Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has signed HB 5340, a sweeping energy policy bill that extends the state’s long-running Renewable Energy Solutions programs through 2035, launches a successor community solar program, requires automated residential solar permitting and establishes new rules to allow for residential use of portable, plug-in solar panels.
Alongside the bill’s solar-enabling policies are two provisions that would limit new solar installations. One part of the new law immediately places a moratorium on certain large-scale solar development, and another will limit the total annual funding and capacity available to new solar installations in the state.
Advocates have expressed concerns about the solar-limiting provisions. In a statement on its website, advocacy group Environment Connecticut said the two provisions would “erect new barriers to solar,” calling the latter policy “an unprecedented cap” that “creates the potential that homeowners in future years could be forced to delay plans to go solar while they wait in line for permission from regulators.”
However, despite its position on the two controversial clauses, the group said it ended up working with legislators to advance the bill on the merits of the other important provisions.
Implementation of HB 5340’s newly-enacted policies is set to take effect across various milestone dates in the comping years.
Notably, balcony solar rules go into effect on October 1, 2026, tariffs under the Renewable Energy Solutions programs and community solar project solicitations will begin January 1, 2028, and a statewide automated residential permitting solution must be implemented by July 1, 2028.
More details are included in an earlier article about Connecticut HB 5340.
The Connecticut solar landscape
As state solar markets go, Connecticut generally lands in the middle of the pack. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the state ranks 27th in a nationwide ranking of installed solar capacity, and gets 5.53% of its electricity from solar, which is about the nationwide total of 6% outlined in a recent Hitachi Energy Market Insights report.
As of March 2026, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration indicates Connecticut had nearly 1.4 GW of installed small-scale solar capacity (systems less than 1 MW) and 495 MW of utility-scale solar photovoltaic installations. Those numbers place the state 11th highest for small-scale capacity and 37th highest for utility-scale capacity.
HB 5340 would set a limit of 180 MW for utility clean energy procurement targets from residential, non-residential and community solar programs, limited by a total available budget of $85 million.
The limits would take effect starting in 2028, and likely become immediately relevant. In 2025, EIA data shows the state added 129 MW of small scale capacity and 46.7 MW of capacity in installations greater than 1 MW and up to 5 MW in size. That’s a total of 175.7 MW — incredibly close to the new statutory limits.
However, the law exempts from the new caps those residential solar installations that include energy storage, leaving room for the industry to adapt by prioritizing solar-plus-battery residential installations.
Comments
Please login to comment
Thursday, July 9, 2026
11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, June 18, 2026
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, June 11, 2026
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, June 1, 2026
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Madrid, Paris
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
6 am – 7:00 am CEST, Berlin
Friday, June 12, 2026
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new pv magazine Global May issue is now available!
Mountains to climb
Available in print and digital formats.
A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution.
Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects.
April 01 – August 31, 2026
pv magazine USA hosts its third multi-day virtual event on advancing U.S. solar and energy storage markets, covering financing, supply chains, and distributed energy’s role in grid resilience.
You have no items in your basket.
