This is off setting the lobbying for utility best interests to lobbying for ratepayers best interests.

” Pennsylvania’s community solar bill HB531 is sponsored by Republican Rep. Aaron D. Kaufer, who has been persistent in moving this legislation, according to Tony Clifford, chief development officer for developer Standard Solar.”

Because some legislators identify as “Conservative” doesn’t mean they want to hold onto old institutions that cost too much to operate in today’s technological climate. So, do people in Pennsylvania call Kaufer a (RINO) because he pushes public solar?

“Youker said farmers like the fact that solar energy generation is not permanent infrastructure and can be removed at the end of its lifespan; so that land can be farmed again. They also like the option of incorporating a dual-use solar project onto agricultural land, whether it’s grazing animals underneath panels or using pollinator plants as solar groundcover.”

It is becoming more popular to increase one’s growing season and in some areas create spaces like air lock sealed hot houses to keep mature donor trees or allowing an extended growing season to vegetables. Framing 1 acre lots with hot houses using solar PV for the roofs and constructing the elements so each hot house runs North/South and panels will be angled East/West. Could be an interesting use of bi-facial solar PV panels. Double up and use the open ground under the solar PV panel and between the walls of the hot house frame, could allow one to use as a seedling nursery, then move the seedlings into vertically aligned hydroponics troughs to finish growing the finished crops, all under one hot house roof.

“The third lesson for states to keep in mind with community solar policy planning is to work with utilities to determine how to plan for high volumes of solar interconnection. Niedowski said it’s crucial for utilities to efficiently study solar projects and process applications in a timely fashion.”

Yeah, most IOU electric utilities want to keep their “regulated monopoly” and control over the generation and dispatch of energy in a uni-directional manner. In a bi-directional grid, buying, selling, trading, dispatching and storing will become a business model, to participate in, but not strictly control for their own benefit.