IREC’s National Shared Renewables Scorecard provides policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders with a tool for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of shared renewable energy programs. The Scorecard grades each state shared renewable energy program using scoring criteria based on best practices highlighted in our Model Rules for Shared Renewable Energy Programs and other components identified by our team and other national and state experts.

To assist with this Scorecard-based assessment, IREC has also developed a Shared Renewables Policy Catalog, which compiles the details of state shared renewables program rules. Used together, the Catalog and the Scorecard can offer valuable insight into the components of these programs and their effectiveness.

The Scorecard grades statewide “shared renewable energy” or “shared renewables” programs, which IREC defines as programs that enable multiple customers to share the economic benefits of one renewable energy system via their individual utility bills (typically through bill credits). The Scorecard does not capture voluntary, utility-level programs or “community” renewables programs, such as green tariff shared renewables, group purchasing or aggregate net metering programs.