Net metering allows residential and commercial customers who generate their own electricity from solar power to sell the electricity they aren't using back into the grid. Many states have passed net metering laws. In other states, utilities may offer net metering programs voluntarily or as a result of regulatory decisions. Differences between state legislation, regulatory decisions and implementation policies mean that the mechanism for compensating solar customers varies widely across the country.

Utility-scale solar facilities and traditional power plants are constructed through a very similar process. Project developers work with financiers, solar technology suppliers, engineering firms, legal counsel, and others to identify appropriate sites for renewable energy projects, secure access to transmission infrastructure, interconnect facilities, and comply with government information reporting requirements. 

• There are 40 states with at least one community solar project on-line, with 1,523 cumulative megawatts installed through 2018.
• At least 19 states and D.C. have recognized the benefits of shared renewables by encouraging their growth through policy and programs.
• The next five years will see the U.S. community solar market add as much as 3.5 gigawatts. A single MW of solar powers 190 homes; 3.5 GW will be able to power roughly 700,000 homes.

With the rapid growth in solar energy deployment necessary to decarbonize our economy, the industry faces new and quickly evolving needs and challenges across a wide variety of federal regulatory agencies. SEIA’s regulatory affairs experts are leading this charge by regularly and directly engaging with regulators, participating in dozens of rulemaking dockets across agencies, and, when necessary, litigating to protect industry’s interests in federal appeals courts.

The solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is one of the most important federal policy mechanisms to support the growth of solar energy in the United States. Since the ITC was enacted in 2006, the U.S. solar industry has grown by more than 10,000%. In 2015, SEIA successfully advocated for a multi-year extension of the credit, which has provided critical stability for businesses and investors.