Community Solar

Community solar (also called shared solar or solar gardens) allows people to benefit from solar energy without installing panels on their own property. Subscribers purchase or lease a portion of a larger, centrally located solar array and receive credits on their utility bill based on their share of the project's electricity production.

Community solar solves the access problem — roughly half of US households cannot install rooftop solar due to renting, unsuitable roofs, HOA restrictions, shading, structural limitations, or insufficient ownership duration. Community solar extends solar benefits to these households by letting them subscribe to an off-site solar farm and receive bill credits proportional to their subscription share.

Subscription models vary. Some programs let you subscribe for a specific number of kilowatt-hours per month matched to your consumption. Others sell or lease specific panel capacity in the solar farm. Credits typically appear on your utility bill as a line item offset, reducing your net electricity cost by the value of your subscribed solar share.

The economics of community solar vary by program and state policy. Subscribers typically pay a discounted rate for their community solar share compared to the utility rate, providing immediate savings of 5-15% on the solar portion of their bill. No installation, no maintenance, and no long-term equipment commitment — if you move within the utility service area, you typically keep your subscription.

Community solar is growing rapidly, with programs available in over 40 US states. State policies set the rules for how projects are developed, how credits are valued, and who can subscribe. The federal ITC and state incentives support project development, lowering costs for subscribers. Community solar is expected to represent a significant and growing share of total US solar deployment as programs expand and states adopt enabling legislation.