Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0352 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.352
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6	6	H.352 1
7	7	Introduced by Representative Logan of Burlington 2
8	8	Referred to Committee on 3
9	9	Date: 4
10	10	Subject: Public service; energy; renewable energy; solar; net metering 5
11	11	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to create the 6
12	12	Renewable Energy for Communities Program to be administered by the Public 7
13	13	Utility Commission. 8
14	14	An act relating to the Renewable Energy for Communities Program 9
15	15	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 10
16	16	Sec. 1. 30 V.S.A. § 8005b is added to read: 11
17	17	§ 8005b. RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR COMMUNITIES PROGRAM 12
18	18	(a) Establishment. The Renewable Energy for Communities Program is 13
19	19	established. To achieve the goals of subdivision 8005(a)(2) of this title, the 14
20	20	Commission shall develop the Renewable Energy for Communities Program 15
21	21	that meets the eligibility requirements of this section, which may be 16
22	22	implemented by rule, order, or contract. Retail electricity providers shall issue 17
23	23	periodic solicitations subject to the requirements of the Renewable Energy for 18
24	24	Communities Program. 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.352
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29	29	(b) Eligible resources. Distributed renewable generation as defined in 1
30	30	subdivision 8005(a)(2)(B) of this chapter shall be eligible to participate in this 2
31	31	Program. 3
32	32	(c) Objectives. It shall be the objective of the Program to develop 4
33	33	distributed renewable generation at least-cost to ratepayers that is directed by, 5
34	34	developed in consultation with, and directly benefits communities by one or 6
35	35	more of the following: 7
36	36	(1) delivering benefits from renewable energy systems to customers who 8
37	37	have historically been marginalized or faced inequitable access to the benefits 9
38	38	of renewable energy, including environmental justice focus populations as 10
39	39	defined in 3 V.S.A. § 6002; 11
40	40	(2) supporting community participation in the development and 12
41	41	governance of distributed renewable generation; 13
42	42	(3) supporting the delivery of benefits to tenants of buildings that are 14
43	43	designated as affordable housing; 15
44	44	(4) supporting the delivery of benefits to school and municipally owned 16
45	45	buildings; and 17
46	46	(5) advancing other priority issues as identified during program 18
47	47	development as detailed under subsection (f) of this section. 19
48	48	(d) Capacity requirement. Retail electricity providers shall issue 20
49	49	solicitations for distributed renewable generation equivalent to a percentage of 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.352
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54	54	their requirement under subdivision 8005(a)(2) of this title, as determined by 1
55	55	the Commission. 2
56	56	(e) Solicitation requirement. 3
57	57	(1) On a schedule to be developed by the Commission, each retail 4
58	58	electricity provider with an obligation under subdivision 8005(a)(2) of this title 5
59	59	shall issue solicitations for eligible distributed generation until it has met its 6
60	60	capacity requirement. Coordinated solicitations shall be encouraged. Each 7
61	61	retail electric provider shall review proposed projects in its service territory 8
62	62	according to a set of consistent core criteria as approved by the Commission 9
63	63	and consistent with the objectives set forth in this section. 10
64	64	(2) Requirements for retail electricity providers that are 100 percent 11
65	65	renewable pursuant to subdivision 8005(b)(1) of this title may be limited by 12
66	66	the Commission to an amount equal to the provider’s requirement to meet 13
67	67	distributed generation with load growth above the baseline year of 2024 and 14
68	68	allowed on a less frequent solicitation schedule. 15
69	69	(f) Program development. On or before January 1, 2027, the Commission 16
70	70	shall implement the Renewable Energy for Communities Program. In 17
71	71	developing the program, the Commission shall: 18
72	72	(1) determine principles to guide the development of eligible distributed 19
73	73	generation and consider whether additional objectives for the program as 20
74	74	defined under subsection (c) of this section are necessary; 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.352
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79	79	(2) determine whether a percentage of each retail electricity provider’s 1
80	80	capacity requirement should be reserved to serve specific customers who have 2
81	81	previously experienced inequitable access to the benefits of renewable energy 3
82	82	and determine any minimum requirement for those projects procured under 4
83	83	this program for serving those specific customers; 5
84	84	(3) establish a set of consistent review criteria to be used by all retail 6
85	85	electricity providers in solicitations for eligible distributed generation, 7
86	86	considering issues in addition to cost, including community support or 8
87	87	engagement while developing the proposal; potential for local workforce 9
88	88	development and other community benefits to be delivered to the host 10
89	89	community; location of the project, including whether it is in a constrained 11
90	90	area of the distribution or transmission system or in an area identified as a 12
91	91	preferred location in a regional or municipal enhanced energy plan pursuant to 13
