Delaware Gov. signs bill easing community solar access

SB 2 removes a series of barriers that have prevented community solar growth in Delaware, while also making it easier for low-income residents to access community solar.

September 21, 2021 Tim Sylvia

The Soltage PowerStation, located in Wilmington, DE

Image: Soltage

Delaware Governor John Carney has signed into law a bill which looks to expand access to community solar projects, while also reducing some of the barriers blocking project siting and completion.

Community solar has been approved in Delaware since 2010, yet the state has had little success in getting community projects built, as highlighted in this Solar Energy Industries Association chart of Delaware’s annual solar capacity additions.

Delaware

In an effort to grow the resource, Senate Bill 2:

Allows for multiple types of ownership models, defined as “community-owned energy generating facilities,” to exist and compete in the marketplace
Increases the maximum size of these systems to 4 MW
Eliminates the requirement that all customers of a system must be located on the same distribution feeder
Eliminates the requirement that all customers of a system must be identified before the system can be built
Provides for the regulation of these systems by the Public Service Commission and sets forth the fee and requirements for a Certificate to Operate
Provides compensation to the system owner for 10% or less of unsubscribed energy
Requires each system owner to certify that it serves at least 15% low income customers

The bill was signed at the site of a 2 MW solar array near the confluence of the Brandywine Creek and Christina River, owned by Soltage.

“This type of legislation is key for opening up clean energy markets, driving economic growth and job creation in the state, and ultimately, helping the country achieve the decarbonization needed to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis,” said Soltage CEO and Co-Founder, Jesse Grossman.

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