Massachusetts S 1926: An Act to advance shared solar

Bill Text

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2113 FILED ON: 1/18/2019
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1926

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Michael J. Barrett
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to advance shared solar.
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PETITION OF:

NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS:
Michael J. Barrett Third Middlesex
Rebecca L. Rausch Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex 1/30/2019
Patrick M. O'Connor Plymouth and Norfolk 1/30/2019
James B. Eldridge Middlesex and Worcester 1/30/2019
Denise Provost 27th Middlesex 1/31/2019
Michael D. Brady Second Plymouth and Bristol 2/1/2019
Julian Cyr Cape and Islands 2/1/2019
James K. Hawkins 2nd Bristol 2/1/2019

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2113 FILED ON: 1/18/2019
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1926
By Mr. Barrett, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1926) of Michael J. Barrett, Rebecca
L. Rausch, Patrick M. O'Connor, James B. Eldridge and other members of the General Court for
legislation to advance shared solar. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)
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An Act to advance shared solar.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:

1 SECTION 1. Section 139 of chapter 164 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016
2 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 60 to 64, the words “A solar net
3 metering facility may designate customers of the same distribution company to which the solar
4 net metering facility is interconnected and that are located in the same ISO-NE load zone to
5 receive such credits in amounts attributed by the solar net metering facility” and inserting in
6 place thereof the following words:-
7 A solar net metering facility may designate customers of the same distribution company,
8 regardless of which ISO-NE load zone the customers are located in, to receive such credits in
9 amounts attributed by the solar net metering facility.
10 SECTION 2. Subsection (i) of section 139 of chapter 164 of the General Laws, as
11 appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following sentences:-

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12 Any facility at least 75% owned by, or at least 75% of which is producing net metering
13 credits for, 3 or more individual residential customers, including a neighborhood net metering
14 facility, in which no one residential customer owns more than 60 kilowatts of design capacity, or
15 receives more credits than the amount of credits produced annually by a facility with a 60
16 kilowatt design capacity, shall be exempt from subsections (b½) and (k) of this section, and shall
17 be allowed to either net meter and accrue Class I net metering credits, or receive on-bill credits
18 associated with the energy produced by such a facility. Any such facility shall also be exempt
19 from any limit on the aggregate net metering capacity set by subsection (f) of this section.
20 SECTION 3. The Massachusetts clean energy and technology center, established in
21 chapter 23J of the General Laws, shall provide assistance in the form of financial, environmental,
22 or economic benefits to shared solar facilities, so that residential electricity customers may
23 participate in or subscribe to such facilities at a reasonable cost, provided, that eligible facilities
24 shall be qualified to accrue net metering credits or alternative on-bill credits associated with the
25 energy produced by the facility. The center shall ensure the significant participation in shared
26 solar facilities of citizens of all incomes, with particular attention to low-, moderate-, and
27 middle-income individuals and households.
28 SECTION 4. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department
29 of public utilities shall develop an enforceable standard interconnection timelines for the
30 negotiation of an interconnection services agreement for distributed generation facilities, and for
31 the negotiation of a schedule for construction for distributed generation facilities. Such timelines
32 may vary based on the size and type of the facility, provided, that in no event shall the time
33 required to negotiate both an interconnection services agreement and a schedule for construction

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34 exceed 180 days. The timeline shall be finalized no later than January 1, 2021, and shall apply
35 only to negotiations beginning after the date of finalization.