There is an energy supply crisis coming for Pennsylvania in the next few years; Democrats and Republicans remain divided on what role renewables—like solar energy—should play in solving the issue.

Still, this week saw some consensus on smaller solar policies.

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill to create community solar in the state.

“This legislation is important to make sure that everybody has the opportunity and access to own their own electricity generation,” Rep. Pete Schweyer (D-Lehigh) said, the bill sponsor.

While some property owners can put solar on their roofs or backyards, there are plenty of renters, condo owners, and city dwellers who can’t.

Community solar is when an individual or business builds a small solar project—up to 35ish acres—then people in the area can subscribe to that solar project.

Once built, solar is a cheaper product than other energy sources (sunshine is a free fuel source), so subscribers get a discount on their energy bill.

Because the projects are small, they connect straight into utility distribution centers. They don’t need permission to connect to the electric grid at large, which is operated by PJM in Pennsylvania.

“We don't sit in the PJM interconnection queue, and then we bring those kilowatts, the generation, to that immediate locality where the solar array is located,” Carlo Cavallaro said, new markets director for the national Coalition for Community Solar Access.

The bill passed 114 to 89 votes on the House floor. In committee, the bill passed with 22 in favor and only 4 no Republican votes. On Wednesday, Rep. Tim O’Neal (R) said that solar is not reliable enough for predicted energy shortfalls coming in the future. That the chamber must consider more substantial solutions before he supports solar bills.

Community solar advocates say the policy not the main solution (because projects are on a small scale and locally based), but that more energy is better than less.

“If you want to embrace all of the above energy, you have to embrace all of the above energy,” Cavallaro said.

On another solar topic, the senate voted in favor of a solar decommissioning bill. This specifies how old solar panels and solar fields will be removed and recycled from land.

“It's important that Pennsylvania offer a regulatory framework to ensure these facilities are safely and appropriately retired,” Sen. Gene Yaw (R) said, the sponsor of the bill.

Yaw noted that decommissioning is critical for farmers who choose to have solar arrays on their land; as it ensure the land can be used for other purposes if the installation is ever removed.

The decommissioning bill passed 49 in favor, with only one no vote from Sen. Dan Laughlin.

The community solar bill also has language for decommissioning regulations—a policy that is supported by the solar industry and is often already written into leases.