A. The Sun Select program is designed for customers who support renewable energy but are unable to install solar panels on their home or business: maybe they live in multi-family housing, or their lot is too shady, or they rent a home.

A. Your monthly Tampa Electric bill will include your subscribed solar portion as its own line item with a solar charge. Tampa Electric then removes the fuel charge for the solar portion of your bill.

A. Your monthly Tampa Electric bill will include your subscribed solar portion as its own line item with a solar charge. Tampa Electric then removes the fuel charge for the solar portion of your bill.

A. Rooftop solar requires installing your own solar panels on your roof. Sun Select operates on a shared model – using massive solar arrays built and maintained by Tampa Electric – so that you can enjoy solar power while we do all the work and maintenance.

A. Now everyone can enjoy solar. Sun Select is shared – so you can participate without installing and maintaining solar panels of your own – regardless of whether you rent, own or live in an area with lots of shade. There's no equipment to install, no upfront costs and no long-term contract. Plus, when you sign up, you lock in a portion of your rate and avoid fluctuating fuel costs for the portion of your energy that's solar. You can also feel good about supporting a form of electricity generation that is cleaner and safer for the environment and our community.

A. Both residential and commercial (business) customers can participate:

• Residential and small business customers can purchase locally generated solar power to match 25%, 50% or even 100% of the electricity they use.
• Large business or commercial customers can choose to purchase solar in increments of 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) – as few or as many as needed but cannot exceed monthly usage. For example, if average monthly usage over a 12-month period is 9,500 kWh, you cannot purchase more than 9,000 kWh.

A. You're ineligible to participate if you're a residential customer who has:

• Budget Billing customers will be eligible to enroll at the end of July 2019
• Energy Planner
• Separately billed lighting accounts
• Solar panels on your home

You're ineligible to participate if you're a commercial/business customer who has:

• Standby generator service
• Time of use rate
• GSLM-3 standby rider
• Separately billed lighting accounts
• Solar panels on your business

A. Tampa Electric serves about 2,000 square miles in West Central Florida, covering most of Hillsborough County and parts of Polk, Pasco and Pinellas counties. For new customers see if you're in our service area.

A. In order to keep our bills as simple and easy to understand, and to increase accessibility to solar for customers who are unable to install solar on their rooftop, we are not offering Sun Select to customers with their own solar panels at this time. Check out this page for more about how to install your own solar panels.

A. Solar power generated through the Sun Select shared solar sites goes directly to the local power grid, providing clean energy for the whole community, including your home or business. This directly reduces the amount of energy that is generated at our traditional power plants. Through your continued support, we hope solar and renewable energy sources will become a larger part of the overall energy grid in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding communities.

A. Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity – through solar photovoltaic arrays – without pollution or emissions. Learn more about how we're using solar to serve you.

A. Unlike electricity generation that relies on the burning of fossil fuels releasing carbon emissions into the air, solar energy is pollution-free and carbon-free – which is why it is called "clean energy." Solar power is renewable because it comes from an energy source that is virtually nondepletable.

A. Tampa Electric helps the environment in many ways, but here are two examples:

• By 2021, nearly 7% of our energy generation will come from the sun – providing the community with clean, pollution-free energy, enough to power more than 100,000 homes with clean energy. Tampa Electric is providing more solar power per customer than any other utility in Florida and is one of the top three utilities in the southeast United States. Check out our large-scale solar projects that deliver clean energy to your home or business.
• Tampa Electric's reclaimed water project at Polk Power Station won an Edison Award, the electric industry's most prestigious honor. This innovative project has the capacity to reclaim 17 million gallons of water, keeping this water from reaching Tampa Bay and reducing Polk Power Station's use of groundwater for plant operations.

A. We are currently constructing ten large-scale solar facilities to bring solar energy to our customers, bringing in more jobs for men and women in our local communities during construction – and hiring and training employees to oversee the maintenance of the solar arrays. Tampa Electric as a whole employs over 3,000 men and women in the West Central Florida area.

TECO (Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas) employees volunteer more than 30,000 hours each year in our community. Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas sponsor many community organizations. Their philanthropy extends to education and youth programs, growth and innovation, wellness and well-being and cultural vitality.

A. Studies show that customers like to frequent businesses that give back to the community. Sustainable and environmentally friendly business is increasingly a selling point for customers – and it sets you apart from other businesses.

A. All our solar facilities are located here in West Central Florida. Our latest include four in Hillsborough County and six in Polk County. These are in addition to our solar arrays at Tampa International Airport, Legoland Florida and Big Bend Solar in Apollo Beach. Learn more about solar projects, amount of power generated, and carbon emissions saved at each location.

