User:IanGalinson/Community solar farm

Obstacles
Installing solar panels on a building or household can come with a variety of issues. For homeowners, these limitations range from roof shape/size limitations to zoning regulations. For renters, the decision to install solar belongs to his or her landlord. Additionally, low-income households in the U.S. maintain an energy burden (a term used by the U.S. Department of Energy to define how much of a household's gross income is spent on paying for energy) that is roughly triple the amount of other U.S. households. With around 50 million low-income, U.S. households (about 44% of the U.S. household total), many U.S. residents are spending large amounts of their income on energy. Many of these residents, whether because they are renters or because their properties don't support installation, don't have access to solar.

Solutions
Community solar functions similarly to conventional energy (such as natural gas) insofar as it provides energy remotely, requiring no installation or maintenance on the part of the consumer. Because of community solar projects' remote nature then, the physical limitations of solar installation for consumers disappear. Also, due to its subscription/opt-in functionality, community solar can increase access to solar energy for low-income households. These projects benefit initial investors too. As consumer rates for solar energy become lower through distributed generation of community solar (see section: Controversy with Utility Providers), initial investors in community solar projects experience higher returns in the long run.

Below are some of the primary, logistical and financial benefits of community solar:


 * [Avoiding trees, roof size and/or configuration limitations, adjacent buildings, impacting the immediate microclimate, and/or other factors which may reduce power output at the residential location;
 * Avoiding building codes, zoning restrictions, homeowner association rules and aesthetic concerns;
 * Reduced maintenance requirements. DO NOT COPY THESE BACK IN!!!]
 * Reduced installation costs; [insert citation]
 * High return-on-investment. [insert citation]

There are also a number of social/community benefits of community solar. These benefits include:


 * [Expanding participation to include renters and others who are not residential property owners;]
 * Increased solar access for low-income residents; [insert citation]
 * Community solar's ability to generate jobs and educational resources.

Controversy with Utility Providers
Utility providers in the U.S. have, at times, struggled with the increase of community solar, or solar photovoltaic (PV), development. PV development can come in multiple forms, such as in community or individual rooftop projects. Such projects often rely on distributed generation (DG) to loop electricity from the source to the consumer. DG routes power more directly to the consumer because of its ability to circumvent utility providers. Utilities can opt to invest in and incorporate community solar into their business model, though only some have. Without aligning with community solar, the main concern for utility providers often stems from potential revenue losses.

Most utility providers pay fixed rates proportional to the electricity they generate and subsequently distribute to consumers. Traditionally, the consumer has also paid a fixed rate in order to receive utility-generated power. With DG systems, as opposed to paying this fixed rate, consumers have been increasingly able to pay a market rate for the volume of electricity they use. With consumers paying less than the traditionally-fixed rate, utility providers lose a portion of the revenue they would've received under traditional circumstances. With conventional forms of energy still maintaining the lion's share of power distribution in the U.S. (about 61% as of 2020), however, losses in utility revenue are generally small.