Syncalfa Capital
The Georgia Solar Energy Industry Association (GASEIA) applauds the sponsorship of State Senator Jason Anavitarte. SB210 Improving and expanding community solar in Georgia while updating some of the net metering laws. This is a continuation of Georgia’s Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act of 2001, the expansion of the solar market by the Georgia Public Service Commission in 2013, and the passage of the Georgia Solar Free Market Act of 2015. Based on these successes, we will provide (1) monthly net metering updates, (2) creation of non-profit community solar, and (3) enhanced customer data access. The bill does not apply to electricity member cooperatives (EMC) or municipal utilities.
The bill would allow tax-exempt customers, such as governments and nonprofits, to aggregate demand from multiple locations and subscribe to offsite solar installations of less than 3 MW.
As for net metering, the bill will raise caps for non-residential systems from 100 kW to 125% of maximum annual peak demand, and from 10 kW to 15 kW for residential systems. SB 210 will allow utilities to set a $20 monthly minimum bill for solar customers, while other charges must be reasonable and non-discriminatory to solar customers. must be
The ceiling for rooftop solar programs will be raised from 0.2% of the previous year’s annual peak demand to 5% to give the market time to mature. Once the threshold is reached, the Public Service Commission will determine a successor credit mechanism for continued monthly net metering in this growing market.
“Georgia has experienced tremendous growth in the solar industry since the Georgia Public Service Commission expanded the solar market in 2013 with the strong support of then-President Bubba MacDonald and Commissioner Tim Echols. “The Georgia Legislature passed the Solar Free Market Act of 2015 from Rep. Mike Dudgeon. As we seek to strengthen these powerful measures, the members of GASEIA greatly appreciate the support, input and consideration of Senator Anavitarte, other Senate sponsors, and the entire Georgia Legislature.”
News from the Georgia Solar Energy Industry Association