Community Solar for PA

Bipartisan community solar legislation in Harrisburg could provide an immediate boost to our economy. It would kick-start renewable energy projects that will create local jobs, pay farmers for hosting solar projects on their land, and save consumers money on their energy bills.

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Pa. lawmaker launches new attempt to allow community solar

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StateImpact Pennsylvania

Rachel McDevitt APRIL 10, 2023

Lawmakers are trying to give people more options when it comes to buying solar energy.

Pennsylvania law allows for small, rooftop solar projects and large, utility-scale projects–but not for those that fall in-between.

State Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-Monroe) is sponsoring a measure to lift a ban on community solar projects.

“This gives the ability for households or renters to have that option to utilize solar and get some financial benefits from it as well,” Brown said.

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Community solar increases access for people who can’t install their own panels, either because of cost, a shaded roof, or living in a rental. They let people subscribe directly to an offsite solar project and get credit on their electricity bill for the extra power produced by the panels.

Similar bills have had bipartisan support over the years, but have never made it to the governor’s desk.

In previous debates, lawmakers have expressed concern that community solar customers would cost utility companies and threaten grid maintenance.

PJM coordinates electricity in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Five of those states and D.C. already mandate or incentivize community solar.

Around 95% of new power projects proposed in the PJM region are wind and solar. PJM says 200,000 megawatts of renewable power could connect to the grid in the next four years if built by developers.

PPL, the electric utility for parts of central and northeastern Pennsylvania, did not return a request for comment for this story.

Brown said the time could be right for the legislation now, because of recent discussions in the legislature about energy reliability and affordability.

She said she thinks the benefits outweigh any potential risk; community solar can help lower electricity bills, diversify the state’s energy sources, and be good for the environment.

“The reality of everything coming together makes a lot of sense here, that this is a good time to offer this opportunity that may not be available to people traditionally,” Brown said.

She also noted the economic benefits. A 2020 Penn State study of more than 200 planned projects found that construction would create 5,991 direct jobs. Once in operation, the study said the projects would generate around $83.3 million in economic output.

Editorial: Lift shade on community solar power

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Scranton Times-Tribune

April 4, 2023

The sun shines everywhere but state law casts shade on its ability to produce electricity just about everywhere. Now, bipartisan bills in both houses of the state Legislature would allow community solar energy projects to increase power production, reduce power costs and create thousands of renewable energy jobs.

Community solar projects differ from utility-scale projects, in which utilities build and operate large-scale solar farms and sell the electricity that they generate. Community projects are smaller. They enable individuals, businesses, nonprofits, civic groups and others to invest in solar projects in exchange for credits on their electricity bills. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the credits usually amount to 10% to 15% of the participant’s monthly power bill.

Republican state Sen. Rosemary Brown of Monroe County, who also represents part of Lackawanna County, sponsors a Senate community solar bill, saying that “creating a market for additional electricity options is a way to keep consumer costs down.”

That alone is a worthy goal. But Democratic Rep. Peter Schweyer of Lehigh County, sponsor of a similar House bill, said it also would extend solar power cost savings to people who can’t afford to install their own solar arrays who live where that is not possible.

“My district has a lot of apartment buildings and multi-tenant homes, and right now they’re being excluded from a renewable, affordable energy source just because they don’t have a single-family home in the suburbs,” he said.

Proponents pointed to a 2020 study of community solar power by researchers at Penn State University, who found that community solar would create about 12,000 jobs and generate $1.8 billion in direct and indirect economic activity, in addition to competitive pressure on power prices.

Bipartisan Pa. bill would authorize community solar projects

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Pennsylvania Capital-Star

The measure would green light more than 230 projects in 48 counties, backers said

BY: JOHN L. MICEK – APRIL 3, 2023 7:15 AM


A bipartisan proposal now making the rounds of the General Assembly would allow Pennsylvania to join the company of 22 other states that allow “community solar” projects that backers say “would enable access to solar energy for all Pennsylvanians,” regardless of whether they can install solar panel on their roofs or not.

“Rising costs and energy bills are very real here in Pennsylvania, and we must help find creative solutions to maintain reasonable utility costs,” Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, the prime sponsor of the Senate version of the proposal, said in a statement.

