This bill aims to establish a community solar program in West Virginia, allowing subscribers to gain credits against their utility bills for participating in solar energy generation. It introduces new articles to the Code of West Virginia, specifically detailing legislative findings that highlight the benefits of solar energy, including its potential to provide affordable and clean energy options to consumers, particularly low-income households. The bill defines key terms such as "community solar facility," "subscriber," and "bill credit," and outlines the operational conditions for these facilities, which must be connected to the electric distribution grid and have a minimum of three subscribers.

The bill also mandates the Public Service Commission to regulate the community solar program, ensuring broad competition and accessibility for all customer classes, including low-income customers. It requires utilities to provide bill credits to subscribers based on their proportional output from the community solar facility and establishes a framework for the administration of the program, including the transferability of subscriptions and consumer protection measures. The Commission is tasked with filing rules to implement the program by January 1, 2026, ensuring that the community solar initiative is effectively integrated into the state's energy landscape.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 24-2J-1, 24-2J-2, 24-2J-3, 24-2J-4