| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 55 0478 |
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| 2 | 2 | | House Bill 507 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Representatives Camp of the 135 |
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| 4 | 4 | | th |
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| 5 | 5 | | , Powell of the 33 |
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| 6 | 6 | | rd |
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| 7 | 7 | | , Stephens of the 164 |
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| 8 | 8 | | th |
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| 9 | 9 | | , Drenner of |
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| 10 | 10 | | the 85 |
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| 11 | 11 | | th |
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| 12 | 12 | | , and Gullett of the 19 |
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| 13 | 13 | | th |
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| 14 | 14 | | |
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| 15 | 15 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 16 | 16 | | AN ACT |
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| 17 | 17 | | To amend Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1 |
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| 19 | 19 | | electrical service, so as to enact the "Georgia Homegrown Solar Act of 2025"; to provide2 |
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| 20 | 20 | | definitions; to allow customers of an electric utility to aggregate demand from multiple3 |
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| 21 | 21 | | locations and subscribe to certain off-site solar facilities; to provide for nondiscriminatory4 |
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| 22 | 22 | | interconnection of such facilities; to provide for consumer protections for customers; to allow5 |
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| 23 | 23 | | customers to access their own meter usage and provide such usage data to authorized third6 |
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| 24 | 24 | | parties; to provide legislative findings; to provide for related matters; to provide an effective7 |
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| 25 | 25 | | date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.8 |
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| 26 | 26 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:9 |
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| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 1.10 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to electrical service,11 |
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| 29 | 29 | | is amended by adding a new part to Article 1, relating to generation and distribution of12 |
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| 30 | 30 | | electricity generally, and amending Article 2, which is reserved, as follows:13 |
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| 31 | 31 | | H. B. 507 |
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| 32 | 32 | | - 1 - 25 LC 55 0478 |
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| 33 | 33 | | "Part 614 |
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| 34 | 34 | | 46-3-80.15 |
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| 35 | 35 | | This part shall be known and may be cited as the 'Georgia Homegrown Solar Act of 2025.'16 |
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| 36 | 36 | | 46-3-81.17 |
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| 37 | 37 | | The General Assembly finds that it is in the public interest to:18 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) Continue to encourage private investment in solar resources in the service territory19 |
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| 39 | 39 | | of Georgia's largest electric utility;20 |
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| 40 | 40 | | (2) Stimulate economic growth and job creation in this state;21 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (3) Promote energy resilience; and22 |
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| 42 | 42 | | (4) Enable customers in this state to access solar technologies that help them manage23 |
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| 43 | 43 | | their electric bills.24 |
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| 44 | 44 | | 25 |
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| 45 | 45 | | 46-3-82. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 26 |
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| 47 | 47 | | As used in this part, the term:27 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (1) 'Avoided cost' means the incremental cost to an electric utility which, but for the28 |
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| 49 | 49 | | provision of energy and capacity from a solar technology, such electric utility would29 |
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| 50 | 50 | | incur to generate or procure electricity from another source.30 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (2) 'Bill credit' means the monetary value of kilowatt hours generated by a community31 |
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| 52 | 52 | | solar facility allocated to a subscriber's electricity bill pursuant to the community solar32 |
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| 53 | 53 | | program created by the commission and subject to commission jurisdiction as described33 |
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| 54 | 54 | | in this part.34 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (3) 'Community solar facility' means a system that:35 |
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| 56 | 56 | | (A) Generates electric energy that is fueled solely by ambient sunlight and is connected36 |
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| 57 | 57 | | to the electric utility's distribution system;37 |
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| 58 | 58 | | (B) Is located within the same electric service territory as the customers it serves; 38 |
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| 59 | 59 | | H. B. 507 |
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| 60 | 60 | | - 2 - 25 LC 55 0478 |
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| 61 | 61 | | (C) Has no subscribers that own a subscription for more than 40 percent of such39 |
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| 62 | 62 | | facility's output;40 |
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| 63 | 63 | | (D) Is not selling its energy outside of the community solar program; and41 |