92	92	24 V.S.A. § 4352; and anticipated generation profile; 14
93	93	(4) identify reporting requirements and necessary metrics to monitor 15
94	94	how benefits and burdens from the program are distributed across ratepayers; 16
95	95	(5) consult with individuals representing a diverse array of perspectives, 17
96	96	including at minimum representation from industry, retail electric providers, 18
97	97	environmental advocates, State agencies, regional and local governments, 19
98	98	communities identified as environmental justice focus populations in 3 V.S.A. 20
99	99	§ 6002, municipalities experiencing high energy burden as identified by 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.352
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104	104	Efficiency Vermont’s 2023 Energy Burden Report, renters, and multifamily 1
105	105	affordable housing representatives; 2
106	106	(6) determine a process for exempting or deferring retail electricity 3
107	107	provider requirements under this section in the event no proposals below the 4
108	108	applicable alternative compliance payment are received in response to a retail 5
109	109	electricity provider’s solicitation; 6
110	110	(7) determine a process for evaluating and reporting on the success of 7
111	111	the program in achieving the stated goals; and 8
112	112	(8) consider other issues as identified throughout the process. 9
113	113	(g) Assistance. The Commission may use its authority under sections 20 10
114	114	and 21 of this title as may be necessary to support engagement and technical 11
115	115	analysis necessary to develop the Program. Funding may be used to support 12
116	116	per diem compensation and reimbursement of expenses as permitted under 13
117	117	32 V.S.A. § 1010 to conduct engagement with parties who are not otherwise 14
118	118	compensated by their employer. 15
119	119	Sec. 2. 30 V.S.A. § 8002 is amended to read: 16
120	120	§ 8002. DEFINITIONS 17
121	121	* * * 18
122	122	(10) “Group net metering system” means a net metering system serving 19
123	123	more than one customer, or a single customer with multiple electric meters, 20
124	124	located within the service area of the same retail electricity provider. Various 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.352
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129	129	buildings owned by municipalities, including water and wastewater districts, 1
130	130	fire districts, villages, school districts, and towns, may constitute a group net 2
131	131	metering system. A union or district school facility may be considered in the 3
132	132	same group net metering system with buildings of its member schools that are 4
133	133	located within the service area of the same retail electricity provider. A system 5
134	134	that files a complete application for a certificate of public good on or after 6
135	135	January 1, 2026 2027 shall not qualify for group net metering, unless the plant 7
136	136	will be located on the same parcel, or a parcel adjacent to, the parcel where the 8
137	137	energy is utilized. 9
138	138	* * * 10
139	139	(16) “Net metering system” means a plant for generation of electricity 11
140	140	that: 12
141	141	(A) is of not more than 500 kW capacity; 13
142	142	(B) operates in parallel with facilities of the electric distribution 14
143	143	system; 15
144	144	(C) is intended primarily to offset the customer’s own electricity 16
145	145	requirements and does not primarily supply electricity to electric vehicle 17
146	146	supply equipment, as defined in section 201 of this title, for the resale of 18
147	147	electricity to the public by the kWh or for other retail sales to the public, 19
148	148	including those based in whole or in part on a flat fee per charging session or a 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.352
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153	153	time-based fee for occupying a parking space while using electric vehicle 1
154	154	supply equipment; 2
155	155	(D)(i) employs a renewable energy source; or 3
156	156	(ii) is a qualified micro-combined heat and power system of 20 4
157	157	kW or fewer that meets the definition of combined heat and power in 5
158	158	subsection 8015(b) of this title and uses any fuel source that meets air quality 6
159	159	standards; and 7
160	160	(E)(i) for a system that files a complete application for a certificate of 8
161	161	public good after December 31, 2024, except for systems as provided for in 9
162	162	subdivision (ii) of this subdivision (E), generates energy that will be used on 10
163	163	the same parcel as, or a parcel adjacent to, the parcel where the plant is located; 11
164	164	(ii) for a system that files a complete application for a certificate 12
165	165	of public good after December 31, 2025 2026, if the system serves a 13
166	166	multifamily building containing qualified rental units serving low-income 14
167	167	tenants, as defined under 32 V.S.A. § 5404a(a)(6), generates energy that will 15
168	168	be used on the same parcel as, or a parcel adjacent to, the parcel where the 16
169	169	plant is located; and 17
170	170	(iii) for purposes of subdivisions (10) of this section and this 18
171	171	subdivision (16), two parcels shall be adjacent if they share a property 19
172	172	boundary or are adjacent and separated only by a river, stream, railroad line, 20
173	173	private road, public highway, or similar intervening landform. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.352
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179	179	Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 2
180	180	This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 3