Shining a Light on Equitable Solar Energy: Addressing Challenges and Enhancing Opportunities for Business Participation in Community Solar

Abstract

Solar energy plays a vital role in achieving the United States’ decarbonization goals. Enabling community solar projects is an underutilized strategy for increasing renewable energy generation and offers potential solutions for addressing disparities in solar energy distribution. Although community solar use has been initiated through utility-scale platforms, less attention and efforts have gone into facilitating community solar programs that collaborate with businesses who use distributed solar (i.e., rooftop) panels. Engaging businesses in community solar programs provides opportunities for commercial buildings to expand solar energy panels, maximizing use of available space for solar installations and decreasing land-use for solar farms, increasing use and energy resiliency at the residential level, and improving equitable access. We propose three policy recommendations: (1) Renewing and expanding the Sunny Awards recognition program; (2) Modifying tax incentives for businesses to reduce costs of solar installation and encourage energy distribution; and (3) Introducing a new business model for energy distribution. These recommendations provide strategies and insights for encouraging businesses to implement community solar on a broader scale.