Is Community Solar Available in My State?

If you’re wondering whether Community Solar is available in your state, you may already know that Community Solar fills in the gaps where residential solar isn’t available or affordable. Nearly 50% of households and business in the United States cannot host rooftop solar systems, according to National Renewable Energy Laboratory data cited by the U.S. Department of Energy. And lower-income households less frequently reap the benefits of rooftop solar. The median household income of a U.S. solar adopter was about $117,000 in 2022, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory findings cited by CNET, while the median income for all households was $69,000.

But Community Solar can let all households and businesses access solar energy’s benefits, regardless of their rooftop solar capability, as the Department of Energy points out. And on top of that accessibility, proponents say Community Solar can alleviate energy insecurity for those who have trouble paying their utility bills, according to Grist. It’s little wonder, then, that Community Solar is taking off, with the United States’ total capacity expected to grow from 8 gigawatts in 2024 to 14 gigawatts by 2028, as the consulting firm Wood Mackenzie reports.

So, which states have community solar? According to a map provided by the Department of Energy, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wyoming are the only states that don’t have at least one Community Solar program or project. The department also reports that 22 states and Washington D.C. have policies supporting community solar — and, in some states’ cases, incentives and mandates for Community Solar deployment.

Here are details on Community Solar policies in the states where Altus Power has community solar projects.

Hawaii

The Hawaii State Legislature passed Act 100 in 2015, directing the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to establish a community-based renewable energy tariff with the intent “to make the benefits of renewable energy generation more accessible to a greater number” of households and businesses in the state, according to the Hawaii State Energy Office.

Illinois

In 2016, Illinois lawmakers passed the Future Energy Jobs Act, or FEJA, which seeks to use community solar projects and other solar energy sources to make solar energy more accessible to low- and moderate-income communities, according to the Institute for Self Reliance. FEJA also set a goal for 100% renewable energy in the state by 2050.

Maryland

Maryland is in the middle of a seven-year Community Solar Pilot Program, scheduled to run through the end of 2024. The pilot program aims to provide benefits of renewable energy to low- and moderate-income customers, according to the Maryland Public Service Commission.

Maine

As of May 2023, nearly four years after the enactment of L.D. 1711 — titled “An Act to Promote Solar Energy Projects and Distributed Generation Resources in Maine” — Maine had 23,000 Community Solar project subscribers and 1,000 Community Solar projects built or scheduled, according to WMTW.

Massachusetts

On Earth Day 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources had been selected to receive more than $156 million through the Solar for All grant, which much of that budget going directly to solar projects like a low-income community shared solar initiative.

Minnesota

Minnesota’s community solar program, which launched in 2013, is one of the oldest and largest in the countries, with more than 800 megawatts of solar capacity developed as of 2024, according to Energy News Network. As part of a recent revamping, the Minnesota Department of Commerce will now manage the program, ENN reports.

New Jersey

The Garden State has the Community Solar Energy Program, designed to grant New Jersey residents access to solar energy’s benefits. And in 2024, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation to simplify the program’s application and billing processes and to make more capacity available for community solar development.

New York

The NY-Sun Solar Program is New York’s public-private partnership implemented to “drive growth in the solar industry and make solar technology more affordable for all New Yorkers,” according to its website. Among other resources, the partnership offers New York residents the opportunity to participate in community solar projects.

In states without Community Solar legislation, meanwhile, lawmakers are making progress on that front. Obstacles include utility companies that use influence and political spending in opposition to such legislation, as is the case in Michigan, according to Planet Detroit. “Part of our work … is to say to legislators, ‘Look, people want to do this in your district. Republicans and Democrats alike want to do this. Go ahead and ask folks in your district and see what you find,’” Ed Rivet, executive director of the nonprofit Michigan Conservative Energy Forum, told Planet Detroit.

Even so, bipartisan support is helping these Community Solar policies wend through legislatures. “You're seeing a maturation in some states and then a whole new introduction in some states, particularly in the Midwest," Stephen Cortes, senior director of public affairs and communications for the Coalition for Community Solar Access, told CNET. “A little bit more conservative states are coming around to the benefits of community solar, and that's exciting because it's really a bipartisan form of energy that can really benefit ratepayers and the grid.”

Ready to apply and start saving? Click here to start your Community Solar application today. If Community Solar isn't available in your state just yet, be sure to join our waitlist and we'll contact you as soon as it becomes available.