Pennsylvania HB 1155: An Act providing for community solar facilities; imposing duties on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, electric distribution companies and subscriber organizations; and providing for prevailing wage and labor requirements and for ratepayer protections.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1279
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1155
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY SCHWEYER, MATZIE, VENKAT, HANBIDGE, KHAN, BRENNAN,
FIEDLER, PIELLI, CIRESI, VITALI, NEILSON, HOHENSTEIN, GIRAL,
SANCHEZ, ISAACSON, McNEILL, HADDOCK, PROBST, BURGOS, WARREN,
SHUSTERMAN, WAXMAN, FREEMAN, DONAHUE, HILL-EVANS, FRANKEL,
OTTEN, WEBSTER, DEASY, CERRATO, HOWARD, FRIEL, GREEN,
KRAJEWSKI, SALISBURY, DAVIDSON, STEELE AND MADDEN,
APRIL 7, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENERGY, APRIL 7, 2025
AN ACT
Providing for community solar facilities; imposing duties on the
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, electric distribution
companies and subscriber organizations; and providing for
prevailing wage and labor requirements and for ratepayer
protections.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1. Short title.
Section 2. Findings and declarations.
Section 3. Definitions.
Section 4. Authorization to own or operate community solar
facilities.
Section 5. Bill credit for subscribers to community solar
facilities.
Section 6. Protection for customers.
Section 7. Duties of electric distribution companies.
Section 8. Compensation and cost recovery for electric
distribution companies.
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Section 9. Interconnection standards for community solar
facilities.
Section 10. Unsubscribed energy.
Section 11. Customer participation in community solar programs.
Section 12. Location of multiple community solar facilities.
Section 13. Prevailing wage and labor requirements.
Section 14. Ratepayer protections.
Section 15. Effective date.
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 Community
Solar Act.
Section 2. Findings and declarations.
The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Growth in solar generation provides family-
sustaining jobs and investments in this Commonwealth.
(2) Programs for community solar generation provide
customers with additional energy choices and access to
affordable energy options.
(3) Community solar programs provide customers,
including homeowners, renters and businesses, access to the
benefits of Pennsylvania community solar energy generation
that is unconstrained by the physical attributes of their
home or business, including roof space, shading or ownership
status.
(4) In addition to its provision of standard electricity
market commodities and services, local solar energy
generation can contribute to a more resilient grid and defer
the need for costly new transmission and distribution system
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investment.
(5) The intent of this act is to:
(i) Allow electric distribution customers of this
Commonwealth to subscribe to a portion of a community
solar facility and have the result of the subscription be
guaranteed savings.
(ii) Reasonably allow for the creation, financing,
accessibility and operation of third-party-owned
community solar generating facilities and enable robust
customer participation.
(iii) Encourage the development of community solar
programs that facilitate participation by and for
accessibility and operation of third-party-owned
community solar generating facilities and enable robust
customer participation.
(iv) Encourage the development of community solar
programs that facilitate participation by and for the
benefit of low-income and moderate-income customers and
the communities where they live, reduce barriers to
participation by renters and small businesses, promote
affordability and improve access to basic public utility
services.
(v) Maximize the use of Federal money to provide for
the development of community solar programs.
Section 3. 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:
"Bill credit." The commission-approved monetary value of
each kilowatt hour of electricity generated by a community solar
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facility and allocated to a subscriber's monthly bill to offset
any part of the subscriber's retail electric bill other than
volumetric or demand-based distribution charges.
"Brownfield." Real property, the expansion, redevelopment or
reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential
presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.
"Brownfield or rooftop community solar facility." A
community solar facility that is primarily located on rooftops
or land that is a brownfield.
"Commission." The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
"Community solar facility." A facility that meets all of the
following criteria:
(1) Is located within this Commonwealth.
(2) Is connected to and delivers electricity to a
distribution system operated by an electric distribution
company operating in this Common