Photograph by Dennis Schroeder / NREL
A bipartisan group of Colorado legislators launched a invoice to vastly increase entry to the clear vitality transition via a revitalization of the state’s neighborhood photo voltaic program. Senate Invoice SB24-207, launched by Senate President Steve Fenberg (D–Boulder), comes at a time of unprecedented federal funding alternatives via the Biden administration’s Inflation Discount Act. This invoice requires a revamped neighborhood photo voltaic program that positions Colorado to seize a whole lot of hundreds of thousands in federal {dollars} to improve the state’s grid, promote vitality fairness, and scale back vitality prices for residents.
Most Colorado households can’t profit from rooftop photo voltaic attributable to obstacles like dwelling possession and credit score rating necessities. Group photo voltaic offers renters, non-profits, small companies and low-to-moderate revenue (LMI) prospects direct entry to the clear vitality transition and utility invoice financial savings. Colorado was the primary state within the nation to cross neighborhood photo voltaic laws in 2010, however has since fallen behind different states with extra fashionable program designs. At present, only one% of Xcel’s 1.6 million prospects — and solely 3,300 of that are income-qualified households — are in a position to take part in neighborhood photo voltaic as a result of program’s restricted dimension and outdated coverage framework.
This invoice upgrades Colorado’s neighborhood photo voltaic program by adopting coverage greatest practices from greater than 20 states. Extra particularly, the invoice:
- Delivers significant invoice financial savings to hundreds extra income-qualified households;
- Reserves a minimum of 51% of every neighborhood photo voltaic mission for income-qualified residential subscribers, which is a nation-leading requirement and tailor-made to the Inflation Discount Act to maximise federal {dollars} flowing into the state;
- Enhances subscriber experiences with best-in-class enrollment strategies, shopper protections, and consolidated billing;
- Prioritizes initiatives sited on most well-liked areas, like rooftops and brownfields, and drives dual-use practices like agrivolatics; and
- Improves the strategies that third-party stakeholders can develop neighborhood photo voltaic initiatives with investor-owned utilities.
- Organizations and advocates from throughout Colorado applaud the invoice’s introduction, optimistic for the chance it presents alongside federal funding alternatives.
“All Coloradans, no matter revenue stage or homeownership standing, ought to be capable to take part within the transition to renewable vitality,” mentioned Senate President Steve Fenberg, sponsor of SB24-207. “This necessary invoice removes obstacles to accessing photo voltaic vitality — like homeownership or credit score rating necessities — to make sure renters, non-profits, and small companies can participate with out breaking the financial institution. With unprecedented federal funding alternatives via President Biden’s Inflation Discount Act, now’s the time to revitalize Colorado’s neighborhood photo voltaic program and guarantee our state stays a pacesetter in renewable, clear vitality use.”
“No matter whether or not you’re a renter or house owner at any revenue stage or credit score rating, all Coloradans ought to profit from clear vitality initiatives that maintain our air clear and scale back our utility payments — particularly within the communities most focused by polluters,” mentioned Tom Abood, Chief with Collectively Colorado’s Local weather Justice Committee. “SB24-207 will do all of this by prioritizing neighborhood photo voltaic in disproportionately impacted communities, guaranteeing working households a 20% – 40% electrical invoice discount, and serving to Colorado obtain its renewable vitality objectives. Our collective religion traditions train us to take care of our planet, and take care of essentially the most susceptible amongst us — and on this spirit we urge our legislators to help this invoice.”
Senate Invoice SB24-207 is anticipated to be reviewed by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Vitality earlier than advancing to Senate Appropriations after which to the ground for a vote by the complete Senate.
Over the previous decade, the variety of states which have enacted insurance policies to help third-party shared or neighborhood photo voltaic has expanded from only a few to 22 states, together with Washington, D.C. A collective 6.6 gigawatts (GW) of era capability has been put in so far, and Wooden Mackenzie’s most up-to-date US neighborhood photo voltaic market outlook predicts that there will likely be 14 GWDC energy put in throughout the nation by the tip of 2028.
“Group photo voltaic is the very best methodology to democratize solar energy and decrease the barrier of entry to scrub, reasonably priced vitality,” mentioned Kevin Cray, Mountain West Senior Director for the Coalition for Group Photo voltaic Entry (CCSA). “With a chance to leverage billions of federal {dollars} into Colorado’s neighborhood photo voltaic program, it’s the right time to improve our program, and set a brand new nationwide commonplace for equitable clear vitality coverage.”
Information merchandise from the Coalition for Group Photo voltaic Entry
