Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate aims to move
community solar forward nationwide. The bill would make permanent a U.S.
Department of Energy program that promotes community solar, as well as boosting
community solar in low-income communities and encouraging federal government
participation in community solar.
Can new federal legislation help bring solar access to
everyone?
By conservative estimates, 75% of Americans can’t put solar
panels on their roof. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) came
out with that oft-cited figure in 2008, and in a more recent study found
that nearly 50% of households and businesses are “currently unable to host a PV
system” — not including renters, those without enough roof space, and those who
don’t own their own roof, all of which make up a hefty chunk of the population.
GTM Research puts the number even higher, at close
to 85%
.
Community solar, sometimes known as shared solar, has long
seemed to be the fix for this persistent problem. It lets anyone purchase solar
power from an array in their community, or some other central location.
As a former condo dweller, I’ve been following community
solar since 2010, during which time it’s always seemed on the verge of taking
off. But even top community solar states like Minnesota have faced
significant hurdles, only 14 states and
the District of Columbia even have community solar policies, and some
of the programs in place may
not be structured for success.
Now, new legislation in the U.S. Senate aims to help move
community solar forward throughout the country. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO)
and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Community
Solar Consumer Choice Act of 2017 (S 1670) last Thursday, to coincide
with the First Annual Community Solar Summit hosted by the Coalition for Community Solar
Access (CCSA).
S 1670 makes permanent the existing Department of
Energy Community
Solar Market Pathways program, which promotes community solar by developing
and implementing programs, identifying best practices, standardizing community
solar models, and providing technical assistance for the programs.
Jeff Cramer, Executive Director of CCSA, notes that
development of community solar programs can be complicated, requiring substantial
resources and expertise. The bill allows the federal government to provide the
expertise it’s already gained to help local governments set up their programs.
“Community solar requires lots of different stakeholders to work together,”
says Cramer. “This fills a gap where the federal government can lend a helping
hand with existing resources, and it doesn’t cost anything.”
Access to all is key in community solar, and the bill also
includes provisions for boosting community solar in low-income communities.
Community solar requires legislation at the state level.
There’s a limited amount the federal government can do, but S 1670 encourages
federal government participation in community solar nationwide.
Given that it’s the country’s largest buyer of goods and
services, Cramer says, in the long term this could provide a significant
opportunity to expand access to community solar. Having the very credit-worthy
federal government as an anchor tenant in a project, he notes, can make the
project more affordable for others. The bill also gives energy managers across
the government the authority and encouragement to participate in community
solar.
While a lot of the vernacular around community solar focuses
on access, Cramer believes that a more powerful message is that for those 80%
or so who don’t have a choice in where they get their energy, community solar
provides them that choice.
With or without the federal government, community solar may
finally be ready for liftoff. GTM
Research predicts that community solar installations will climb to
more than 410 MW this year, with 500 MW being installed each year by 2019 — a
big jump from just 66 cumulative MW installed at the end of 2014. An extra push
from the federal government may be well timed, assuming the bill becomes law.
Given that S 1670 doesn’t add any costs, it may just have a chance.
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