“Community solar will include another option to further develop a diverse energy portfolio in Pennsylvania, leading us to a brighter and cost-efficient energy future,” Brown continued, adding that “creating a market for additional electricity options is a way to keep consumer costs down.”

People who participate in community solar projects can buy or lease portions of solar panels in a panel array, according to the U.S. Energy Department. In turn, they “typically receive an electric bill credit for electricity generated by their share of the community solar system—similar to someone who has rooftop panels installed on their home,” according to a summary on the agency’s website.

“My district has a lot of apartment buildings and multi-tenant homes, and right now they’re being excluded from a renewable, affordable energy source just because they don’t have a single family home in the suburbs,” Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, who’s backing a companion House bill, said in the joint statement. “Clean energy shouldn’t be exclusive or inaccessible; my constituents deserve options to lower their energy bills, especially as traditional rates continue to rise.”

If the proposal is eventually signed into law, it would green light some 230 community solar projects in 48 Pennsylvania counties, saving participating subscribers more than $30 million a year, backers said.

 (Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)

“Community solar is a critical part of a comprehensive energy portfolio, but current law and red tape prevents the state from taking advantage of the many benefits this form of energy can bring,” Matthew Hargarten, of the Coalition for Community Solar Access, a national trade group, said in a statement.

The legislation is “good for consumers and small businesses who will see savings on their electric bills; farmers and communities who will see new financial opportunities and tax revenue; and workers who will see thousands of family sustaining jobs come online,” Hargarten said.

According to an independent analysis by the consumer-facing website EnergySage, community solar participants save between 5% to 15% off their typical electricity bills.

But “some community solar programs may be more expensive than your current electricity bill, so it’s important to evaluate both expected monthly bills and long-term savings as you’re deciding whether or not to join a community solar program in order to save on energy costs,” the analysis concluded.

Solar power panels in field on a sunny autumn day (Getty Images).
 Solar power panels in field on a sunny autumn day (Getty Images).

In Pennsylvania, the community solar projects will be funded through private investment, creating jobs for electricians, installers and other professionals.

Backers pointed to a September 2020 Penn State University study concluding that community solar projects could create more than 12,000 jobs statewide, and generate $1.8 billion in economic activity.

“There’s simply no reason that skilled and able workers are being kept on the sidelines for projects like this,” Robert Bair, the president of the Pennsylvania Building Trades, said. “The design, construction, and operation of these solar projects will keep thousands of folks in family sustaining jobs for years to come. We’re ready to get to work and look forward to seeing a responsible community solar marketplace in Pennsylvania.”

Pennsylvania Farmer Shares Firsthand Knowledge of Community Solar Benefits

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“My experience with community solar tells me it is a win-win. The farm-side economics work and it’s a great risk management tool,” says Paul Mason.

By: Anthony Campisi

April 20, 2021

As lawmakers gear up for the busy spring in Harrisburg and bills to enable community solar are introduced, we sat down with someone who knows the benefits of community solar perhaps better than anyone in Pennsylvania.

Paul Mason is a fourth-generation dairy farmer whose property straddles both Pennsylvania, where community solar legislation is being considered, and Maryland, where a portion of his farm currently hosts a community solar garden and where community solar was signed into law in 2015. He’s enjoying the economic benefits that can help so many farmers, and that have led the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau to vocally support community solar.

Mason shared his experience with community solar, and he provides valuable insight on what Pennsylvania farmers can anticipate if the legislature opens up the market to community solar.

Tell me a bit about your dairy farm. How long have you and your family been in business?

I am the fourth generation on my family’s dairy farm. We farm just over 700 acres: half in Pennsylvania, half in Maryland. All of it is to feed and take care of our cows. Dairying is an inherently sustainable and cyclical business model. We grow crops to feed the cows, take the waste from those cows, and apply it to fields to provide nutrients for the next crop and then let the cycle continue every year.

What benefits have you experienced from the community solar program in Maryland, and how could farmers in Pennsylvania benefit?

