Georgia’s proposed Homegrown Solar Act aims to expand affordable community solar, reduce energy bills, create jobs, and promote equitable clean energy access. This will benefit renters, businesses, and low-income residents across the state.

Georgia decision makers met this summer and fall to learn more about community solar energy in reaction to the Georgia Homegrown Solar Act, which was proposed at the last session and will be proposed most likely at the next session which starts in January 2025. 

Community solar can expand solar access for renters, multifamily residents, and low-income residents, to name a few.

Solar panel installation isn’t exactly a renter-friendly upgrade. With community solar, renters can save on utility bills AND help save the planet — and as long as you are the one paying the electric bill, your landlord never has to know.

Georgia Power’s current community solar program is unpopular, inefficient, and increases bills. The program proposed in the Georgia Homegrown Solar Act can reduce energy costs and provide a hedge against volatile fossil fuel prices. Typical bill savings in similar programs nationwide are 5-20%. The Georgia Homegrown Solar Act would open the market for community solar programs for customers in Georgia Power’s territory and direct the Public Service Commission to establish the compensation rate for subscribers of community solar projects to receive a credit for the benefits these projects provide the electric grid. The Act also limits project size to 5-6 megawatts (25-30 acres). 

Community solar can help the Peach State move forward in the pursuit of an equitable clean energy transition. Programs such as Georgia BRIGHT’s Solar for All will benefit from this act and make the community solar portion of the program more viable. This will also result in more good-paying jobs for Georgians: community solar can open a new market sector for Georgia businesses, and the projects can be put on warehouses, food banks, and community centers rather than agricultural land. This recent Time Magazine article addresses the need for community solar as a component in this energy transition. 

The benefits of community solar outweigh the costs — those who participate in the program pay for the program.

This is not net metering. Customers can voluntarily subscribe to the program, which is overseen by the Georgia Public Service Commission. The proposed program will allow private businesses and nonprofits to build solar facilities, and these optional subscriptions help pay for building projects without creating a cost shift. In this way, Georgians, who now pay some of the highest electric bills in the country, will have the opportunity to receive some bill relief. The solar facility will generate electricity that will reduce utility costs, and the customer will receive a utility bill credit between 10% and 20% per month. 

Many states and communities are already benefiting from community solar programs. Virginia’s and the District of Columbia’s programs are examples of what Georgia looks forward to with implementing the Georgia Homegrown Solar Act. 

It’s Georgia’s turn to get on board and embrace all the benefits of community solar!