In our previous post, we identified 5 solar policy wins that brightened our 2024. And while these national milestones are worth celebrating, we all know that solar energy policies rely significantly on state and local legislature to exist and thrive.
So in this post, we’ll celebrate 10 state- and local-level policy wins (in no particular order!) that energized us over the past year.
State solar policy wins of 2024
Virginia
On July 1, 2024, Virginia enacted House Bill 1062 and Senate Bill 271, permitting third-party ownership (TPO) for rooftop solar systems statewide. The new legislation strengthens choices for residential energy customers, with expanded options to reduce ongoing electricity costs with a solar lease or power purchase agreement (PPA).
Alaska
On a sunny August day in the Last Frontier, Alaska passed Senate Bill 152, legalizing community solar. The bipartisan bill, known as the SAVE (Saving Alaskans money with Voluntary community Energy) ACT was signed into law on-site at the state’s first community solar plant in Anchorage.
Colorado
In 2024, Colorado also set a national example for grid modernization passing Senate Bill 24-218. The bipartisan legislation, finalized in May, funds many critical initiatives that support solar and storage development, including expanded utility resources and shorter interconnection wait times. A historic leader in community solar, Colorado also enacted bipartisan Senate Bill 24-207 this year, ensuring 51% program access for income-qualified subscribers.
Massachusetts
The Bay State enacted two major solar policy wins in 2024. First in July, House Bill 4876 passed, accelerating solar deployment and addressing several longstanding challenges hampering the local solar market. A few months later, Massachusetts passed Senate Bill 2967 to promote a clean power grid, advance energy equity, and protect electricity bill ratepayers statewide.
Rhode Island
The country’s smallest state took a giant step to protect renewable energy customers in August 2024 when Governor McKee signed the Solar Protections Bill. Created to combat questionable sales practices by the industry’s bad actors, the law requires RI solar retailers to register their business and a roster of all representatives soliciting sales with the local government. The law also requires solar companies to conduct criminal background checks for all sales personnel, follow municipal restrictions on door-to-door sales, and abide by federal telemarking rules.
Maryland
Maryland’s Brighter Tomorrow Act of 2024 was one of the biggest solar policy wins this year, promising to boost residential PV development with incentives worth up to $7,500 for income-qualified households. Later in the year, the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) also announced a SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program, which helps cover costs incurred by local building authorities while adopting the free SolarApp+ to accelerate clean energy project development.
California
Though efforts to repeal NEM 3.0 fell short in 2024, the Golden State is still a (perhaps the) major player in state-level solar policies. In March, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the use of distributed energy resource (DER) export schedules to help balance local grid electricity supply and demand. This CPUC decision is the first of its kind in the US, strongly supports solar and storage development, and is intended to lower future necessary costs for infrastructure upgrades.
New York
As a $249.8 million Solar For All grant recipient, NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) piloted its first local Solar For All program in 2024, benefiting low-income households near the Town of New Scotland. After the pilot’s success, the New York Public Service Commission approved an order to replicate the local Solar For All program statewide, leading as a national example.
Pennsylvania
In March 2024, House Bill 1842 passed in Pennsylvania with full bipartisan support, laying the groundwork to create community solar opportunities in the state. Two months later, Governor Shapiro signed House Bill 1032 and Senate Bill 831 into law, establishing the Solar for Schools program. The program is designed to create jobs, protect local air quality, and lower schools’ energy costs, thereby opening budgets to additional resources for students, teachers, and parents.
If you’ve been reading closely, you noticed that this is only 9. Once again, we’re looking to you for the final one. What was your favorite? Is there a big one we didn’t call out? Let us know on LinkedIn and we’ll include your thoughts in our follow-up post.
In the meantime, be sure to check out our US Solar Policy Wins post.
Featured image by Aubrey Odom.
