Can’t install your own solar panels? Some areas let you join a community project

A community solar project from Dimension Renewable Energy is seen in Waynesboro, Virginia. Lawmakers in many states, including Virginia, have passed or are considering bills to enable community solar projects, which allow renters and others who can’t install rooftop panels to buy into local projects and receive credit on their electricity bills.

While subscription methods can vary, industry groups say a typical monthly subscription of $120 to $135 can end up saving participants $15 to $30 a month. For many, the savings can amount to 5% to 20% of their electricity bill. But some bills have stalled amid strong opposition from utilities, which have argued that community solar programs don’t account for costs such as billing overhead and distribution fees, which are passed on to non-subscribing ratepayers.

“The fact that we were bumping up against the cap shows that there’s a demand for it and it’s working,” said Del. Rip Sullivan, a Democrat who sponsored the expansion measures this session. “These projects help owners of farmland keep their farms, lower costs to ratepayers and enable everyone around the state to participate in our transition to clean power.”As Virginia’s program expands, other states are looking to establish their own.

“The trend in the last few years has been more and more red states taking up these bills,” said Brandon Smithwood, vice president of policy at Dimension Renewable Energy, an Atlanta-based developer that has built community solar projects in 11 states. “There’s an appetite for these smaller, locally controlled projects that can yield savings to customers.”In Michigan, Republican state Sen. Ed McBroom has been among the leaders backing community solar legislation.

Alliant also pointed to its own subscription-based solar programs, offered to customers in Wisconsin and Iowa.

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