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Daniella Gray, head of customer relations at Altus Power, which develops and operates community solar projects across the country, said they often take the form of hundreds or thousands of panels over a parking lot, a contaminated "brownfield" site or a warehouse roof.
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"Every situation is a little different depending on who we're working with," she explained. "Maybe somebody has a little extra roof space that they're not using for anything else and it is a good candidate for solar."
Altus might then lease that roof space and sell the power to subscribers in the community.
"The panels are connected to the local utility grid … and the clean energy that's being generated is getting sent directly to the grid and so the community really is benefitting from there being more clean energy," Gray said.
Subscribers benefit from the programs because the renewable energy generated is cheaper, in part because of subsidies and incentives from local, state and federal governments.
A number of states have implemented laws that enable community solar programs to exist and compel utilities to integrate them into their energy mix. Other states have gone further to mandate that a certain amount of community solar be installed by set deadlines, while others provide funding for projects.
Interestingly, much community solar development has occurred in states like Florida that have yet to pass any related legislation, where utilities and power cooperatives have taken the initiative on their own. Here's a breakdown of where projects were completed as of December 2023, the latest figures available. Mandate and incentives information is cited from the Department of Energy. The sector has been growing rapidly the past two years, so it's likely many of these figures have changed.
State | Megawatts installed as of 2023 | Statewide policies |
---|---|---|
Alabama | 0 | None |
Alaska | 0 | Enabled |
Arizona | 45 | None |
Arkansas | 183 | None |
California | 46 | Mandate with incentives |
Colorado | 165 | Mandate with incentives |
Connecticut | 2 | Mandate with incentives |
Delaware | 3 | Enabled |
District of Columbia | 4 | Mandate with incentives |
Florida | 2,083 | None |
Georgia | 136 | None |
Hawaii | 0 | Mandate |
Idaho | 0 | None |
Illinois | 240 | Enabled with incentives |
Indiana | 12 | None |
Iowa | 5 | None |
Kansas | 3 | None |
Kentucky | 13 | None |
Louisiana | 0 | None |
Maine | 32 | Mandate |
Maryland | 146 | Mandate with incentives |
Massachusetts | 1,005 | Mandate with incentives |
Michigan | 7 | None |
Minnesota | 875 | Minnesota |
Mississippi | 0 | None |
Missouri | 18 | None |
Montana | 0 | None |
Nebraska | 37 | None |
Nevada | 0 | Mandate |
New Hampshire | 0 | Mandate with incentives |
New Jersey | 109 | Mandate |
New Mexico | 0 | Mandate |
New York | 1,570 | Mandate with incentives |
North Carolina | 3 | Mandate |
North Dakota | 0 | None |
Ohio | 1 | None |
Oklahoma | 17 | None |
Oregon | 29 | Mandate |
Pennsylvania | 0 | None |
Rhode Island | 38 | Mandate with incentives |
South Carolina | 24 | Enabled |
South Dakota | 0 | None |
Tennessee | 9 | None |
Texas | 333 | None |
Utah | 20 | None |
Vermont | 11 | Enabled |
Virginia | 35 | Mandate and incentives |
Washington | 4 | Mandate and incentives |
West Virginia | 0 | None |
Wisconsin | 6 | None |
Wyoming | 0 | None |
State | Megawatts installed as of 2023 |
---|---|
Florida | 2,083 |
New York | 1,570 |
Massachusetts | 1,005 |
Minnesota | 875 |
Texas | 333 |
Illinois | 240 |
Arkansas | 183 |
Colorado | 165 |
Maryland | 146 |
Georgia | 136 |
The community solar landscape is growing and shifting rapidly. New Mexico and Hawaii are among the most recent to enact community solar legislation and are likely to move up in the table above in coming years.
Most states without community solar laws in place have at least seen some sort of legislation introduced in their statehouses. Community solar bills have been introduced in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Montana in recent years.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed legislation enabling community solar in August, making the largest state the latest one to authorize the programs.
The 60 grantees funded by the federal government's Solar for All initiative will also be building out community solar across the US. There are 49 state-level grantees and five multistate grantees that will provide varying levels of coverage throughout the nation.
"Many of the 60 selected Solar for All applicants have already begun supporting low-income and underserved communities through innovative programs that are already bringing clean, affordable solar energy to homes," EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe said. "With this new funding, Solar for All-selected applicants can launch thousands more projects like these throughout every state and territory across the country."
Gray says participating in community solar is as simple as reaching out to a provider to see if they work with your local utility. If the answer is yes, all you need to provide is your account info with your utility. The last steps are signing a contract and figuring out payment arrangements if the community solar program doesn't already consolidate billing with your utility.
Brandon Smithwood, senior director of policy at community solar company Dimension Renewable Energy, said many electric co-ops have been early adopters of community solar, whereas investor-owned utilities have typically had to be compelled to adopt similar programs through state legislation.
"It's a minority of folks that can actually put solar on their roof and community solar is the option for everyone else," he said.
In most cases, community solar credits will simply show up on your monthly utility bill, functioning like a monthly discount or rebate. Occasionally, subscribers may have to pay monthly bills from both their utility and community solar program, but the credits will also still be applied to their energy bill, providing a net savings.
EnergySage offers a tool that allows you to search for community solar programs by zip code.
"This is something that's been available to a relatively small amount of Americans that's going to become a much more common consumer product," Smithwood said. "It's a way to do good while also doing well."
Community solar can be hard to understand conceptually if you're new to the topic, but participating in programs is simple. Still, there are some things to consider before enrolling.
As of 2024, community solar programs of some sort are available in 41 states and Washington, D.C. However, availability still requires participation from individual local utilities in many cases.
Community solar rarely results in actual cash in your pocket, but its benefits include reduced monthly energy bills, credits or rebates.
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Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011. Eric and his family live 100% energy and water independent on his off-grid compound in the New Mexico desert. Eric uses his passion for writing about energy, renewables, science and climate to bring educational content to life on topics around the solar panel and deregulated energy industries. Eric helps consumers by demystifying solar, battery, renewable energy, energy choice concepts, and also reviews solar installers. Previously, Eric covered space, science, climate change and all things futuristic. His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack@protonmail.com.
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