The program places these smaller projects across multiple community sites rather than concentrating capacity in a single remote facility.
Where the Power Goes
Energy produced by a CBSR installation is not assigned to individual subscribers on a panel-by-panel basis. It is delivered to the local distribution system and supports the Expanded Solar Access Program (ESAP). Eligible low-income and underserved customers receive bill credits under ESAP without installing panels at their own premises.
Benefits to Host Organizations
Host organizations supply space that supports local solar generation. In some cases the installation includes a solar canopy that provides covered parking. NV Energy may also provide compensation for the use of the site, subject to the terms of the individual agreement.
Community Input
Host-site selection is not solely an internal utility decision. The process typically includes public nomination periods during which local organizations may apply, and in some cases community input is used to identify preferred locations. The stated objective is to site projects in locations that support both local needs and distribution-system requirements.
For more details about solar savings & incentives, explore our 2026 guides on Nevada’s Expanded Solar Access Program, Group-Buy Solar Programs, and Selling Solar Excess Power.
Allocation Through the Expanded Solar Access Program
Community Based Solar Resources supply generation that supports NV Energy’s Expanded Solar Access Program (ESAP). ESAP is the mechanism through which eligible customers receive bill credits associated with that generation. The sections below describe the relationship between the two programs.
What ESAP Delivers
The Expanded Solar Access Program is available to eligible low-income households, renters, and other customers who do not install customer-owned rooftop systems. Qualified participants receive bill credits associated with solar generation at a rate below standard retail charges. Participation does not require ownership of the premises, an on-site installation, or an upfront payment by the customer.
Role of CBSR Projects in ESAP
ESAP is the program that delivers bill credits to eligible customers. Generation supporting those credits comes from both utility-scale solar facilities and local CBSR projects. The combination of large-scale and distributed resources supplies the energy volume used to offer the program’s discounted rates.
Eligibility, Limits, and the Lottery System
Because ESAP provides a discounted rate, enrollment is limited by region each year in both Northern and Southern Nevada.
- Targeted Income and Entity Eligibility Criteria: Program eligibility primarily targets residential households with total annual incomes at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), as well as designated multi-family housing properties and qualifying non-profit or small business entities.
- Competitive Program Capacity and Random Selection Mechanics: Because annual program capacity is strictly capped by regulatory limits, NV Energy conducts a random lottery to select participants whenever verified application volume exceeds available allocation slots.
ESAP Rate Discount Structure
ESAP participants are billed at a discounted program energy rate rather than the standard retail rate. The discount typically reduces the energy-supply portion of the bill by a few percent up to approximately 9–10 percent. Participants have no ownership or maintenance responsibility for the solar facilities that support the program.
Benefits for Host Organizations under the CBSR Program
Organizations that host a Community Based Solar Resource may receive public recognition, site improvements, and a contribution to local energy supply, generally at no direct cost to the host. The following sections describe the principal benefits.
Zero Upfront Costs or Upkeep
NV Energy designs, constructs, owns, and maintains the solar facilities. The host organization provides the site. The host therefore incurs no capital expenditure or ongoing maintenance responsibility for the equipment.
Free Property Upgrades
Many CBSR projects are constructed as solar carports over existing parking areas, providing shaded parking in addition to generation. Other installations use rooftops or unused ground space, converting underutilized areas into generating assets.
Public Recognition and Visibility
NV Energy may identify host organizations on its website, in press releases, on social media, and through on-site signage. Association with a local solar project can provide public recognition for schools, nonprofit organizations, municipal facilities, and businesses.
Potential Financial Perks
Hosting is not structured as a primary revenue source. Agreements may include nominal financial compensation or site improvements such as solar carports. Any payments are typically modest and depend on the specific arrangement.
Alignment with Community Goals
By providing a site, host organizations enable generation that supports bill credits under ESAP for eligible local customers, including renters and low-income households. For mission-oriented organizations, the arrangement contributes to local energy access.
