New Hampshire HB 219: relative to changes to the minimum electric renewable portfolio standards.

Bill Text

HB 219-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

13Mar2025... 0678h

7Jan2026... 2988h

2025 SESSION

 25-0262

 06/09

HOUSE BILL 219-FN

AN ACT relative to changes to the minimum electric renewable portfolio standards.

SPONSORS: Rep. Harrington, Straf. 18; Rep. Bernardy, Rock. 36; Rep. Notter, Hills. 12; Rep. Summers, Rock. 20; Rep. Vose, Rock. 5

COMMITTEE: Science, Technology and Energy

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

 This bill makes changes to the minimum electric renewable portfolio standards.

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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 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

13Mar2025... 0678h

7Jan2026... 2988h 25-0262

 06/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five

AN ACT relative to changes to the minimum electric renewable portfolio standards.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 Electric Renewable Energy Classes. Amend RSA 362-F:4, I(a) to read as follows:

 (a) Wind energy, except that mandated by government procurements.

 2 Electric Renewable Energy Classes. RSA 362-F:4, I(h) is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

 (h) Solar energy if the solar energy produces electricity.

 3 Minimum Electric Renewable Portfolio Standards. Amend RSA 362-F:3 to read as follows:

 362-F:3 Minimum Electric Renewable Portfolio Standards. For each year specified in the table below, each provider of electricity shall obtain and retire certificates sufficient in number and class type to meet or exceed the following percentages of total megawatt-hours of electricity supplied by the provider to its end-use customers that year, except to the extent that the provider makes payments to the renewable energy fund under RSA 362-F:10, II:

 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2025 and thereafter 

Class I 0.0% 0.5% 1% 2% 3% 3.8% 5% 6% 15% (*) 

[Class II 0.0% 0.0% 0.04% 0.08% 0.15% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.7% ]

Class III 3.5% 4.5% 5.5% 6.5% 1.4% 1.5% 3.0% 8.0% 8.0% 

Class IV 0.5% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1.3% 1.4% 1.5% 1.5% 

*Class I increases an additional 0.9 percent per year from 2015 through 2025. A set percentage of the class I totals shall be satisfied annually by the acquisition of renewable energy certificates from qualifying renewable energy technologies producing useful thermal energy as defined in RSA 362-F:2, XV-a. The set percentage shall be 0.4 percent in 2014, 0.6 percent in 2015, 0.8 percent in 2016, and increased annually by 0.2 percent per year from 2017 through 2023, and then reduce to 1.7 percent beginning on August 1, 2025, after which it shall remain unchanged. [Class II shall increase to 0.5 percent beginning in 2018, 0.6 percent beginning in 2019, and 0.7 percent beginning in 2020, otherwise] Classes [II-IV] III and IV shall remain at the same percentages from 2015 through 2025 except as provided in RSA 362-F:4, V-VI.

 4 Electric Renewable Energy Classes. Amend RSA 362-F:4, V to read as follows:

 V. For good cause, and after notice and hearing, the department of energy may accelerate or delay by up to one year, any given year's incremental increase in class I [or II] renewable portfolio standards requirement under RSA 362-F:3. 

 5 Electric Renewable Portfolio Standard; Definitions. Amend RSA 362-F:2, XV to read as follows:

 XV. "Renewable energy source," "renewable source," or "source" means a class I, [II,] III, or IV source of electricity or a class I source of useful thermal energy. An electrical generating facility, while selling its electrical output at long-term rates established before January 1, 2007, by orders of the commission under RSA 362-A:4, shall not be considered a renewable source.

 6 Renewable Energy Fund. Amend RSA 362-F:10, I to read as follows:

 I. There is hereby established a renewable energy fund. This nonlapsing special fund shall be continually appropriated to the department of energy to be expended in accordance with this section; provided that at the start of the period in which there is no adopted state operating budget, the department of energy shall in a timely manner seek the approval of the fiscal committee of the general court to continue using moneys from the renewable energy fund to support renewable energy rebate and grant programs in order to ensure there are no interruptions to the programs. The state treasurer shall invest the moneys deposited therein as provided by law. Income received on investments made by the state treasurer shall also be credited to the fund. All payments to be made under this section shall be deposited in the fund. Any remaining moneys paid into the fund under paragraph II of this section[, excluding class II mon