Indiana legislators haven't yet passed the necessary legislation mandating large, investor-owned utilities to permit independent community solar projects on their grid.

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Community solar is a system that allows households, businesses, houses of worship, schools, local governments, and others to join a nearby, independently (non-utility) owned solar panel project. Participants subscribe to this project and the electricity produced by the solar system is integrated into the utility grid. Subscribers receive a credit on their utility bill corresponding to the electricity generated by their share.

 

Community solar is a great option for consumers who cannot or don’t want to, install solar panels on their roof or property, for any number of reasons, including:

• They rent or lease their property, live in a multifamily building, or are restricted by a home-owners association.

• They cannot afford the high upfront costs of installing a solar voltaic system.

• They have a roof unsuitable for solar, because, for example, it is shaded by trees or doesn’t have the right size or slope.

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Being typically between 1-5 MW in size, community solar projects are adaptable to various locations, for example:

• Abandoned industrial sites and parking lots.

• Rooftops of large warehouses, stores, industrial or municipal buildings.

• Unused pieces of agricultural land.

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As a founding member of the Hoosiers for Community Solar Coalition, we are collaborating with coalition partners across our state. Our aim is to ensure the advantages of solar energy reach everyone in Indiana by enabling utility customers to subscribe to independently owned community solar projects. 

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