News > Recent solar wins for energy freedom

Recent solar wins for energy freedom

• Energy democracy & policy

July 2, 2026

As we mark America’s Independence this month, solar supporters have a lot to celebrate as well. Again and again, we’ve successfully defended our right to fair credit for the electricity we generate. Three recent wins from Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio are just the latest examples of how we defended net metering rights for current and future solar owners. 

Imagine that you have solar panels on your roof, and it’s a clear, sunny afternoon. Your panels are producing a lot of energy, but you’re not at home to use it at the exact moment that it’s produced. Instead of wasting that energy, it flows to your neighbors – and you get a fair credit for it. When you need to use energy from the grid, like at night or on a dark winter day, you can use your solar credits instead of buying electricity. In states with fair net metering policies, solar credits are equal to the current electricity market rate, and last 12 months. Net metering is a fair and flexible policy that helps solar owners maintain consistent bills throughout the year.

Monopoly utilities profit at your expense by trying to deny customers fair credit for the electricity they generate themselves with solar. Utilities want to lock their customers into only being able to buy utility-generated electricity. That’s why defending net metering is so important. It provides a path to financial freedom amidst inflation, helping more people access solar.

 At Solar United Neighbors, we’ve defended your right to fair compensation for your solar production. Here’s how we did it. 

Record public participation in Virginia saves solar rights

The solar movement in Virginia is celebrating a big win for solar freedom. In May, the body responsible for setting energy policy in the Commonwealth, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) denied Dominion Energy’s request to cut net metering, an essential benefit for Virginia’s solar owners. This victory happened through record public participation in the regulatory hearings, showing how together, our voices are a force to be reckoned with!

Dominion wanted to change the accounting rules for extra energy in a way that would make it harder for solar owners to earn credit for the electricity they shared with their neighbors. They also wanted to devalue the net metering credit by 32%. In other words, they wanted to change the rules to increase their profits while robbing solar owners of what is rightfully theirs.

Virginia’s solar movement jumped into action to defend solar rights. SUN mobilized solar supporters to submit testimonies to the SCC, phone bank to supporters, and speak at the in-person hearing. In total, supporters submitted over 1,300 comments, over 50 people showed up for the hearing, and volunteers made over 100 calls to boost participation. SUN also gave expert witness testimony in the hearing. 

During a rally held in Capital Square, one homeowner shared powerful words, saying: “Dominion would be robbing me even more if this goes through.” 

The SCC rejected Dominion’s request, and upheld net metering rights in their territory. As a result, Virginia solar owners will continue to earn fair credit for their solar production. That enables more families and businesses to go solar, preserving energy freedom for all Virginians. If you’re one of the 1500+ volunteers who spoke up to defend net metering — thank you! This win belongs to you.

Using legislator education in Pennsylvania to defend net metering

Our legislators work on a lot of policy issues on a short timeline — it’s impossible for them to be experts in everything. Luckily, Solar United Neighbors is hard at work building trusted relationships with legislators across the political spectrum.

In May 2026, a pro-solar legislator in Pennsylvania introduced a bill to close a long-time solar loophole. The loophole allowed large solar farms to profit from net metering. However, the bill’s amendments unintentionally threatened net metering rights for homes and businesses.

SUN reached out to the legislator to share our concerns about the anti-net metering language. We leveraged our existing relationship with legislators and partners to delay the vote on the bill. Thanks to our advocacy, damaging language was removed and the threat to net metering was neutralized. 

Disaster was averted, and Pennsylvanians still have the right to fair crediting for their solar production! In the process, SUN strengthened our relationship with a pro-solar legislator and used our solar expertise to influence smart energy policy. A win for solar freedom!

SUN acts fast against net metering threats in Ohio

Ohio’s energy monopoly, AEP, has wanted to take away fair crediting for Ohio solar owners for years. In November 2025, they tried to limit the number of solar owners who could access net metering and reduce the amount that solar owners save on their bills. And they did it the day before Thanksgiving, hoping that nobody would notice. 

Every five years, the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) reviews Ohio’s net metering rule. These reviews help make sure the rules are still working as intended. But this time, AEP used the rule review period to try and change the rules in their favor, and take away net metering rights from Ohioans. Their last-minute filing gave the public only two days to respond.

But no threat to solar freedom sneaks by Mryia Williams, SUN’s Ohio Program Director. While the rest of Ohio was busy preparing Thanksgiving feasts, Mryia acted fast. She submitted a public comment opposing the change, and rallied solar supporters across Ohio to do the same. On a holiday weekend, over 125 solar advocates submitted comments to PUCO – and it worked! PUCO ruled against AEP, upholding net metering for thousands of Ohio solar owners.

In PUCO’s decision, they praised Ohio’s net metering rules for “mitigating peak demand, reducing line losses, deferring infrastructure upgrades, and enhancing resilience and price stability.” They decided that AEP didn’t have enough data to back up the argument to gut net metering.

Thanks to Mryia’s constant vigilance, Ohio solar owners are safe from the sneaky, undemocratic tactics of the utility monopolies to undermine their right to fair crediting. At least for now.

Join the movement for energy freedom

This Independence Day, whether you’re soaking up the sun or enjoying a neighborhood barbecue, you can count on Solar United Neighbors to defend your right to affordable, clean energy.

If you’re ready to declare independence from your utility company, check out our Go Solar guide or schedule a free call with the Solar Help Desk. 

Want to defend against future threats to energy freedom? Sign up to volunteer in your state.