Community solar can bridge California’s energy affordability gap

California lawmakers are considering a bill, AB 1813, that would let more residents sign up for community solar — small, local solar and storage projects that anyone can subscribe to without putting panels on their own roof. This matters especially for renters and homeowners whose roofs are not suited for solar. Right now, most Californians who want cleaner, cheaper power have to rely on Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs, where a city or county buys greener electricity on residents' behalf. But only 25 CCAs exist, covering about a third of the state's electricity customers, mostly near the coast, leaving roughly two-thirds of Californians without access.

Under a community solar and storage program, residents anywhere in the state could subscribe to a nearby project and get a credit on their utility bill — no roof, no equipment, and no long-term contract required. Subscribers save an average of $200 a year, with bigger savings for low-income households, and more than half of new local solar projects would have to serve low-income customers. The bill also aims to cut costs for everyone, subscribers or not, by building solar and storage on the local distribution grid instead of requiring expensive upgrades to long-distance transmission lines. One study cited in support of the bill estimates this approach could save Californians $6.5 billion overall and avoid $2 billion in grid upgrade costs.

The bill has passed a state Senate committee and awaits a full Senate floor vote, after which Governor Gavin Newsom would need to sign it. If you live in California, this is worth watching if a CCA isn't currently available where you live.