Connecticut 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00862 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	LCO No. 3152 1 of 4
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7	7	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 862
8	8	January Session, 2021
9	9	LCO No. 3152
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12	12	Referred to Committee on ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY
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14	14
15	15	Introduced by:
16	16	(ET)
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21	21	AN ACT LIMITING ELIGIBILITY FOR THE RESIDENTIAL SOLAR
22	22	INVESTMENT PROGRAM A ND PREVENTING DISTRIBUT ED ENERGY
23	23	GENERATION SOLICITAT IONS FROM SEGREGATIN G LARGE
24	24	PROJECTS.
25	25	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
26	26	Assembly convened:
27	27
28	28	Section 1. Subsection (f) of section 16-245gg of the general statutes is 1
29	29	repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2
30	30	2021): 3
31	31	(f) The purchase price of solar home renewable energy credits shall 4
32	32	be determined by the Connecticut Green Bank, and such purchase price 5
33	33	shall decline over time commensurate with the schedule of declining 6
34	34	performance-based incentives and expected performance -based 7
35	35	buydowns. Such purchase price shall not exceed the lesser of either (1) 8
36	36	the price of small zero-emission renewable energy credit projects for the 9
37	37	preceding year, or (2) five dollars less per renewable energy credit than 10
38	38	the alternative compliance payment pursuant to subsection (k) of 11
39	39	section 16-245. Any solar project located on a property that contains or 12
40	40	will contain any residence of a customer of an electric distribution 13
41	41	company that is determined to meet the Connecticut Green Bank criteria 14 Raised Bill No. 862
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45	45	LCO No. 3152 2 of 4
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47	47	as a residential dwelling for the residential solar investment program 15
48	48	shall not be eligible for small zero-emission renewable energy credits 16
49	49	pursuant to sections 16-244r, as amended by this act, and 16-244s or for 17
50	50	low-emission renewable energy credits pursuant to section 16-244t. 18
51	51	Whenever there is an exhaustion of funding in the residential solar 19
52	52	investment program, no solar project that meets the Connecticut Green 20
53	53	Bank criteria as a residential dwelling for the residential solar 21
54	54	investment program shall be eligible for small zero-emission renewable 22
55	55	energy credits pursuant to sections 16-244r, as amended by this act, and 23
56	56	16-244s or for low-emission renewable energy credits pursuant to 24
57	57	section 16-244t. 25
58	58	Sec. 2. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 16-244r of the general statutes 26
59	59	are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 27
60	60	1, 2021): 28
61	61	(a) Commencing on January 1, 2012, and within the period 29
62	62	established in subsection (a) of section 16-244s, each electric distribution 30
63	63	company shall solicit and file with the Public Utilities Regulatory 31
64	64	Authority for its approval one or more long-term contracts with owners 32
65	65	or developers of Class I generation projects that emit no pollutants and 33
66	66	that are less than one thousand kilowatts in size, located on the customer 34
67	67	side of the revenue meter and serve the distribution system of the 35
68	68	electric distribution company. The authority may give a preference to 36
69	69	contracts for technologies manufactured, researched or developed in the 37
70	70	state. On or after July 1, 2021, the project size for any such solicitation 38
71	71	shall be based upon the total megawatts located on a single parcel of 39
72	72	land, or contiguous parcels under common ownership or a common 40
73	73	developer, regardless of metering infrastructure. No project may 41
74	74	subdivide parcels of land for the purpose of meeting the project size 42
75	75	requirements in this section. 43
76	76	(b) Solicitations conducted by the electric distribution company shall 44
77	77	be for the purchase of renewable energy credits produced by eligible 45
78	78	customer-sited generating projects over the duration of the long-term 46
79	79	contract. For purposes of this section, a long-term contract is a contract 47 Raised Bill No. 862
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83	83	LCO No. 3152 3 of 4
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85	85	for fifteen years. On or after July 1, 2021, in conducting any such 48
86	86	solicitation, each electric distribution company shall consult with the 49
87	87	Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to impose 50
88	88	reasonable siting restrictions consistent with the policy goals outlined in 51
89	89	sections 22a-1, 22a-1a and 22a-422. 52
90	90	Sec. 3. Subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 53
91	91	16-244z of the general statutes is repealed and the following is 54
92	92	substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 55
93	93	(a) (1) (A) On or before September 1, 2018, the Public Utilities 56
94	94	Regulatory Authority shall initiate a proceeding to establish a 57
95	95	procurement plan for each electric distribution company pursuant to 58
96	96	this subsection and may give a preference to technologies 59
97	97	manufactured, researched or developed in the state, provided such 60
98	98	procurement plan is consistent with and contributes to the requirements 61
99	99	to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with section 22a-62
100	100	200a. Each electric distribution company shall develop such 63
101	101	procurement plan in consultation with the Department of Energy and 64
102	102	Environmental Protection and shall submit such procurement plan to 65
103	103	the authority not later than sixty days after the authority initiates the 66
104	104	proceeding pursuant to this subdivision, provided the department shall 67
105	105	submit the program requirements pursuant to subparagraph (C) of this 68
106	106	subdivision on or before July 1, 2019. The authority may require such 69
107	107	electric distribution companies to conduct separate solicitations 70
108	108	pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection for the resources in 71
109	109	subparagraphs (A), (B) and (C) of said subdivision, including separate 72
110	110	solicitations based upon the size of such resources to allow for a 73
111	111	diversity of selected projects. On or after July 1, 2021, the project size for 74
112	112	any such solicitation shall be based upon the total megawatts located on 75
113	113	a single parcel of land, or contiguous parcels under common ownership 76
114	114	or a common developer, regardless of metering infrastructure. No 77
115	115	project may subdivide parcels of land for the purpose of meeting the 78
116	116	project size requirements in this section. On or after July 1, 2021, in 79
117	117	conducting any such solicitation, each electric distribution company 80
118	118	shall consult with the Department of Energy and Environmental 81 Raised Bill No. 862
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122	122	LCO No. 3152 4 of 4
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124	124	Protection to impose reasonable siting restrictions consistent with the 82
125	125	policy goals outlined in sections 22a-1, 22a-1a and 22a-422. 83
126	126	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
127	127	sections:
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129	129	Section 1 July 1, 2021 16-245gg(f)
130	130	Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 16-244r(a) and (b)
131	131	Sec. 3 July 1, 2021 16-244z(a)(1)(A)
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133	133	Statement of Purpose:
134	134	To limit eligibility for the Residential Solar Investment Program, and to
135	135	prevent renewable energy solicitations from segregating a large project
136	136	into smaller projects.
137	137	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
138	138	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
139	139	underlined.]
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