Anew report from the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) has put numbers behind something many of us in clean energy have known for a while: community solar isn’t just good for the environment—it’s great for the economy, too.
According to the study, community solar projects create jobs, improve energy stability, and reduce electricity costs, all while helping states hit their clean energy goals.
Let’s break it down:
--A single 5 MW community solar project generates $14 million in local economic activity and supports nearly 100 jobs.
--Scale that up to 1 gigawatt—a typical program size—and you're looking at 18,000+ jobs and $2.8 billion in local economic impact.
--And if the entire country adopted community solar at full capacity? That’s over $120 billion in potential economic benefits nationwide.
But the benefits don’t stop there.
Community solar offers lower electricity bills for renters, small businesses, and low-to-moderate income households. It also improves grid resilience by generating electricity locally—right where it’s needed—reducing the strain on long-distance transmission lines.
Perhaps most importantly, community solar is fast. While utility-scale energy projects can take 5 to 10 years (or more) to permit and build, most community solar projects go from concept to operation in just 12 to 24 months. They also rely on private capital and are typically built within the communities they serve, using existing distribution infrastructure.
That’s critical when you consider where things are headed.
U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow by more than 20% by 2030, but many large-scale projects are facing headwinds: permitting delays, supply chain constraints, and local pushback. Community solar sidesteps many of those challenges. It’s nimble, deploys quickly, and delivers immediate capacity relief in fast-growing regions.
In short, the new CCSA study confirms what clean energy advocates have been saying: Community solar and storage represent a triple win—for utilities, ratepayers, and the American economy.
So I hope you’ll read and sharethis important news on your personal social media channels. This information is important for state policymakers and regulators that are now considering new community solar programs—including my home state of California.#DriveEnergyForward
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