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| 64 | 64 | | (E)(i) Except as provided in division (ii) of this subparagraph, is not located on the42 |
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| 65 | 65 | | same parcel as another system that meets the requirements of subparagraphs (A)43 |
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| 66 | 66 | | through (D) of this paragraph if the total capacity of the systems would exceed 544 |
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| 67 | 67 | | megawatts alternating current; provided, however, that such parcel shall not have45 |
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| 68 | 68 | | been subdivided in order to meet such requirements.46 |
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| 69 | 69 | | (ii) The requirements of division (i) of this subparagraph shall not apply to an47 |
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| 70 | 70 | | aggregate of multiple systems that together do not exceed 5 megawatts alternating48 |
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| 71 | 71 | | current if such systems are located on the rooftops of buildings, on brownfield49 |
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| 72 | 72 | | properties, as such term is defined in Code Section 48-5-7.6, deemed to be in50 |
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| 73 | 73 | | compliance with risk reduction standards, on landfills, or over parking lots or51 |
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| 74 | 74 | | roadways.52 |
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| 75 | 75 | | (4) 'Community solar organization' means any for profit or nonprofit entity that owns,53 |
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| 76 | 76 | | operates, or manages subscriptions for one or more community solar facilities.54 |
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| 77 | 77 | | (5) 'Electric utility' means any retail supplier of electricity whose rates are fixed by the55 |
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| 78 | 78 | | commission, and shall not include any electric membership corporation or municipal56 |
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| 79 | 79 | | electric utility.57 |
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| 80 | 80 | | (6) 'Subscriber' means a retail customer of an electric utility that owns one or more58 |
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| 81 | 81 | | subscriptions of a community solar facility.59 |
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| 82 | 82 | | 46-3-83.60 |
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| 83 | 83 | | A community solar organization:61 |
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| 84 | 84 | | (1) May sell subscriptions at a rate that shall result in bill savings for the subscriber;62 |
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| 85 | 85 | | provided, however, that such subscriptions shall be sized such that the estimated credits63 |
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| 86 | 86 | | H. B. 507 |
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| 87 | 87 | | - 3 - 25 LC 55 0478 |
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| 88 | 88 | | do not exceed 90 percent of the subscriber's average or expected annual bill for the64 |
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| 89 | 89 | | customer account to which the subscription is attributed;65 |
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| 90 | 90 | | (2) Shall not require credit checks or up-front, sign-on, or exit fees to purchase, transfer66 |
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| 91 | 91 | | or terminate a subscription;67 |
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| 92 | 92 | | (3) Shall provide the electric utility with information necessary to allocate bill credits to68 |
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| 93 | 93 | | each subscriber;69 |
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| 94 | 94 | | (4) May bank unsubscribed energy for no more than 24 months at which point such70 |
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| 95 | 95 | | energy shall be purchased by the electric utility at avoided cost;71 |
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| 96 | 96 | | (5) May transfer or retire on behalf of subscribers the renewable energy credits produced72 |
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| 97 | 97 | | by its community solar facilities; and73 |
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| 98 | 98 | | (6) Shall be subject to the rules and regulations adopted by the commission pursuant to74 |
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| 99 | 99 | | this part; provided, however, that the sale or transfer of subscriptions shall not be75 |
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| 100 | 100 | | considered the provision of electric service to the public, retail electric service, or retail76 |
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| 101 | 101 | | supply of electricity and neither the subscriber nor the community solar organization shall77 |
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| 102 | 102 | | be considered an electric supplier within the meaning of Part 1 of this article or in78 |
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| 103 | 103 | | violation of exclusive electric service rights arising therein.79 |
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| 104 | 104 | | 46-3-84.80 |
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| 105 | 105 | | (a) On or before January 1, 2027, the commission shall establish a program that affords81 |
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| 106 | 106 | | customers the opportunity to participate in community solar projects and which shall82 |
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| 107 | 107 | | reasonably allow for the creation, financing, and accessibility of community solar facilities. 83 |
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| 108 | 108 | | Under such program:84 |
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| 109 | 109 | | (1) Electric utilities shall provide bill credits to subscribers derived from the utility's total85 |
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| 110 | 110 | | aggregate retail rate on a per-customer-class basis, less commission approved distribution86 |
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| 111 | 111 | | cost components;87 |
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| 112 | 112 | | (2) Excess credits on a subscriber's bill shall role over from month to month until the end88 |
