Minnesota and New York have earned an “A” for their renewable energy programs. That’s according to a national scorecard released recently by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), which graded nearly 20 state shared renewable energy programs (aka community solar). IREC’s National Shared Renewables Scorecard uses specific criteria to evaluate how each program stacks up against national best practices.
“More states are adopting shared renewable energy programs so more consumers can benefit from clean, renewable energy – including lower income households, multi-family dwellers and underserved communities,” says IREC President/CEO Larry Sherwood. “And they are realizing the economic and environmental benefits of these programs.”
The scorecard grades the 17 active shared renewables programs in 13 states plus Washington, D.C. (IL, NJ and OR are in the process of implementing new programs and are not yet graded.) Details of all state programs are in IREC’s Shared Renewables Policy Catalog. In addition to mandatory statewide programs, utilities in more than half of US states are voluntarily creating shared solar programs.
The scorecard graded 17 active shared renewables programs in 13 states plus Washington, D.C. The following are the grades issued, the states that earned them and the reasoning behind it:
