I Have Rooftop Solar — Am I Eligible for Community Solar?

If you have rooftop solar installed on your home, you’re already tapping into the world’s most abundant energy resource and working toward a cleaner, greener energy future. So can you also subscribe to Community Solar?

Generally, people who have rooftop solar or subscriptions to other Community Solar programs aren’t eligible for Altus Power’s Community Solar. But the regulations vary from state to state, so we recommend reaching out to Altus to check in on your eligibility.

The Solar Energy Industries Association reported in May 2024 that 7% of homes in the United States have solar, a proportion expected to grow to over 15% in 2030.

But research by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows that while 81% of residential buildings in the United States have rooftop space suitable for a 1.5-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) system, only 51% of households could install such PV system due to factors including building ownership, number of stories per building, and roof space suitability.

Furthermore, because of factors including roof shading, low credit scores, and property ownership, 77% of U.S. residential households are likely ineligible for rooftop solar installations, according to Greentech Media.

And while rooftop solar systems typically save homeowners more money than community solar programs, according to The Washington Post, the purchase, installation, and maintenance of rooftop solar can also be too expensive for some. The median cost of buying and installing rooftop solar panels is around $30,000 before government incentives, according to NPR.

For these reasons, Community Solar can be a game-changer for households that don’t or can’t have rooftop solar. Altus Power’s Community Solar subscribers pay no fees or upfront costs for the program, nor do they have to install any equipment at home. They also don’t pay a dime for the maintenance of the panels at the solar farm they’re supporting.

And while homeowners with rooftop solar often leave their solar panels behind when they move, Altus Power can transfer a subscriber’s plan to a new home serviced by the same utility company or, in some cases, a new home in the service area of a different Community Solar project. And, of course, Community Solar subscribers can cancel their subscription at any time for free.

In short, Community Solar offers the opportunity to access the benefits of solar power to those who don’t own a rooftop with suitable space for a PV system, those who can’t afford or don’t have the credit rating for panels, or anyone else.

As NREL notes, Community Solar projects “provide greater access for local historically excluded populations.” And in a peer-reviewed study published in Nature Energy in June 2024, researchers from NREL and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that across Community Solar adopters from the 11 states surveyed are about 6.1 times more likely to live in multifamily buildings than rooftop solar adopters, 4.4 times more likely to rent their home, and earn 23% less annual income. Eric O’Shaughnessy, lead author of the study, told Canary Media that community solar is “delivering on its promise.”

And as Matt Hargarten, vice president of campaigns for the national organization Coalition for Community Solar Access, explained to CNET, Community Solar “is one of the best ways to get equity in our energy system and more renewables onto the grid quicker.”

To check your eligibility and start your application, head to join.altuspower.com, and if you have questions about Community Solar, reach out to our Customer Experience Team at hello@altuspower.com.