Statement from the Community Solar WA Coalition
Olympia, Wash. —
“In a regrettable course of action, Washington state’s electric utilities have effectively killed the The Fair Access to Community Solar Act, dealing a setback to our shared goals of advancing climate action and promoting energy equity. This disappointing move hampers the collective effort of our diverse coalition and Washingtonians striving for a sustainable energy future.
Our state will not be able to achieve its climate goals on schedule, on budget, and equitably if it continues to defer to the utilities and their “bigger is always better” mentality that over-relies on utility-scale and utility-owned renewable projects to do all the lifting. Backed by research, climate leaders around the country, including the Biden Administration and many of the leading climate governors around the country agree that our path to mitigating climate change can be done more quickly, more affordably, and more equitably if it includes distributed energy generation, like community solar.
Washington now ranks 31st in the nation for deployment of community solar. By enabling access to community solar, this legislation would have supported Washington to achieve its decarbonization goals sooner, and bring energy rates down for those who need the assistance the most. Unfortunately, Washington will fall further behind with the loss of this bill, and residents will continue to face high energy burdens.
The Fair Access to Community Solar Act would have given millions of hard-working, low-income residents access to clean, local solar energy, reducing energy costs and ensuring that the grid of the future is affordable and reliable.
Our coalition is dedicated to continuing this work.”
The Community Solar WA Coalition includes dozens of members that all align behind the need for Washington to expand equitable access to the benefits of clean, reliable, affordable, and locally sited solar power to all Washingtonians as part of a 100% clean energy strategy.