Rocklin — Pioneer Community Energy (Pioneer), a locally owned not-for-profit electricity provider headquartered in Rocklin, California, announced today the full territory launch of its GridGen program, a solar-plus program for residential customers with no upfront costs and no credit check.
The Grid Gen program is a three-way partnership between Tesla, Participate.Energy and Pioneer that allows customers to use 100 percent of the solar energy the system produces at their homes. Each system is custom designed by Tesla and optimized for the home’s power needs. Excess energy will be saved through industry-leading Tesla battery storage, often called a “powerwall,” for use when it is needed – like at night or during power outages.
“We are pleased to offer customers increased access to money saving programs that provide energy independence and reliable power at predictable energy rates,” said Pioneer’s Chief Executive Officer Don Eckert. “GridGen further supports Pioneer’s effort to help customers power their homes with electricity they generate.”
Through GridGen, customers lease Tesla’s solar panels and battery storage and receive customer service support for the lifespan of the program. They remain a Pioneer customer and receive one monthly bill from PG&E with a line item for the GridGen that details the energy the system produces and includes a monthly battery payment. The program includes a 25-year long-term program agreement with a 1.9 percent rate escalator, providing energy and cost savings for customers throughout the life of the program.
The GridGen pilot program launched in August 2024 in Rocklin, Lincoln, and El Dorado Hills, with a second phase launching in in Placer County and Placerville in early October. The third and final phase of territories that includes El Dorado County, Grass Valley and Nevada City launched on October 25.
GridGen is offered exclusively to Pioneer’s residential customers, with the potential to expand the program to commercial customers in 2025.
Since its beginning in 2018, Pioneer has saved customers more than $85 million. Additional information can be found at www.pioneercommunityenergy.org.