There have been several benefits from the community solar array that was built on one of our farms in Maryland. One of the biggest benefits to me is that it allowed me to optimize my land use. The array sits on a slope and soil type that is some of the less productive row crop ground on that farm, so the community solar array generates a much better economic return. I think almost any farmer could realize similar benefits.

Why is community solar a good fit for your farm?

The biggest benefit of community solar to me is the economic feasibility of smaller projects. Given that I need basically all my acres to feed my cows, I do not have the luxury of diversification with my crop mix. I grow only the crops my cows eat. But with only needing a handful of acres to make a viable solar array, I can successfully diversify some income without compromising my feed inventories for my cows. Since we needed only seven acres to make the project viable, we could pick the seven acres that would optimize our use of the land on the farm.

Can you explain why community solar is a good fit for farmland that may be underutilized or difficult to make use of, and how the arrays fit in with future land use planning?

On my farm, the array sits on a part of the field that needed to be managed more intensively to achieve a successful row crop due to how water would flow and then lie. Conservation work, soil health, and water management are all things that are critically important to me as a farmer.

The non-intrusive nature of the construction of my solar array means a good deal to me. I view myself as a steward of the land that I hope to be able to pass down to the next generation better than how it was passed on to me. This is all why having a construction process that does not disturb the ground matters. When the project reaches the end of its lifecycle, the posts that hold the solar panels can simply be pulled up, and it is no different than if I had installed a fence for my cows.

What do people need to understand about why farmers need steady and stable sources of income such as leasing land to community solar?

Diversification is one of the best risk management tools for farmers. And I believe there is a reason it is so common. It works. We always deal with the risks of unpredictable weather, which is difficult to manage, and moving commodity prices. So the value of being able to diversify into the energy world with a known fixed return, zero capital expense and zero operational cost is about as good as it gets. There is no current measurable added risk to diversifying by leasing ground to a community solar company.

What would your message be to Pennsylvania’s legislators, who will be deciding whether to pass legislation to enable community solar this session?

Any message I send to legislators always starts with a “thank you,” regardless of their position. Being a legislator is a very complex and difficult job. So, I seek to simply share my view from my experience to do my part to help people be as informed as possible so that they can make the best decision possible.

My experience with community solar tells me it is a big win for landowners. The farm-side economics work, it’s a great risk management tool, negative long-term land effects are minimal to none, and it allows us to do our part to support energy sources that are a bit healthier for our planet.

A Sneak Peek at Community Solar for Pennsylvania

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By: Anthony Campisi

Pennsylvania is in line to become the next state to host community solar if the Pennsylvania General Assembly takes quick action this fall to pass legislation that enjoys broad, bipartisan support.

To preview what community solar would look like for the commonwealth, the Coalition for Community Solar Access released a new video that showcases projects in a nearby state and interviews farmers about why this form of local solar is good for them.

The video features a member of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau named Paul Mason, whose property straddles both Maryland and Pennsylvania. He hopes to lease a small portion of his PA land for community solar, something he’s already doing across the border.

A fourth-generation farmer, Mason has been able to ensure a stable and reliable source of income from his community solar lease that he views as a smart “diversification strategy.” The lease for the community solar garden helps his dairy farm weather swings in commodity prices that impact farmers’ profitability and make it tough for them to plan.

“The beneficial element of community solar is that I get to be part of helping to produce renewable energy, as well as get a nice return from that renewable energy, and all I have to do is say, ‘Here, you can lease this land,” Mason explains in the video.

The video also illustrates how community solar is not invasive to the land. To install the solar panels, they simply drive posts into the ground allowing them to be removed at the conclusion of the lease, restoring the land to its original condition. In this way, farmers can host a community solar project for a finite period of time and eventually resume normal farming operations.

Advocates for community solar legislation (HB 531/SB 705) in Pennsylvania include groups such as the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Conservative Energy Forum, Coalition for Community Solar Access and many more. They say that community solar will open a new markets in Pennsylvania that will drive economic development and job creation, save consumers money on their electric bills, and provide stable income for farmers, many of whom have been hit hard in recent years.

“There ain’t a bit of farming you can’t do without the sun,” says third-generation farmer Teresa Stonesifer as she closes the video. “Why not farm the sun, and have that solar help the farm?”