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.
Featured Rooftop Solar Resources
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
Learn MoreUtility Rate Design
Learn MoreRebates & Incentives
Learn MoreSolar Access Rights
Learn MoreProperty-Assessed Clean Energy
Learn MoreRelated News
Secretary Granholm Asks U.S. Mayors to Speed Solar Deployment with Online Permitting Tool
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm wrote an open letter to all U.S. mayors asking them to adopt SolarAPP+, a transformative online solar permitting tool that helps to speed rooftop solar deployment. This effort comes as Secretary Granholm caps off the Summer of Solar, her push to educate Americans on the benefits of solar energy. Secretary Granholm set a goal to get 125 communities to sign up to learn more about SolarAPP+ by September 30.
Solar Prices Increase Across Every Market Segment for the First Time in Seven Years
WASHINGTON, D.C. and HOUSTON, TX —Supply chain constraints are leading to price increases across every solar market segment, despite the addition of 5.7 gigawatts (GWdc) of solar capacity in Q2 2021, according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight report released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk business (Nasdaq: VRSK).
California Energy Commission Advances Requirement for Multifamily Housing and Commercial Buildings to Include Solar and Storage
SACRAMENTO, Calif. and WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the California Energy Commission (CEC) voted to send the 2022 California Energy Code to the California Building Standards Commission. The rules include a requirement that new California buildings be equipped with solar and storage. They apply to multifamily and nonresidential buildings, such as office buildings, schools, restaurants, apartments, and more.