ROOFTOP SOLAR PANELS can be a great deal for those with the available roof space and funds for installation. But this option for reducing the electricity bill and related greenhouse gas emissions just isn't available to many, if not most, in the United States, including renters. That fact has sparked the development of community solar, which can provide the financial and climate benefits of rooftop arrays without the need for on-site panels-and, increasingly, expands options for those with low incomes. However, like many developers of other forms of distributed renewable energy, companies attempting to develop community solar projects are currently facing interconnection challenges. Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently estimated 680 gigawatts (GW) of zero-carbon energy projects are now sitting in interconnection queues. While most of that capacity is related to larger, utility-scale projects, community solar installations are certainly held up as well. Utilities in the most community-solar-friendly states say they're doing the best they can to keep up with demand, while advocates say those same companies are moving too slowly to accommodate what some of them might see as competition.
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