The bill establishes a community solar facility program in Iowa, which aims to promote solar energy generation and enhance participation from electric utility customers in alternative solar energy projects. It introduces new legal definitions, including "community solar facility," which refers to a distributed generation facility that produces electricity through solar panels, allowing subscribers to receive bill credits proportional to their subscription size. The bill specifies that community solar facilities will not be classified as public utilities and that their operation will not be considered an unnecessary duplication of electric utility facilities.

Additionally, the bill outlines the responsibilities of electric utilities, including the requirement to provide bill credits to subscribers for the electricity generated by community solar facilities and to review interconnection processes to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It mandates that subscriber organizations maintain accurate records of subscribers and their respective bill credits, and it allows for the ownership of community solar facilities by investors. The Iowa Utilities Commission is tasked with adopting rules to implement the provisions of the bill, and electric utilities must file updated tariffs by January 1, 2026, to reflect any necessary changes.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 476.1, 476.50