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| 113 | 113 | | of each calendar year and any such excess credits shall automatically be applied to the89 |
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| 114 | 114 | | H. B. 507 |
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| 115 | 115 | | - 4 - 25 LC 55 0478 |
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| 116 | 116 | | next electric bill of a subscriber when the subscriber's subscription is terminated for any90 |
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| 117 | 117 | | reason;91 |
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| 118 | 118 | | (3) Electric utilities shall provide to community solar organizations a web based hosting92 |
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| 119 | 119 | | capacity tool to indicate where and how much available capacity exists on the distribution93 |
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| 120 | 120 | | system, updated on at least a semiannual basis;94 |
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| 121 | 121 | | (4) Electric utilities may impose fees on community solar organizations which fees, if95 |
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| 122 | 122 | | any, shall be:96 |
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| 123 | 123 | | (A) Just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory;97 |
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| 124 | 124 | | (B) Based on the actual cost of providing the service for which the fee is imposed;98 |
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| 125 | 125 | | (C) Approved by the commission after public notice, a public hearing, and an99 |
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| 126 | 126 | | opportunity for public comment; and100 |
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| 127 | 127 | | (D) Not more than 1 percent of the bill credit value accrued from such organization's101 |
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| 128 | 128 | | subscriptions during the term for which the fee is imposed, unless found by the102 |
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| 129 | 129 | | commission to be necessary to protect the public interest; and103 |
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| 130 | 130 | | (5) Electric utilities may, notwithstanding the provisions of Code Section 46-3A-3, enter104 |
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| 131 | 131 | | into a long-term purchase agreement with a community solar organization.105 |
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| 132 | 132 | | (b) The commission may establish rules and regulations that provide for the protection of106 |
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| 133 | 133 | | customers that have subscriptions with or are prospective subscribers of a community solar107 |
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| 134 | 134 | | facility. Such rules and regulations may relate to the totality of the subscription and the bill108 |
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| 135 | 135 | | crediting process, including requiring standardized customer disclosure forms that identify109 |
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| 136 | 136 | | key information that shall be provided by community solar organizations to potential110 |
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| 137 | 137 | | subscribers.111 |
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| 138 | 138 | | 46-3-85.112 |
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| 139 | 139 | | (a) On and after July 1, 2025, an electric utility shall accept interconnection applications113 |
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| 140 | 140 | | for community solar facilities on a nondiscriminatory basis and study the impact of114 |
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| 141 | 141 | | interconnecting such facilities to the grid using the current commission approved115 |
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| 142 | 142 | | H. B. 507 |
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| 143 | 143 | | - 5 - 25 LC 55 0478 |
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| 144 | 144 | | interconnection rules, regulations, standards, and tariffs and in accordance with best116 |
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| 145 | 145 | | practices.117 |
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| 146 | 146 | | (b) On or before January 1, 2026, the commission shall establish an Interconnection118 |
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| 147 | 147 | | Working Group between electric utilities and stakeholders with oversight from commission119 |
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| 148 | 148 | | staff. The Interconnection Working Group shall review and recommend changes or120 |
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| 149 | 149 | | adoption of any policies, processes, rules, regulations, standards, and tariffs associated with121 |
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| 150 | 150 | | the interconnection of community solar facilities with the goal of transparency, accuracy,122 |
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| 151 | 151 | | and efficiency to support the achievement of the objectives in this part. The123 |
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| 152 | 152 | | Interconnection Working Group shall report its findings and recommendations to the124 |
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| 153 | 153 | | commission on or before July 1, 2026. The commission shall review the findings and125 |
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| 154 | 154 | | recommendations of the Interconnection Working Group and take any action that the126 |
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| 155 | 155 | | commission deems necessary.127 |
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| 156 | 156 | | (c) On or before October 1, 2026, each electric utility shall submit for commission review128 |
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| 157 | 157 | | and approval a standard interconnection agreement for community solar facilities that129 |
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| 158 | 158 | | meets the following requirements:130 |
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| 159 | 159 | | (1) An electric utility may recover any direct costs associated with interconnecting and131 |
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| 160 | 160 | | administering metering services as approved by the commission. Any fees imposed shall132 |
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| 161 | 161 | | be:133 |
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| 162 | 162 | | (A) Just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory;134 |
