North Carolina Community Solar Rules
North Carolina law lets you subscribe to a share of a nearby community solar facility and receive credits on your electric bill for the power your subscription produces, without putting panels on your own roof. A subscription must represent at least 200 watts of the facility's capacity and can't supply more than 100% of your premises' maximum annual peak demand. Contact your electric utility to ask about its community solar offering and how to subscribe.
Community solar gives customers who can't or don't want rooftop systems, including residential, low-income, multifamily, commercial, nonprofit, school, and local government customers, a way to buy into solar and earn bill credits. Each facility can be no larger than 5 MW, must have at least five subscribers, and no one subscriber may hold more than a 40% interest. Each subscription must be at least 200 W and sized to no more than 100% of the subscriber's peak demand, and the utility's filed plan governs how projects are offered.
Established under House Bill 589 (Session Law 2017-192), the rules require each offering utility to file a community solar program plan with the Commission for its retail customers. Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas must offer the program first-come, first-served until their community solar facilities total at least 40 MW of nameplate capacity. Facilities are capped at 5 MW with at least five subscribers and a 40% maximum single-subscriber share, and the program targets a broad range of sectors including low-income and multifamily residential, with subscribers receiving bill credits for their share of output.
Program details
- Program ID
- 22467
- Last updated
- 2/23/2026
Eligibility
- Sectors
- commercial industrial local government nonprofit residential schools multifamily residential low income residential
- Technologies
- solar photovoltaics
Program summary
Community Solar in NC is governed by House Bill 589 Session Law 2017-192. Each offering utility must file a plan with the Commission to offer a community solar energy facility program for participation by its retail customers. Each community solar facility must have at least five subscribers and no single subscriber has more than a forty percent (40%) interest. Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas must make this available on a first-come first-served basis until the total nameplate generation of its community solar facilities is at least 40MW.
Community solar energy facility projects may have a nameplate capacity of no more than five megawatts (MW). Each subscription to the project shall be sized to represent at least 200 watts (W) of the community solar energy facility's generating capacity and to supply no more than one hundred percent (100%) of the maximum annual peak demand of electricity of each subscriber at the subscriber's premises. Program participants will receive credits on your electric bill for the solar power produced by your subscription.
Contact & resources
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
