Become a citizen signer for our shared Policy Pillars
Add your name to become a citizen signer of our shared Community Solar Policy Pillars for PA.
The 8 policy pillars for successful community solar policy in Pennsylvania are:
- Guaranteed savings for any community solar subscriber: Community solar should never cost a subscriber more than it saves. Beyond that, guaranteed minimum savings will ensure that the program benefits Pennsylvanians and protects consumers.
- No upfront costs, credit checks, or termination fees: Low-wealth communities are less able to pay upfront in order to secure long term cost-savings. Similarly, prohibiting termination fees and credit checks encourages participation and builds trust.
- Community ownership, which is a critical component for wealth-building and energy independence: There are multiple options to accomplish this, including designated funding, technical assistance, support from Green Banks to provide low-or no-interest financing, and more.
- Maximized benefits for low-wealth communities: Community Solar allows direct benefits to be targeted to low-wealth communities which otherwise lack access to clean energy. Pennsylvania’s program should be designed to maximize these benefits to low-wealth communities and communities that have historically been impacted by extractive industries.
- Strong consumer protections: In the past, subscribers – especially low-income subscribers – have been harmed by unscrupulous business practices in the name of clean energy and electric choice. Community solar must make a clean break with that history by requiring language accessibility, utility consolidated billing, and strong oversight and enforcement.
- Streamlined eligibility verification to lower barriers for low-wealth subscribers: Requiring low-income subscribers to provide additional documentation of their income is onerous, inefficient, and can result in additional barriers to participation as well as concerns around privacy.
- Supplemental to existing programs, adding to our overall clean energy future: Community solar should build on rather than compete with critical funding for existing renewable energy, low-income, and energy efficiency programs.
- Labor protections for any clean energy jobs: Investing in a clean energy future means investing in Pennsylvanians.