Philadelphia Solar Energy: Community Solar Rules (2026)

Twenty-four states and DC authorize community solar where customers buy or lease subscriptions in offsite arrays and receive utility-bill credits. Pennsylvania remains an outlier; HB 1842 of the 2023-2024 session, sponsored by Representative Vitali, would have amended 66 Pa.C.S. section 2806 to require investor-owned utilities to interconnect community solar up to five megawatts and credit subscribers at retail rates. The bill cleared the House Consumer Affairs Committee but did not reach a floor vote before sine die. Until passage, Philadelphia residents lacking suitable rooftops can only access shared solar through voluntary green-tariff subscriptions or third-party suppliers under PUC choice rules. The Philadelphia Energy Authority operates the Solarize Philly purchase program, which is not a community-solar substitute.