Bill > HB1260

This bill, known as the Solar-Ready Warehouse and Distribution Center Act, requires large-scale warehouses and distribution centers (those with at least 100,000 square feet of floor area) to be designed and constructed to be "solar-ready," meaning they are prepared for the future installation of solar photovoltaic panels. This includes ensuring a significant portion of the roof is suitable for panels, has the structural integrity to support them, and includes pathways for wiring and space for related equipment. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is tasked with creating guidelines for compliance and can grant waivers from these requirements only if specific site conditions make compliance technically infeasible or if extraordinary site conditions or external factors create costs exceeding a defined financial threshold, with general construction costs or market feasibility not being valid reasons for a waiver. The bill also allows local taxing authorities to offer tax exemptions or special tax provisions on the increased property value resulting from "retrofit projects" (improvements to existing buildings) that make them solar-ready, with these exemptions potentially lasting up to 10 years. The DEP will also issue guidance documents and has the authority to enforce the act, with violations subject to civil penalties of up to $100,000.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1260