By Kelsey Misbrener The 2018 Connecticut state law that would have ended net metering was reversed before it had a chance to take effect. On June 4, the Connecticut Senate voted 32-1 to pass HB 5002, which rescinds a 2018 state law that called for sunsetting net metering this fall. The bill delays action on…
By Kelsey Misbrener New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu vetoed HB 365 even though it passed in the legislature with bipartisan support. He vetoed a similar bill last September, according to NHPR. The bill would have raised the ability to net meter qualifying renewable energy projects from 1 MW up to 5 MW. According to renewable…
By [email protected] JEA, the municipal utility in Jacksonville, Florida, has become a leader in the state’s residential energy storage landscape with the introduction of a rebate program and an updated net metering structure. It is considered as one of the most innovative municipal utilities in the country. Julio Romero Agüero is JEA’s Chief Innovation and…
By [email protected] Upcoming electric rate changes in parts of the U.S. mean that almost every home and business here will eventually benefit from a battery connected to their solar system. These combined systems provide tangible economic benefits: time-shifting energy use, energy arbitrage, preserving the benefits of net metering and demand-charge reduction. But surprisingly, the vast…
By Kelsey Misbrener Advocates are raising concerns about a proposal from Idaho Power Company that would increase utility bills and uncertainty for many businesses and farmers that want to use solar energy to meet their own electricity needs. The utility’s application to the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, which was filed Friday, seeks to immediately suspend…
By Kelsey Misbrener After unanimous support in the South Carolina House of Representatives, the SC Energy Freedom Act (H. 3659) moves to the South Carolina Senate at a vital time for the state’s solar industry. As net metering cap deadlines approach, the bill is more important than ever. With overwhelming public support, as well as…
By Kelsey Misbrener The National Regulatory Research Institute has released a new study of actions by U.S. states to change distributed energy resources rate designs for the customer side of the meter. “Review of State Net Energy Metering and Successor Rate Designs” is a summary of the activity among state public utility commissions in finding…
By Kelsey Misbrener Encore Renewable Energy announced the commissioning of a 198-kW solar array on the roof of the UVM Medical Center on Holly Court in Williston, Vermont. The project began generating solar electricity in December 2018. UVM Medical Center will receive net metering credits at a discount, along with a steady stream of lease…
By [email protected] California is an undisputed clean energy juggernaut. Californians have developed the country’s most ambitious cap and trade program, own more electric cars than any other state, and have created 542,000 clean energy jobs. They have created Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs), to accelerate the adoption of renewables. And the entire state affirmed its commitment…
By Frank Andorka By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Nevada has long had a love/hate relationship with the rooftop solar industry. Despite having one of the highest insolation rates in the nation, it’s rooftop solar segment experienced a near-death experience when the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (NPUC) decided to eviscerate net metering at a December meeting…
By [email protected] You won’t have to look far to find a renewable energy market worth tracking next year. As more countries establish gigawatt-scale markets for renewables and storage, the global picture is getting much more diverse. Experts helped GTM identify at least 29 countries where wind, solar and energy storage prospects will be worth keeping…
By Frank Andorka By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent New England is one of the hottest solar areas of the country, with New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts getting all the attention. Unfortunately, New Hampshire may not be joining them after their governor vetoed a bill designed to raise an arbitrary 1 MW cap on net…
By Kelsey Misbrener The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) released its Q3 2018 edition of The 50 States of Solar. The quarterly series provides insights on state regulatory and legislative discussions and actions on distributed solar policy, with a focus on net metering, distributed solar valuation, community solar, residential fixed charges, residential demand and…
By Frank Andorka By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent For all of Nevada’s struggles with solar energy – the inexplicable, precipitous shutdown of net metering that destroyed the rooftop industry for almost two years comes to mind – they are trying hard right now to bring about its renaissance. First, they reinstated net metering. Now they’re…
By Lisa Rosen Thursday, October 18, 2018 2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT New utility rate structures like time of use (TOU) rates and net metering variations like California’s NEM 2.0 are becoming the new norm in many markets. To remain competitive, solar contractors need to understand how to maximize their customers’ savings under nontraditional rate…