Rooftop Solar
Electricity produced at or near the point where it is used is called Distributed Generation (DG). Distributed solar energy can be located on rooftops or ground-mounted, and is typically connected to the local utility distribution grid. There are a wide variety of policies at the federal, state and local level that impact distributed solar and its customers.
Spotlight: Net Metering
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.
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Principles for the Evolution of Net Metering & Rate Design
Solar Automated Permit Processing
Solar Cost-Benefit Studies
Rooftop Solar Initiatives & Policies
Local Permitting
Learn MoreGrid Modernization
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Learn MoreRelated News
SEIA: Petition to End Net Metering Would be Unlawful Federal Power Grab
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jurisdiction over net metering rests with the states and local regulatory bodies and granting a petition to have the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulate retail programs would represent an unlawful federal power grab, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said in response to the petition today.
U.S. Solar Market Sets Q1 Record As Pandemic Mutes Q2 Outlook
WASHINGTON, D.C. and HOUSTON, TX – The U.S. solar market installed 3.6 gigawatts (GW) of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in Q1 2020, representing its largest first quarter ever in the United States. According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Q2 2020 report, released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, the coronavirus pandemic is having a significant impact on the U.S. solar industry
California Will Dramatically Undercount Savings from Customer-Driven Clean Energy
The coronavirus pandemic has many of us thinking about the systems we depend on and how we can protect them during times of crisis. When California families and small businesses invest in rooftop solar and onsite batteries as well as other demand response technologies, they make the power grid safer, more affordable and more resilient for all of us.