Community solar boosts access to solar PV adoption

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The research suggests that policymakers could expand solar access by creating a basic infrastructure for community solar, such as virtual net metering. Image: Castillo Engineering.

Community solar has expanded access to solar adoption to communities struggling to adopt rooftop PV, according to research from the Lawrence Berkeley Lab (LBL) and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL).

The research, Evaluating community solar as a measure to promote equitable clean energy access, which was published in the Nature Energy journal, found that community solar extended solar adoption to communities that would have otherwise not been able to adopt rooftop solar. This is based on a sample of 11 states, including community solar leaders such as New York, Minnesota or Massachusetts among others.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The data suggests that community solar adopters are about 6.1 times more likely to live in multifamily buildings than rooftop solar adopters, 4.4 times more likely to rent, and earn about 23% less.

Even though community solar does give broader access to solar PV than rooftop solar, community solar adopters still tend to earn more than the broader population and are less likely to rent and live in multifamily housing, due to the economic incentives from community solar providers.

Although earning less than rooftop solar adopters, community solar adopters earn more than the broader population, as shown above. Comparison between 11 states. Chart: LBL and NREL.

Regarding the study, Molly Knoll, VP of policy at the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA), said: “This reaffirms what we have known to be true for years — community solar is one of the best ways to increase equity in our energy system.”

The research suggests that policymakers could expand solar access by creating a basic infrastructure for community solar, such as a virtual net metering.

Moreover, including equity measures with targeted measures for low—and medium-income (LMI) households can increase adoption and access to solar PV and its benefits. This is not the case when regarding race, as community solar seems to not have, so far, expanded access to solar based on race.

“This study is important confirmation of one of the values community solar can bring to the electric grid and the tireless work our broad and diverse coalitions are doing to bring community solar to every state in the country,” added Knoll.

Community solar’s potential

This paper was published months after NREL released a report estimating the potential for 1TW community solar capacity to be installed in the US. The report envisioned two different scenarios depending on the limitations for the deployment of community solar, however, in both cases rooftop solar would play an important role with nearly 400GW of capacity.

As the report was released in February, the Department of Energy’s principal deputy assistant secretary, Jeff Marootian, called for the solar industry to treble the installed capacity of community solar to 20GW by 2025, up from 7GW currently.

The community solar market is set to add 7.6GW of capacity between 2024 and 2028, despite a recent decision in California, the leading US state for solar PV, which is expected to limit the deployment of community solar there.

CPUC final decision

On Thursday 30 May, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted 3-1 against the Net Value Billing Tariff (NVBT) proposed by the CCSA and backed by a broad solar coalition, which included environmental justice groups, ratepayer advocates, labour, and the building industry association.

This plan was expected to bring an estimated 8GW of community solar capacity to the state of California.

Instead, the CPUC ordered utilities – Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Edison – to restructure and expand existing community solar programmes such as the Disadvantaged Community Green Tariff Program and the Green Tariff Program.

The first would add 60MW of solar PV capacity, bringing its total to 144MW, with subsidies to participants while the Green Tariff Program is available to both commercial and residential customers.

Derek Chernow, Western regional director at the CCSA, regarding the CPUC’s final vote on California’s community solar programme, said:

“By accepting the utilities’ proposal, the Commission has chosen to double down on failed programs that have not — and will not — establish a viable community solar market that would provide affordable energy to Californians that need relief the most.

“It’s also further evidence that California’s utilities are doing everything they can to stifle distributed energy generation in order to tighten their grip on the state’s electricity grid.”

17 June 2025
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 17-18 June 2025, will be our fourth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2026 and beyond.
7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

February 14, 2025
Environmental Law & Policy Center argued that PJM’s scoring system would favour specific resource classes, such as combined cycle gas.
February 13, 2025
A report from CEA says that the impact of the new Republican administration on the provisions under the IRA remains “uncertain”.
February 13, 2025
Chinese solar manufacturers LONGi and Jinko Solar, along with Indian PV manufacturer Waaree Energies, have been named in a series of patent disputes filed in China and the US.
February 13, 2025
The announcement comes just days after the Trump administration announced plans for a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports.
February 12, 2025
Damaging hailstorms can occur frequently across states like Texas and Illinois which have become major utility-scale solar markets.
February 12, 2025
The projects will be developed by Sun Tribe Development and ENGIE across the US states of Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
February 17, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
February 19, 2025
Tokyo, Japan
Solar Media Events
March 11, 2025
Frankfurt, Germany