Pennsylvania SB 1322: An Act providing for solar-ready projects involving a warehouse or distribution center; authorizing tax exemptions and special tax provisions; imposing duties on the Department of Environmental Protection; and imposing penalties.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1707
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 1322
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY SAVAL, COMITTA, COSTA, HAYWOOD, CAPPELLETTI,
KEARNEY, VOGEL, L. WILLIAMS, KANE AND A. WILLIAMS,
MAY 7, 2026
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, MAY 7, 2026
AN ACT
Providing for solar-ready projects involving a warehouse or
distribution center; authorizing tax exemptions and special
tax provisions; imposing duties on the Department of
Environmental Protection; and imposing penalties.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Solar-Ready
Warehouse and Distribution Center Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Applicant." A person applying for a waiver from the solar-
ready requirements under section 3.
"Department." The Department of Environmental Protection of
the Commonwealth.
"Eligible project costs." Costs related to the purchase and
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installation of equipment directly related to a retrofit project
for a solar-ready warehouse or distribution center.
"Large-scale warehouse or distribution center." A warehouse
or distribution center with a floor area that is at least
100,000 square feet.
"Local taxing authority." A county, city, borough,
incorporated town, township, institution district or school
district having authority to levy real property taxes.
"Retrofit project." A project involving a change in design,
construction or equipment already in operation in order to
incorporate later improvements.
"Solar-ready." With respect to a building, designed and
constructed in a manner that facilitates and optimizes the
installation of solar photovoltaic panels on the roof of the
building or other areas of the building.
"Warehouse or distribution center." As follows:
(1) A building or group of buildings on the same lot
used for the indoor storage of goods, products and materials
or the receipt of bulk products and separation and
distribution of those products to another warehouse or to
individual end-user consumers.
(2) The term includes value-added services between a
supplier and its customers, such as breaking down of large
orders from a single source into smaller orders, product
mixing, sorting, packaging, cross-docking, order fulfillment,
order returns or the consolidation of several orders into one
large order for distribution to several recipients.
Section 3. Solar-ready requirements.
(a) Applicability.--This section applies to each large-scale
warehouse or distribution center for which construction is
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commenced on or after the effective date of this subsection.
(b) Large-scale warehouse or distribution center.--Each
large-scale warehouse or distribution center shall be solar-
ready.
(c) Design.--Solar-ready design shall include the following
features:
(1) A minimum of 40% of the roof area designated as
suitable for solar photovoltaic installation, free from
obstructions such as HVAC systems, vents or other equipment.
(2) Structural integrity sufficient to support the
installation of solar photovoltaic systems, accounting for
the weight of panels, mounting systems and potential wind or
snow loads.
(3) Conduit pathways from the roof to the electrical
room of the building to accommodate wiring for solar energy
systems.
(4) An appropriately sized space in the electrical room
of the building for solar energy inverters and related
equipment.
Section 4. Waivers.
(a) Grant of waiver request.--The department may grant to an
applicant a waiver from the solar-ready requirements under
section 3 only under the following conditions:
(1) The applicant demonstrates that the physical
characteristics of the site make compliance technically
infeasible, including:
(i) Shading from an adjacent building, terrain or
vegetation that permanently obstructs sufficient solar
access.
(ii) Structural constraints specific to the building
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site, such as poor soil conditions requiring extensive
and cost-prohibitive engineering modifications.
(2) The applicant demonstrates that the additional costs
incurred to meet the requirements arise solely from the
extraordinary site conditions or external factors beyond the
typical scope of construction for a warehouse or distribution
center and exceed a defined financial threshold, such as 10%
of the total construction budget.
(b) Denial or waiver request.--The following considerations
shall not be grounds for a waiver under this section:
(1) General compliance costs associated with meeting the
solar-ready requirements under section 3.
(2) The applicant's perceived market feasibi