Materials, Energy and Transportation
Waste Diversion Electricity Zero-Carbon Energy Transportation
Solar Photovoltaics
Thousands of Connecticut homes and businesses now use solar energy to generate much of their own electricity. In 2025, total installed distributed energy resources (DER) solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, for systems generally under five megawatts (MW), exceeded 1,458 MW* in the state.89 On January 1, 2022, the new Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (RRES) program replaced the previous net metering and Residential Solar Investment Program, administered by the Green Bank, for residential renewable energy projects. The RRES program offers those with residential solar installations the opportunity to sell the energy produced and the renewable energy certificates (RECs) at a fixed 20-year price by selecting one of two incentive rate structures (tariffs). Approximately 14,000 solar PV RRES projects were deployed in 2025 with a combined capacity of almost 119 MW, which were greater than the average systems deployed and average annual capacity for the previous three-year period (2022-2024).90
The primary advantage of solar PV technology is that it produces electricity with zero emissions – no air pollution, wastewater, or significant noise at the point of electric generation. The 1,458+ MW of installed PV capacity in the state in 2025 is estimated to have produced more than 1.88 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity, which could potentially have displaced over 500,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions.91 The Independent System Operator for New England (ISO-NE) projects that a total of approximately 2,927 MW of solar PV capacity could be installed in Connecticut through 2034, with “behind the meter” energy production increasing to 3,355 GWh.92
NEW! Public Act 25-73 contains provisions for solar power generating systems on certain condominiums and planned communities. Public Act 25-168, Sections 273 and 274 established a solar photovoltaic facility emergency preparedness account and program to develop solar photovoltaic facility emergency response plans and provide training and equipment to emergency response personnel. Public Act 25-125, Section 13 requires the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to develop a solar canopy strategic plan and program design.
Technical Note: *Includes Forward Capacity Market (FCM) Resources, non-FCM Energy Only Generators, and behind-the-meter PV resources; does not include forward-looking PV projects greater than five (5) MW in nameplate capacity.
Public Act 17-218, codified as Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) 16-50k(a), requires certain solar PV projects, such as those with a proposed capacity greater than two (2) MW that seek approval from the Connecticut Siting Council (CSC) by a Petition for Declaratory Ruling, to acquire written confirmation from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection that the subject proposal would not “materially affect” the status of such land as prime farmland or core forest, respectively. In 2025, there were 22 proposals for solar projects submitted to the CSC; twelve (12) of those projects, totaling almost 49 MW of solar capacity, were exempt from the provisions of Public Act 17-218 because the projects had a capacity less than two (2) MW (10 proposals) or were submitted as an application for a Certificate (2 proposals).89
Public Act 23-163, codified at CGS §16-50k(a), requires that the CSC not issue a Certificate for a solar electric generating facility with a capacity of two (2) megawatts or more unless the applicant furnishes a bond to cover all costs associated with the decommissioning of the facility and the restoration of prime farmland soil. NEW! Public Act 25-127, Section 55 expanded the requirement for a decommissioning bond for a solar photovoltaic facility with a capacity of two (2) MW or more approved by declaratory ruling. The bond for the restoration of prime farmland soil could be used for an inspection by a qualified soil scientist or other agricultural soils professional to assess and assure that the soils of such prime farmland are restored and will be suitable for farming.
Energy Storage
To more efficiently manage electricity generated by intermittent renewable generation and to improve energy management and reliability, Public Act 21-53 requires the state to develop and implement one or more programs, and associated funding mechanisms, for electric energy storage resources connected to the electric distribution system. NEW! Public Act 25-173, Section 55 eliminates the provision for energy storage systems connected to the distribution system in front of the meter and not located at customer premises.
In 2022, the Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) launched a statewide Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) program for all Eversource Energy and United Illuminating (UI) residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The total capacity for completed energy storage technologies, funded in part through the ESS program, was approximately 20 MWh for the period 2022-2025.93
Goal: CGS Section 16-243cc identifies three goals for the deployment of energy storage systems in Connecticut: 1) 300 MW by December 31, 2024; 2) 650 MW by December 31, 2027; and 3) 1,000 MW by December 31, 2030.
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89ISO-New England, Distributed Generation Forecast Working Group, Final 2026 DER Forecast, March 23, 2026; www.iso-ne.com/static-assets/documents/100033/2026_final_der_forecast.pdf.
90 Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, 25-08-02 - Annual Residential Renewable Energy Solutions Program Review and Rate Setting - Year 5 Compliance Filings: United Illuminating - 2026-01-15 UI Order 11 Attachment 1 #25-08-02, submitted January 15, 2026 and Eversource Energy - Docket No 25-08-02 CAE 8, submitted January 15, 2026.
91 ISO-New England, 2023 ISO New England Electric Generator Air Emissions Report: Appendix, October 16, 2024; TABLE 3.2; www.iso-ne.com/static-assets/documents/100016/2023-air-emission-report-appendix-20241016.xlsx and 2024 ISO New England Electric Generator Air Emissions Report, October 3, 2025; www.iso-ne.com/static-assets/documents/100028/final-2024-air-emission-report.pdf.
92 ISO-New England, 2025 CELT Report, 2025-2034 Forecast Report of Capacity, Energy, Loads, and Transmission, Sheet 3.1 PV Forecast – Nameplate and 3.3 PV Forecast – BTM Energy, Issued May 1, 2025; www.iso-ne.com/static-assets/documents/100023/2025_celt.xlsx
93 Energy Storage Solutions, Energy Storage Solutions Performance Report, slide 10 of 19, accessed February 24, 2026; energystoragect.com/ess-performance-report/