Community Solar

High Level
Lawmakers in Michigan introduced bipartisan bills to authorize community solar statewide, signaling renewed state-level momentum. Developers and advocates moved in parallel to reduce siting friction and speed delivery: a national “Farmers Powering Communities” partnership aims to place projects on built and marginal lands using farmland-smart screens, and Ampion launched a cross‑state “synthetic community solar” model that helps projects qualify for low‑income tax incentives while delivering credits to households in other regions. All three developments, if implemented with strong interconnection rules, point toward more megawatts connected faster and at lower cost. (Coalition for Community Solar Access, PR Newswire, pv magazine USA)

Full View

Michigan lawmakers file bipartisan SB 518/519 to authorize community solar statewide
• What happened: Senators Jeff Irwin and Ed McBroom introduced SB 518 and SB 519 to establish a program enabling community solar projects up to 5 MW, with bill credits for subscribers and direction to the Michigan Public Service Commission to promulgate rules and ensure low‑income access. The bills are tie‑barred and were introduced on Sept. 4, 2025. (Coalition for Community Solar Access, Michigan Legislature, LegiScan)
• Who did it: Michigan Senate sponsors Jeff Irwin (D) and Ed McBroom (R), with additional bipartisan co‑sponsors; Michigan PSC will implement. (Michigan Legislature)
• Why they did it: To lower bills, expand clean energy access for renters and small businesses, and deploy projects on rooftops, parking lots, brownfields, and other underutilized sites. (Coalition for Community Solar Access)
• Stakeholder views:
• “Community solar gives our communities a way to lower bills [and] keep more dollars local,” said Sen. McBroom.
• “Community solar makes it possible for everyone … to access affordable, local renewable energy,” said Sen. Irwin.
• “Passing this legislation would be a turning point for Michigan,” said CCSA’s Carlo Cavallaro. (Coalition for Community Solar Access)
• What happens next: Committee referral and hearings; the PSC would open a rulemaking on credits, consumer protections, and interconnection if the bills advance. Key design choices will determine whether projects interconnect quickly or get stuck in distribution‑level queues. (Michigan Legislature)
Sources:
Coalition for Community Solar Access, “Bipartisan Bills Introduced to Expand Community Solar Access in Michigan,” Sept. 4, 2025 — https://communitysolaraccess.org/news/bipartisan-bills-introduced-to-expand-community-solar-access-in-michigan (Coalition for Community Solar Access)
Michigan Legislature, “Senate Bill 518 of 2025,” 2025 — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Home/GetObject?ObjectName=2025-SB-0518 (Michigan Legislature)
LegiScan, “MI SB0519 (2025),” 2025 — https://legiscan.com/MI/bill/SB0519/2025 (LegiScan)

National “Farmers Powering Communities” partnership targets farm‑smart siting for community solar
• What happened: Reactivate (an Invenergy company), American Farmland Trust, and Edelen Renewables Community Solar launched a national partnership to develop community‑scale projects that prioritize built and marginal lands, use AFT’s PVR (productivity, versatility, resiliency) mapping, and advance agrivoltaics. First projects are expected to be announced later this year. (PR Newswire)
• Who did it: Reactivate, American Farmland Trust, Edelen Renewables Community Solar. (PR Newswire)
• Why they did it: To deliver bill savings in rural and working‑class communities while protecting high‑value farmland and accelerating financeable, community‑supported sites near load. (PR Newswire)
• Stakeholder views:
• “Game‑changing … centers the needs of agricultural communities,” said AFT’s Nathan L’Etoile.
• “We understand long‑term stewardship,” said Reactivate CEO Utopia Hill.
• “Solar can and should be a win‑win for rural America,” said Edelen Renewables’ Nathan Cryder. (PR Newswire)
• What happens next: Site screening and community engagement; look for early projects in regions with both farmland preservation priorities and high demand for local clean energy. Program success will turn on feeder‑level hosting capacity and interconnection cost transparency. (PR Newswire)
Sources:
PR Newswire, “Reactivate, American Farmland Trust, and Edelen Renewables Community Solar Launch National Partnership…,” Sept. 4, 2025 — https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reactivate-american-farmland-trust-and-edelen-renewables-community-solar-launch-national-partnership-to-expand-solar-in-rural-and-working-class-communities-302546624.html (PR Newswire)
Farmers Powering Communities, “About,” 2025 — https://fpc.community/ (Farmers Powering Communities)