How Sites Are Selected
Selection of Community Based Solar Resource sites balances electrical-system requirements, construction feasibility, and community input. NV Energy evaluates candidate locations through a process that includes nominations, technical scoring, and customer voting. The following sections describe the principal steps from nomination to installation.
Nomination Window
When a new CBSR solicitation is announced, NV Energy opens a public nomination period. Local businesses, nonprofit organizations, school districts, and municipal agencies may submit properties as candidate host sites. Nominations typically require property details, available space, proof of ownership or authorization, and evidence of local support. The process is open to a range of community organizations.
Scoring and Shortlisting
After the nomination period closes, NV Energy evaluates each submitted property against defined technical and operational criteria.
- Physical and Environmental Site Suitability: Assess whether candidate real estate features sufficient unshaded rooftop area, unencumbered acreage, or parking canopy footprint with optimal solar irradiance, sound structural capacity, and minimal shading obstructions.
- Interconnection Viability and Distribution Capacity: Evaluate the localized distribution feeder and substation infrastructure to ensure the hosting grid can seamlessly absorb new generation capacity without requiring prohibitive system upgrades or causing voltage instability.
- Socioeconomic Alignment and Community Proximity: Prioritize host sites located within or adjacent to historically underserved, low-income communities to optimize localized grid delivery for income-eligible residents participating in Expanded Solar Access Program (ESAP) bill discount structures.
After scoring the applications, the utility narrows the pool down to a shortlist of top candidates.
Customer Voting Process
Residential customers with an email address on file are invited to vote on shortlisted candidate sites. The vote provides community input on project prioritization. Sites receiving greater support may be advanced earlier in the construction sequence.
Final Approvals and Construction
After voting concludes, the highest-ranked sites advance to internal design and are submitted to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada for regulatory review. Upon approval, engineering and construction planning proceed.
Who Benefits and Who Can Participate
The Community Based Solar Resources framework and the Expanded Solar Access Program are structured to expand participation for customers and organizations that do not typically install rooftop solar. The following sections describe participation by principal groups.
ESAP Customers
Low-income residential customers are the primary intended beneficiaries of the program.
- Income Verification and AMI Thresholds: Household eligibility requires annual income verification confirming total earnings do not exceed 80% of the regional Area Median Income (AMI), established via federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines or qualifying public assistance program participation.
- Barrier-Free Equity and Universal Access: Qualified participants secure guaranteed discounted utility rate structures without capital expenditure, property ownership requirements, structural roof assessments, or physical hardware installation.
- Regulatory Capacity Capping and Randomized Allocation: Because annual program megawatt-hour (MWh) allocations are strictly capped by state statute across utility service territories, NV Energy utilizes a randomized lottery system to select participants whenever application volume exceeds statutory capacity limits.
Subsequent regulatory updates have expanded eligibility to certain disadvantaged businesses, nonprofit organizations, and residential premises that cannot physically host solar equipment. Eligibility categories and allocation limits are subject to change; current criteria are set out in NV Energy guidelines.
Host Organizations
Local businesses, school districts, municipal entities, nonprofit organizations, and other facilities with available space may nominate sites during open nomination periods. Host organizations are not required to meet income criteria; their principal role is the provision of space for utility-owned solar facilities. Potential benefits may include public recognition, site improvements such as solar carports, and support for local energy access.
Broader Community Benefits
Additional distributed solar capacity may provide system-level benefits for non-participating customers. Placement of facilities on community sites such as schools, senior centers, and public parks can increase public visibility of solar generation and may support educational uses.
Who Typically Cannot Participate
Customers with existing rooftop solar or household incomes above program limits are generally ineligible for the ESAP rate. Program capacity is limited and is prioritized for customers who are unable to install their own systems.
Limitations and How CBSR Differs from Traditional Community Solar
Community Based Solar Resources differ from community solar models used in other states. The principal structural and operational differences are described below.
