Is Solar Available in My Area?

Whether solar is available in your area will be determined by the rules and regulations of your utility company. You can read more about the rules of your utility company by locating them on the list below.

Delmarva Power offers net-metering to their customers to ensure the safe and reliable interconnection of solar systems to the utility grid. Delmarva Power customers who are interested in installing a solar system can apply for interconnection with Delmarva Power’s Green Power Connection team. Typically, interconnection applications are submitted by solar installers on behalf of their customers. Application for interconnection should occur prior to the installation of the system to ensure the project will be permitted to interconnect. All applications must be submitted online through their online portal.

Delmarva Power has several tools available to customers that allow you to research whether interconnection of a solar system will be feasible in your location.

• The Heat Map displays the capacity (in kW) of renewable energy generators that are currently installed and pending installation in Delmarva Power territory.
• The Hosting Capacity Map displays how much capacity (in kW) of renewable energy generators can be added to electricity feeders on the grid before the feeder reaches the capacity limit.
• The Restricted Circuit Map displays the areas in which circuits are either not open or are restricted. Solar installations being built in these areas may have difficulty interconnecting. If your solar system is in a restricted area, it is recommended that you contact the Delmarva Green Power Connection Team.

Members of the Delaware Electric Cooperative, also known as DEC, who choose to install solar systems can apply to interconnect their solar systems with DEC. In order to interconnect, solar systems must meet DEC’s technical requirements for member owned generation. DEC has two separate applications for interconnection, one for systems under 100 kW in size and one for systems greater than or equal to 100 kW in size. After the solar system is installed and the interconnection has been approved, DEC will install a net meter that will allow DEC to record excess energy production from the solar system. This will allow the member to be credited for the excess energy produced.

In some locations across DEC’s service territory, members are no longer eligible to install solar systems that qualify for interconnection with DEC. In these areas, many systems have already been installed and the interconnection of additional solar systems would overburden the grid and potentially cause damage to the existing electrical equipment. DEC has published a map of their service territory displaying the areas where members cannot install solar systems in red. Members in areas shaded in green are eligible for interconnection and members in areas shaded in yellow may require an interconnection study before approval will be granted. Members with questions on this map should contact DEC directly.

The Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, also known as DEMEC, is a public corporation that represents and serves eight municipal electric utilities in the state of Delaware. DEMEC members consist of the City of Newark, the City of New Castle, the Town of Middletown, the Town of Clayton, the Town of Smyrna, the City of Milford, the City of Lewes, and the City of Seaford. The interconnection of solar systems is allowed in many of the municipal territories represented by DEMEC. To inquire about interconnection with one of the eight municipalities under DEMEC, we recommend contacting the electric departments of the municipalities directly. Contact information for the individual electric departments can be found on the Utility Contact Information page.

Residential Municipal Green Energy Program grants are available to encourage and support renewable energy technologies. Availability is limited to electric customers of several Delaware municipal electric utilities which are contributing to the Municipal Green Energy Fund. Please check the DEMEC website to see which municipalities are eligible.

Customers located in the City of Dover service territory can apply to the City to interconnect their solar system. More information on the guidelines for interconnection can be found in the City of Dover’s Electric Service Handbook in Section 3 and solar net metering information is provided in Section 4. The City’s Electric Engineering Division will review all applications and may complete a pre-interconnection study if necessary. Contact information for the City of Dover can be found on the Utility Contact Information page.