Bipartisanship is Alive in the General Assembly with Solar Bills!
by Laura Combs and Gary Smith
In these days of continuing political polarization, we are thrilled to see some members of the North Carolina General Assembly work across party lines to improve solar access, and more bipartisanship is needed. If these seven bills are approved, they will:
- strongly move solar energy and energy efficiency forward as buffers to climate change
- help all people, especially those from low-wealth communities, offset unprecedented, proposed utility rate hikes by Duke Energy, and
- create a more business-friendly environment, bringing more high paying jobs to North Carolina.
Climate change is increasingly recognized as producing stronger storms, heat extremes and sea levels rise, resulting in increased human suffering and undesired emigrations, and the number of people suffering from low wealth continues to grow. Solutions like those proposed in the 2023 legislature need all our minds, hearts, and support. More information on these bills and how you can support them is discussed below, and your voice is needed in the next two weeks!
Republican Representative Kyle Hall’s bipartisan bill, Solar Capacity Limit Elimination, HB 535, eliminates the cap on solar leasing and on net metering. While only one solar company, Eagle Solar & Light, has successfully implemented solar leasing since it became viable in 2017, the quickly changing solar market caused by federal incentives could spur more leasing interest, and there should be a clear runway for businesses, nonprofits and homeowners to pursue it and for more companies to offer it. The elimination of the net metering cap for large solar installations greater than 1 megawatt is also very exciting, as large corporations are hungry for solar energy and the current net metering cap pumps the brakes on their solar projects.
And here is great bipartisan bill, featuring solar energy and energy efficiency for schools, led by Democratic Senator Greg Meyer: Green Schools Save Money, SB 302. This bill appropriates almost $6 billion for energy efficiency, solar energy installation and electric school buses. Wow! And kudos to the bipartisan Senate sponsors for including roof repairs for schools before they install solar. That is critical! Our kids and grandkids in 2023 are struggling with anxiety for many reasons, including Climate Change, and taking positive actions like increasing electric buses and installing solar where they learn is one point of much needed hope.
Another bipartisan bill beneficial to companies, nonprofits and residents is the C-PACE bill, SB 42, led by Republican Senator Todd Johnson. The C-PACE bill does a lot of great things and not just for solar. In short, the bill allows local governments to authorize direct financing between lenders and property owners to help owners of “commercial, industrial, agricultural, nonprofit, and multifamily residential properties with five or more dwelling units to obtain low-cost, long-term financing for qualifying improvements, including energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy, and resilience projects, secured by an assessment and lien.”
Now for the other very strong solar bills still in need of bipartisan support. First is SB 710, Community Solar Program Changes, led by Democratic Senator DeAndrea Salvador. Senator Salvador’s bill would enable the possibility of economically viable community solar installations in the most economically distressed and underserved areas of North Carolina. If approved by the General Assembly, this would be the first time that community solar could make financial sense from both the solar developer’s and the customer’s perspectives. North Carolinians may not realize that 80 of North Carolina’s 100 counties (these 80 counties are known as Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties) are economically challenged. In addition to enabling solar for these counties, the bill would make community solar accessible for affordable housing in the wealthiest counties (Tier 3 counties). Helping the most financially challenged citizens access solar energy and offset unprecedented, proposed Duke Energy rate increases is a very worthy cause that needs our support.
Senator Salvador has also filed SB 714, An Energy Resilient NC. This much needed bill will help local governments to plan for energy resilience and sustainability. Most local governments in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties do not have the staffing and funding to do the basic climate resilience planning their communities need, let alone apply for the massive amounts of funding that the federal government has made available to help them. People in these counties are hit hardest by climate change and have the least access to funds that can help. This bill is a game changer!
Homeowners could get a big win with Senator Sydney Batch’s Homeowner Solar Expansion Act bill, SB 423. This bill would stop homeowner associations from prohibiting solar installation if the HOA policies impact solar production by more than 10 percent. This bill will finally allow homeowners to maximize their access to solar energy!
Four House Democrats, led by Rep. Pricey Harrison, have brought another strong approach for making solar attractive and affordable via HB 443. HB 443 reenacts a tax credit incentive for investing in solar energy and would take effect starting January 1, 2025. The credit would equal 35 percent of the cost of the installation, and it applies to both solar purchasing and leasing. Solar projects that take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act’s solar tax incentives would also be able to utilize this state tax credit, but projects that receive federal funds directly, such as US Department of Agriculture solar grants, would be excluded. Tax credits and tax cuts are the bread and butter of the Republican Party, and it would be great if some Republican sponsors supported HB 443!
We get it that people and political parties have different motivations for moving forward on clean energy and energy efficiency incentives, and that is OK. These bills will only benefit North Carolina and must become law for everyone to win. Every solar panel placed, every energy efficiency improvement made, is a better day for our kids and grandkids as Climate Change looms over them. Kudos to the legislators who are reaching across the aisle to make a brighter future happen.
What can you do to help move these bills forward? Contact the House and Senate leadership to support these bills and support more bipartisan efforts, and please send your support in the next two weeks or sooner if you can. Please mention that these bills must be heard in committee and voted on. You can reach House Speaker Moore at Tim.Moore@ncleg.gov and Senate President Berger at Phil.Berger@ncleg.gov. Your voice matters.
Laura Combs is a member of North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light’s Energy Working Group, which is focused on a Hope-Filled Response to Climate Change. She lives in Durham, has a graduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning and works at Eagle Solar & Light to help nonprofits and underserved communities access solar energy through leasing or purchasing.
Gary Smith chairs the North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light’s Energy Working Group. He lives in Raleigh, NC, is a Ph.D. chemist, is active in Community United Church of Christ, and works to decrease the impact of climate change on those of low wealth.