Utility Ownership vs. Subscriber Shares
In many community solar programs, a third-party developer owns the facility and customers subscribe to a share of its output, receiving bill credits proportional to that share. Under the CBSR framework, NV Energy owns and operates the facilities. There are no individual subscriptions; generation is allocated to support the ESAP rate structure.
Targeted Equity vs. Open Enrollment
Many community solar programs are open to any customer. ESAP is capacity-limited and is targeted primarily at low-income and underserved customers. When applications exceed available capacity, NV Energy uses a lottery to allocate enrollment. Enrollment is not open-ended.
Direct Discount vs. Bill Credit Calculations
In typical community solar programs, participants pay a subscription fee to a developer and receive bill credits for their share of generation. Under ESAP, there are no subscription fees. Enrolled customers are billed at a lower program rate on their NV Energy statement.
Neighborhood Siting vs. Remote Solar Farms
Many community solar projects are larger facilities sited in rural areas. CBSR projects are typically limited to approximately 1 MW and are sited on community facilities in populated areas. Generation is therefore located closer to load.
Program Limitations
- Statutory Regional Capacity Allocations: Total program participation is subject to strict regional megawatt-hour (MWh) annual capacity caps established by regulatory statute (e.g., 240,000 MWh in Southern Nevada and 160,000 MWh in Northern Nevada), requiring queue management or randomized selection when application volumes exceed dedicated thresholds.
- Targeted Eligibility and Categorical Rate Discounts: Direct tariff discounts and specialized Expanded Solar Energy Rates (ESER) are strictly restricted to verified low-income households (at or below 80% Area Median Income), designated multi-family properties, and qualifying small or disadvantaged business entities.
- Host Site Real Estate Model and Unbundled Energy Attribution: Host organizations lease or provide physical land/rooftop footprint for community arrays in exchange for sustainability and community relations benefits; hosts retain no equity ownership over the generated power, nor do they directly monetize or market subscriber allocations.
- Prioritization of Social Equity over Open-Market Dynamics: Program architecture intentionally bypasses competitive commercial solar development to prioritize targeted, utility-administered bill relief and environmental justice initiatives for historically underserved communities.
Final Advice for Nevada Residents and Potential Hosts
The Community Based Solar Resources framework and the Expanded Solar Access Program expand access for customers unable to install rooftop solar. The following sections describe practical next steps for residents and organizations.
For Eligible Customers Interested in ESAP
Monitor NV Energy’s Expanded Solar Access Program page for application windows.
- Proactive Eligibility and Income Verification: Confirm program qualification early, as target criteria center strictly on fully bundled residential status and total household earnings at or below 80% of the regional Area Median Income (AMI) or active participation in qualifying state assistance programs.
- Documentary Readiness and Application Readiness: Maintain updated verification records—including recent tax returns or proof of qualifying public assistance alongside official utility account numbers—to facilitate rapid submission once intake cycles open.
- Capacity Capping and Lottery Selection Mechanics: Understand that filing during an active enrollment window does not guarantee placement; because total participation is bound by statutory annual megawatt-hour limits, NV Energy conducts a randomized lottery to allocate available subscriber slots whenever application volumes exceed program capacity.
For Organizations Considering Hosting a CBSR Site
Monitor NV Energy’s CBSR page for open nomination periods.
- Property Metric and Site Assessment Documentation: Compile comprehensive physical site specifications prior to submission—including net usable unshaded footprint (roof surface area, parking lot square footage, or unencumbered acreage), official property ownership documentation or leasing authorization, and preliminary evidence of community stakeholder alignment.
- Value Proposition and Non-Financial Real Estate Enhancements: Leverage zero-capital host opportunities to obtain substantial site improvements—such as functional shaded solar carports or updated electrical infrastructure—while driving local environmental justice initiatives, advancing organizational ESG benchmarks, and eliminating operational maintenance liabilities.
- Target Host Institutional Profiles: Prioritize candidate real estate belonging to school districts, municipal entities, regional non-profits, and commercial entities possessing sizable, structurally sound, and unobstructed physical footprints.
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