Virginia may not seem like one of the best states to go solar in, but that’s all about to change: thanks to the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), Old Dominion is poised to become one of the most advanced (and financially advantageous!) solar markets in the country.
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Since Hawaii became the first state in the country to pass a 100 percent renewable energy target in 2015, a number of other states, cities, and utilities have followed suit. In fact, more than a dozen states and US territories have gotten in on the action with targets to procure all of their electricity from either renewable or non-emitting resources. As new states pass legislation, we will be sure to keep this list up to date.
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At EnergySage, we get a lot of questions about alternative ways to support renewable energy without putting solar panels on your roof. One of the easiest ways to do so is buying electricity from someone other than your utility company. But there are a lot of options out there, each one surrounded by a good deal of misinformation and jargon, making it somewhat difficult to weigh the pros and cons of each.
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New to community solar? You’re not alone. Diving into the ins-and-outs of solar farms and subscription options can be overwhelming – but we’re here to make it as easy as possible!
We created this guide to give you a rundown of community solar basics: from what it is, to the most important factors to consider as you compare options. Throughout the guide, you’ll find additional resources devoted to specific topics or commonly asked community solar questions.
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It’s well known that the behind-the-meter (BTM) solar on your rooftop can reduce the demand for grid-scale electricity: every megawatt-hour (MWh) produced from BTM solar is one fewer MWh that needs to come from the grid (often from a dirty coal or natural gas power plant). Lesser known, however, is the “price effect” of BTM solar. When BTM solar lowers the amount of electricity that expensive power plants need to produce, it also reduces the price that all utilities pay for that electricity. This means that BTM solar can both avoid the creation of dirty electricity, and lower the price that everyone in a region ultimately pays for electricity. As a result, when you install BTM solar, it benefits you and your neighbors.
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Not every property is suitable for solar panels. However, that does not mean that you won’t be able to generate clean energy on your property. One renewable energy technology that’s becoming an increasingly popular alternative for homeowners looking to generate their own clean electricity is small wind turbines.
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As states and cities throughout the country embrace the renewable energy transition, setting and committing to 100 percent clean energy targets, one crucial gap remains in ultimately meeting those targets: how do you stretch the production from renewable resources like wind and solar to keep powering the country even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing? Enter long duration storage, the promising broad category of technologies that can fill this gap.
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For many electricity users across the country, rooftop solar panels don’t make sense – there are physical reasons (i.e. roof availability, home size), personal reasons (i.e. aesthetics), and financial reasons. Specifically for individuals who classify as “low to moderate income” (LMI), there are several reasons why community solar can be a great way to benefit from solar energy while not needing the traditional financial resources to install your own solar panels.
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In today’s current era of renewable energy targets, action is not just limited to political entities such as the federal government, states or individual cities. In fact, many corporations are getting in on the act by promoting corporate sustainability programs or contracting directly with renewable energy developers to build solar and wind farms specifically for their company. As the solar and wind industries continue to grow, corporate renewable procurement and targets will play a substantial role in driving renewable energy to greater and greater heights.
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Following the 2018 elections, there was a flurry of state-level action on climate change and clean energy to begin the new year. Outside of proposals at the federal level for a Green New Deal, many states proposed and passed a suite of climate-related legislation, from emission reduction goals to clean energy procurement targets. Perhaps the most common policy instrument for growing clean energy at the state level is the renewable portfolio standard (RPS).
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