Ampion debuts cross‑state “synthetic community solar” to unlock low‑income adders and broaden subscriber pools
• What happened: Ampion launched a program that pairs generation in one state with low‑income subscribers in another by transferring a portion of project revenue held in escrow, enabling out‑of‑state utility bill credits and helping projects qualify for the IRA’s Category 4 low‑income adder. A 2.5 MWdc Maine project is funding discounts for Illinois households. (pv magazine USA)
• Who did it: Ampion Renewable Energy. (pv magazine USA)
• Why they did it: Traditional programs often limit subscribers to the same utility territory, making low‑income acquisition costly or infeasible in saturated markets; cross‑state crediting aims to expand eligibility and improve project financeability. (pv magazine USA)
• Stakeholder views:
• “It’s the first of its kind,” said Ampion President Andrew Kvaal.
• “In the promise of community solar, it is quite literally free money for the subscriber,” Kvaal added. (pv magazine USA)
• What happens next: Ampion plans to expand beyond Illinois as utilities and regulators approve billing mechanics. Watch for consumer‑protection and tax‑compliance guardrails to ensure durable credits and verifiable low‑income benefits. (pv magazine USA)
Sources:
pv magazine USA, “Ampion launches new ‘synthetic’ community solar program,” Sept. 5, 2025 — https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/09/05/ampion-launches-new-synthetic-community-solar-program/ (pv magazine USA)

What’s the So What?
Community solar is edging toward scale by attacking the three bottlenecks that keep megawatts off the grid: legal authorization, siting friction, and low‑income subscriber acquisition. Michigan’s bills supply the legal on‑ramp. Farmers Powering Communities reduces siting conflicts that delay interconnection by steering projects to built or lower‑value lands and using farmland‑smart screens. Ampion’s cross‑state model tackles the LMI subscriber hurdle that often stalls otherwise viable projects. All three push in the right direction because they help more projects interconnect faster and at lower all‑in cost. (Coalition for Community Solar Access, PR Newswire, pv magazine USA)

• Michigan: Good, but only if the PSC embeds interconnection discipline into the rules. The program should require standard timelines and penalties, feeder‑level hosting capacity maps, transparent upgrade estimates, group studies for clustered projects, and consumer‑friendly consolidated billing. Without these, statutory authority will not translate into connected megawatts. (Michigan Legislature)
• Farm‑smart siting: Strong positive. Pre‑screening sites with AFT tools and prioritizing the built environment shortens permitting fights, reduces upgrade surprises, and places capacity near load. That is exactly how to cut months off interconnection queues and shave network costs. (PR Newswire)
• Synthetic community solar: Directionally helpful. By solving the LMI subscription puzzle, developers can finance more projects in markets where interconnection is feasible. The model must be paired with clear utility billing approvals and IRS‑compliant verification so promised credits show up on time and withstand audit; handled well, it accelerates steel in the ground. (pv magazine USA)

Going into next week, focus on execution: press for an interconnection‑first rulemaking in Michigan, track FPC’s first‑wave sites for proximity to substations and available hosting capacity, and watch where Ampion secures additional utility partners. These are the near‑term levers that will convert announcements into megawatts online.

Bibliography
Coalition for Community Solar Access. “Bipartisan Bills Introduced to Expand Community Solar Access in Michigan.” Sept. 4, 2025. https://communitysolaraccess.org/news/bipartisan-bills-introduced-to-expand-community-solar-access-in-michigan (Coalition for Community Solar Access)
Michigan Legislature. “Senate Bill 518 of 2025.” 2025. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Home/GetObject?ObjectName=2025-SB-0518 (Michigan Legislature)
LegiScan. “MI SB0519 (2025).” 2025. https://legiscan.com/MI/bill/SB0519/2025 (LegiScan)
PR Newswire. “Reactivate, American Farmland Trust, and Edelen Renewables Community Solar Launch National Partnership to Expand Solar in Rural and Working‑Class Communities.” Sept. 4, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reactivate-american-farmland-trust-and-edelen-renewables-community-solar-launch-national-partnership-to-expand-solar-in-rural-and-working-class-communities-302546624.html (PR Newswire)
pv magazine USA. “Ampion launches new ‘synthetic’ community solar program.” Sept. 5, 2025. https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/09/05/ampion-launches-new-synthetic-community-solar-program/ (pv magazine USA)