What is happening
Community solar helps make solar accessible for everyone. Not everyone can install solar panels on their home. Some can’t because they rent, some don’t have suitable roofs, and some just don’t have the budget. Community solar lets people, businesses, and organizations participate in and benefit from a shared solar project instead of installing their own.
Colorado is one of 24 states that have already enabled community solar programs. But, Colorado’s current solar policy is holding us back from reaching our full potential. We could be powering thousands more homes each year with community solar projects.
Right now, Colorado legislators are considering a bill that would expand access to community solar across the state. This bill would:
- Enable more community solar to be built in Colorado;
- Reserve at least half of the power from future projects for low-income Coloradans, who are more likely to be shut out of the rooftop solar market;
- Establish important protections for community solar consumers; and,
- Guarantee substantial energy savings for participating customers.
At the same time, legislators are also considering a bill that would improve Colorado’s power grid to make room for more community and rooftop solar. It would:
- Ensure that electric utilities are planning for and investing in the grid to meet future needs;
- Make sure that costs for upgrades that benefit everyone are shared equitably;
- And establish a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program so that solar batteries, electric vehicles, and other household clean energy technologies can help meet Colorado’s growing power demands.
Passing both of these bills would be a huge step towards expanding solar energy access and benefits to all Coloradans. Reach out to your legislators today and encourage them to support expanding solar access.
