Cleveland Updates Rules for Local Energy Generation and Billing

Cleveland Public Power (CPP) is updating how it manages customers who install their own energy resources, such as solar panels, on their properties. Through the passage of emergency ordinance 587-2026, the city is amending its existing laws to better handle the growing number of residents and businesses connecting distributed energy resources to the local electric grid. These changes aim to maintain the safety and reliability of the city's electric distribution system while making it easier for customers to use and benefit from the energy they generate.

According to the 587-2026 & 588-2026- Legislative Summary- Net Metering (002), the update removes previous maximum project size limits and clarifies the approval process for new installations. The legislation also introduces specific billing updates for "net metering." Under this method, power generated by a customer will first reduce the Power Supply Recovery (PSR) portion of their bill, up to the full amount of the PSR. Any extra power generated beyond that will be applied as a "Customer Owned Generation Credit," which is calculated based on CPP’s purchased power cost at the time of the original billing. These updates are designed to support current and future customers, as well as those who may leave CPP while holding account credits.

This emergency ordinance has officially passed. Residents interested in the specific technical requirements for connecting small generation systems to the grid can refer to the CPP Procedure for Customers to Interconnect Small Generation or view the updated Codified Ordinances as they are implemented.

Source record

File
587-2026
Type
Emergency Ordinance
Status
Passed
Committee
City Council
Introduced
May 6, 2026

View on Cleveland Legistar

Official documents

Sources