A. The amount of energy generated varies from one solar facility to the next, based on size of the facility and weather conditions in the area. When complete in 2021, altogether Tampa Electric's solar sites will generate more than 600 megawatts total – enough to power more than 100,000 homes. Tampa Electric's Sun Select site located at Lake Hancock will generate enough solar energy to power about 2,750 homes.

A. Tampa Electric has constructed 17.5 megawatts of solar at our Lake Hancock Solar facility in West Central Florida to support Sun Select solar energy purchases.

A. Sun Select solar facilities are owned by Tampa Electric Company and built by contractors we hire. Our contractors employ local workers to take part in the construction of the facilities.

A. Tampa Electric is hiring and training engineers and technicians to oversee the maintenance of the solar arrays. Additionally, we are learning how to forecast how weather impacts solar generation and how we can make solar more dispatchable through existing and future technology, including battery storage.

A. Tampa Electric uses photovoltaic (PV) cells that absorb and convert sunlight into electricity.

A. Once the program has been up and running for a few months, we plan to host an open house at our Lake Hancock Sun Select facility for participants to see the solar arrays that are providing solar power to the grid that supports their home or business. Details will be announced to participating customers in the near future.

A. The Sun Select program includes a small Sun Select solar charge, based on usage, that pays for building and maintaining the solar plant. Over time, it is about the same cost as installing solar panels on your roof. In exchange, fuel charges are waived for the same portion of use.

For example:
A residential or small business customer who participates in Sun Select will no longer incur a fuel charge of about 2.9 cents to 3.9 cents per kWh. Instead, they will be charged a fixed Sun Select solar charge of 6.3 cents per kWh.

A residential or small business customer who chooses to replace 100 percent of their electricity bill with solar from Sun Select will see an increase of about $1 per day. (Based on a 1,000 kwh/month bill.)

A residential customer who chooses to replace 50 percent of their electricity bill with solar from Sun Select will see an increase of about 50 cents per day. (Based on a 1,000 kwh/month bill.)

A. Large commercial customers will be charged a fixed Sun Select solar charge of 6.3 cents per kWh for the amount of solar purchased from Sun Select, and the respective fuel charges will be waived. For the portion of their energy that comes from traditional power plants, the typical fuel charge will still apply.

A. Residential and small business customers can elect to have 25%, 50% or 100% of their total electricity come from solar energy. Larger commercial and business customers can purchase solar in increments of 1,000 kWh – as few or as many as needed, up to their average usage.

A. Initially, you will not save money. Just like installing rooftop panels, this program is an investment in renewable energy. Over time, Sun Select does have the potential to save long-term fuel costs. This program works best for customers with a strong support of renewable energy. If you are looking to save money on your bill, we offer several energy-saving programs like our free Energy Audit and Energy Planner that can help you manage your energy costs. Learn more about all these programs.

A. Absolutely not – all you need to do is sign up.

A. No, there are no upfront costs or fees, nor are there any fees associated with leaving the program.

A. There is no long-term contract or commitment. Try it out and see for yourself if Sun Select is right for you. If not, you may cancel anytime.

A. You will receive an email indicating your subscription level. On the first month's bill after you are enrolled, you will see an important message on your bill indicating your participation in the program. Your Sun Select solar purchase will reflect on the second billing period after you enroll.

A. There is no long-term contract or commitment, so you may cancel anytime.

A. We have a handy waiting list that, once you join, will alert you via email when there is solar available for subscription. If you self-serve, you will be guided to the wait list. If you call 813-275-3909, a Tampa Electric customer representative will place you on the Sun Select wait list.

A. There is no fee to cancel the Sun Select program, but please be aware that if you cancel and want to reenroll, you will be placed on a waiting list if the program is fully subscribed when you attempt to reenroll.

A. Absolutely. Simply log into your account and submit your changes, or call Tampa Electric's Energy Management Services, Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm. Please be aware that if the program is full, your increase may be waitlisted until we build more Sun Select shared solar sites or availability opens up.

A. Your Sun Select subscription stays with you as long as you are relocating within the Tampa Electric service area.

A. If you plan to install solar panels of your own, check out our information on connecting your solar to the Tampa Electric grid.
If you are hosting an event in the Tampa area and need green energy to power it, consider our Sun to Go program. This is another option if you already have solar panels of your own.

A. In further support of clean energy, we're helping our customers transition into electric vehicles.

We are also known for our popular, and free, Manatee Viewing Center, butterfly gardens and nature habitat trails, which connect to the Florida Conservation and Technology Center and were built in partnership with the Florida Aquarium and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.