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| 163 | 163 | | (B) Based on the actual cost of providing the service for which the fee is imposed; and135 |
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| 164 | 164 | | (C) Approved by the commission after public notice, a public hearing, and an136 |
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| 165 | 165 | | opportunity for public comment;137 |
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| 166 | 166 | | (2) A community solar facility shall include, at the interconnection applicant's own138 |
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| 167 | 167 | | expense, all equipment necessary to meet applicable safety, power quality, and139 |
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| 168 | 168 | | interconnection requirements established by the National Electrical Code, National140 |
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| 169 | 169 | | Electrical Safety Code, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and141 |
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| 170 | 170 | | Underwriters Laboratories;142 |
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| 171 | 171 | | H. B. 507 |
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| 172 | 172 | | - 6 - 25 LC 55 0478 |
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| 173 | 173 | | (3) An electric utility shall not require an interconnection applicant whose community143 |
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| 174 | 174 | | solar facility meets the standards in paragraph (2) of this subsection to comply with144 |
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| 175 | 175 | | additional safety or performance standards, perform or pay for additional tests, or145 |
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| 176 | 176 | | purchase additional liability insurance; and146 |
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| 177 | 177 | | (4) No electric utility shall be liable to any person, directly or indirectly, for any loss of147 |
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| 178 | 178 | | property, injury, or death that may result from the interconnection of a community solar148 |
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| 179 | 179 | | facility.149 |
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| 180 | 180 | | 46-3-86.150 |
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| 181 | 181 | | On or before January 1, 2027, each electric utility shall file for commission review a data151 |
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| 182 | 182 | | access program. Such data access program shall be designed to better enable customers'152 |
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| 183 | 183 | | investments in or subscriptions to conservation and clean energy technologies, including,153 |
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| 184 | 184 | | but not limited to, photovoltaic solar, energy efficiency technologies, battery storage, smart154 |
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| 185 | 185 | | thermostats, and electric vehicles. Following public notice and an opportunity for public155 |
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| 186 | 186 | | comment, the commission shall adopt or amend such proposed program, which the electric156 |
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| 187 | 187 | | utility shall make available to customers within nine months of the commission's final157 |
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| 188 | 188 | | order. An electric utility's data access program shall conform to the following158 |
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| 189 | 189 | | requirements:159 |
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| 190 | 190 | | (1) As part of basic utility service, an electric utility shall provide meter usage data in160 |
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| 191 | 191 | | electronic machine-readable form, without additional charge, to the customer or to any161 |
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| 192 | 192 | | third-party recipient to whom the customer has authorized disclosure of the customer's162 |
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| 193 | 193 | | meter usage data. Such access shall conform to nationally recognized open standards and163 |
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| 194 | 194 | | best practices and shall be provided in 15 minute intervals or the shortest interval164 |
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| 195 | 195 | | available through existing meters;165 |
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| 196 | 196 | | (2) An electric utility shall maintain and provide at least 24 months of meter usage data166 |
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| 197 | 197 | | or the period of time that a customer has had an account at a given address, whichever is167 |
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| 198 | 198 | | less; and168 |
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| 199 | 199 | | H. B. 507 |
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| 200 | 200 | | - 7 - 25 LC 55 0478 |
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| 201 | 201 | | (3) If requests are made for information other than meter usage data or data older than169 |
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| 202 | 202 | | 24 months preceding the request, the electric utility may charge customers a reasonable170 |
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| 203 | 203 | | fee to provide such data that is established by the commission based on the electric171 |
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| 204 | 204 | | utility's marginal cost to provide such data.172 |
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| 205 | 205 | | ARTICLE 2173 |
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| 206 | 206 | | 46-3-70. 46-3-90.174 |
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| 207 | 207 | | Reserved."175 |
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| 208 | 208 | | SECTION 2.176 |
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| 209 | 209 | | This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2025.177 |
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| 210 | 210 | | SECTION 3.178 |
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| 211 | 211 | | All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.179 |
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| 212 | 212 | | H. B. 507 |
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| 213 | 213 | | - 8 - |
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