Solar Choice – Community Shared Solar

Want to go solar but can't install panels? Reading Municipal Light Department's (RMLD) Solar Choice program lets you participate in clean, local solar energy, without adding anything to your roof.

Solar Choice is a Community Shared Solar program allowing participating customers to benefit from the energy, capacity and transmission savings from large solar arrays within RMLD's service area. As part of the program, customers also share in the cost to maintain the solar arrays.

Get started with Solar Choice today and experience the advantages of community solar power.

With Solar Choice you will:

Benefit from solar energy without rooftop panels or maintenance
Support clean, local solar energy
Reduce our community's carbon footprint
Have the opportunity to earn monthly bill credits during strong performance months

There are two active RMLD Solar Choice projects:

Solar Choice 1 - Altus (launched in 2017)
Solar Choice 2 - Kearsarge (launched in 2018)

How It Works

RMLD buys power from Solar Choice projects and distributes it across the community.
You share both the costs and the benefits, through a charge or a credit.
The monthly cost or benefit will appear on your monthly electric bill as a "Solar Choice" line item.
Your solar choice rate is adjusted every six months based on how well the project performs. Solar Choice typically appears as a small charge or credit.

How Will Solar Choice Appear on My Bill?

Charges or credits associated with each Solar Choice Project you participate in will be listed as a separate line item on your bill (i.e., if you sign up to participate in two Solar Choice Projects, there will be two Solar Choice line items on your bill).

Who Can Join

Residential Customers are eligible to enroll in Solar Choice.
Businesses, Municipalities, and Industrial Customers may enroll in Solar Choice Business (5x the residential share).

There is a $30 joining fee for new participants. Customers must participate for a minimum of one year.

Can I Opt Out?

Just give 30 days' notice to opt out. When re-joining the program, participants will need to pay a $30 re-joining fee.

How Many Solar Choice "Shares" You Can Buy?

Participation is currently limited to one share per customer per Solar Choice project.

How the Credit or Charge Is Calculated

The solar cost is calculated as the difference between the solar contract price and the monthly fuel charge, multiplied by the total kilowatt-hour output. This represents a premium for solar energy. The solar benefit is based on the avoided costs of capacity and transmission, calculated from the system's output during peak transmission and capacity events, then averaged over 12 months. The total cost and benefit are divided by the number of participants to determine a monthly balance per share. The average balance over the past six months is then used to determine a credit or charge for the next six months.

Sign up for Solar Choice today and start benefitting from the solar in your community.

If you have additional questions, email RMLD or call 781-942-6598.

View the 2025 Filed Solar Choice Rates (PDF).

Curious about how much energy is produced? View the real-time energy production of active Solar Choice projects!