As concerns around electric grid reliability intensify, the need for more sustainable energy options grows. Ohio legislators have a golden opportunity to explore an innovative solution to these problems with House Bill 197.
Introduced by Ohio Representatives Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, and Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, HB197 would create a pilot program to encourage the development of community solar projects in Ohio for both residential and commercial use.
Community solar is a simple yet transformative concept: it allows residents, businesses and organizations to share the benefits of a solar energy system without having to bear 100% of the associated costs as individuals. Instead, solar modules are installed on rooftops, in parking lots, on capped landfills, or at shared facilities within a community. Participants, including individuals, schools, hospitals, religious institutions, and businesses, subscribe to a portion of the solar energy produced by the panels, offsetting their electric bills and contributing to in-demand, renewable energy generation.
Introduced by Ohio Representatives Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, and Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, HB197 would create a pilot program to encourage the development of community solar projects in Ohio for both residential and commercial use.
Community solar is a simple yet transformative concept: it allows residents, businesses and organizations to share the benefits of a solar energy system without having to bear 100% of the associated costs as individuals. Instead, solar modules are installed on rooftops, in parking lots, on capped landfills, or at shared facilities within a community. Participants, including individuals, schools, hospitals, religious institutions, and businesses, subscribe to a portion of the solar energy produced by the panels, offsetting their electric bills and contributing to in-demand, renewable energy generation.
Through four legislative committee hearings, it has become clear HB197 enjoys widespread bipartisan support. Consumer advocates, environmental groups, chambers of commerce, electrical workers and consumers favor the bill. That’s not surprising, considering the many benefits that community solar projects offer.
To begin with, community solar increases energy choices for everyone, including renters, low- to moderate-income customers, and individuals living in multi-unit dwellings who may not have the means or ability to install solar panels on their own properties. By pooling resources and sharing infrastructure, community solar projects open the door to affordable, sustainable energy for just about anyone interested in using solar energy, regardless of their financial status.
Additionally, community solar programs build a more resilient and reliable electric grid by diversifying energy sources and decentralizing power generation. By incorporating community solar into a true all-of-the-above energy policy, we can be sure to take advantage of all power sources and mitigate the risk of outages due to weather or equipment failure.
Many companies looking to expand in, or move to, Ohio are demanding access to renewable energy sources. Solar provides predictable cost structures making it easier for business to understand their costs years into the future and make additional investments.
Community solar projects would create thousands of good-paying jobs in installation, maintenance, and administration. They would provide significant tax revenue that local municipalities could apply toward education initiatives and infrastructure improvements. A recent analysis from Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service says a community solar pilot program would create thousands of construction jobs and provide over $400 million in local tax revenues over its lifetime.
Although HB197 would begin as a pilot project, it would establish a model to develop community solar projects more broadly across Ohio. It gives everyone more equal access to the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy generation.
Northwest Ohio has been a world leader in the research and the manufacturing of solar for more than 20 years. Initiatives like community solar not only protect and provide reliability to our electric grid but enhance opportunities for Ohio produced energy. HB197 is a step toward a more sustainable, reliable energy future for all Ohioans.
To begin with, community solar increases energy choices for everyone, including renters, low- to moderate-income customers, and individuals living in multi-unit dwellings who may not have the means or ability to install solar panels on their own properties. By pooling resources and sharing infrastructure, community solar projects open the door to affordable, sustainable energy for just about anyone interested in using solar energy, regardless of their financial status.
Additionally, community solar programs build a more resilient and reliable electric grid by diversifying energy sources and decentralizing power generation. By incorporating community solar into a true all-of-the-above energy policy, we can be sure to take advantage of all power sources and mitigate the risk of outages due to weather or equipment failure.
Many companies looking to expand in, or move to, Ohio are demanding access to renewable energy sources. Solar provides predictable cost structures making it easier for business to understand their costs years into the future and make additional investments.
Community solar projects would create thousands of good-paying jobs in installation, maintenance, and administration. They would provide significant tax revenue that local municipalities could apply toward education initiatives and infrastructure improvements. A recent analysis from Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service says a community solar pilot program would create thousands of construction jobs and provide over $400 million in local tax revenues over its lifetime.
Although HB197 would begin as a pilot project, it would establish a model to develop community solar projects more broadly across Ohio. It gives everyone more equal access to the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy generation.
Northwest Ohio has been a world leader in the research and the manufacturing of solar for more than 20 years. Initiatives like community solar not only protect and provide reliability to our electric grid but enhance opportunities for Ohio produced energy. HB197 is a step toward a more sustainable, reliable energy future for all Ohioans.
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