Solar Policy Guide

The DSIRE Solar Policy Guide describes policy options adopted by state and local governments to encourage solar deployment, discusses status and trends of individual policies, provides examples of specific programs, and links to additional sources of information. This guide is meant to serve as a living document and will be updated quarterly to reflect new solar policy initiatives, trends, and resources.

Introduction

Given the surge in interest in “going solar” and the rapid evolution of solar policy at all levels of government, the Solar Policy Guide was created to provide context for the array of solar programs featured on the DSIRE website. Serving as a resource for policy makers and other interested stakeholders, it highlights key policies necessary to facilitate mainstream solar adoption—from reducing upfront equipment costs and streamlining connection to the grid, to cultivating the solar industry and ensuring quality installations.

For each policy option, the guide provides the following information:

Description: Describes the policy and its role in stimulating the deployment of solar projects.

Status & Trends: Summarizes the current status of the policy’s adoption in the U.S. and discusses key policy elements, trends, and in some cases, best practices. This section includes summary maps as well as policy comparison tables for some topics to illustrate status, trends, and program variations.

Examples: Provides specific examples of state and local programs with links to detailed summaries, contacts, and policy documents on the DSIRE website.

Resources: Offers links to reports, presentations, and websites for further information, if available, about the policy topic.

The DSIRE Solar Policy Guide is organized by topic as outlined below. Click on a topic to learn more.

Financial Incentives

Rules, Regulations & Policies

Contractor Licensing & Certification
Energy Standards for Public Buildings
Interconnection Standards
Net Metering
Public Benefits Funds
Solar Access Laws
Solar Set-Asides in Renewables Portfolio Standards

Please note: The information on the DSIRE web site provides an overview of incentives and other policies, but it should not be used as the only source of information when making purchasing decisions, investment decisions, tax decisions or other binding agreements. Please refer to the individual contact provided in each record to verify that a specific incentive or other policy is applicable to your specific project.