Bill Text: NH SB367 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relative to public utilities commission review of group host agreements.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-05-31 - Signed by the Governor on 05/25/2018; Chapter 0112; Effective 07/24/2018 [SB367 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2018-SB367-Enrolled.html
SB 367 - VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES
2018 SESSION
18-2861
10/06
SENATE BILL 367
AN ACT relative to public utilities commission review of group host agreements.
SPONSORS: Sen. Feltes, Dist 15; Sen. Soucy, Dist 18; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
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ANALYSIS
This bill removes the review by the public utilities commission of net metering group host agreements, and eliminates certain payment adjustments for small residential group host systems.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
18-2861
10/06
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eighteen
AN ACT relative to public utilities commission review of group host agreements.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Net Energy Metering; Group Host. Amend RSA 362-A:9, XIV to read as follows:
XIV.(a) A customer-generator may elect to become a group host for the purpose of reducing or otherwise controlling the energy costs of a group of customers who are not customer-generators. The group of customers shall be default service customers of the same electric distribution utility as the host. The host shall provide a list of the group members to the commission and the electric distribution utility and shall certify that all members of the group have executed an agreement with the host regarding the utilization of kilowatt hours produced by the eligible facility and that the total historic annual load of the group members together with the host exceeds the projected annual output of the host's facility. The commission shall verify that these group requirements have been met[, shall review the executed agreements for compliance with this section,] and shall register the group host. The commission shall establish the process for registering hosts, including periodic re-registration, and the process by which changes in membership are allowed and administered. Net metering tariffs under this section shall not be made available to a customer-generator group host until such host is registered by the commission.
(b) Except as provided in subparagraph (c), the provisions of this section shall apply to a group host as a customer-generator.
(c) Notwithstanding paragraph V, a group host shall be paid for its surplus generation at the end of each billing cycle at rates consistent with the credit the group host receives relative to its own net metering under either subparagraph IV(a) or (b) or alternative tariffs that may be applicable pursuant to paragraph XVI. Each group member of a group host for a low-moderate income community solar project, as defined in RSA 362-F:2, X-a, may receive credits on the customer electric bill for each member and the host, provided that there shall be only one new project under this paragraph in each utility's service territory by December 31, 2019 with such projects available on a first-come, first-served basis. The commission shall report on the costs and benefits of such projects on or before December 31, 2019. On an annual basis, for all group host systems except for residential systems with an interconnected capacity under 15 kilowatts, the electric distribution utility shall calculate a payment adjustment if the host's surplus generation for which it was paid is greater than the group's total electricity usage during the same time period. The adjustment shall be such that the resulting compensation to the host for the amount that exceeded the group's total usage shall be at the utility's avoided cost or its default service rate in accordance with subparagraph V(b) or paragraph VI or alternative tariffs that may be applicable pursuant to paragraph XVI. The utility shall pay or bill the host accordingly.
(d) Group hosts shall be responsible for any costs necessary to upgrade a utility's information systems in order to implement this paragraph, as determined by the commission.
(e) The commission is authorized to assess fines against, revoke the registration of, and prohibit from doing business in the state, any group host which violates the requirements of this paragraph and rules adopted pursuant to this paragraph.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
