ORIGINAL REPORTING: New Hampshire’s Fight Over Solar’s Value

Caps raised, New Hampshire turns attention to imminent struggle over solar value; A new law that raised net metering caps also directed state regulators to devise a new solar incentive program within 10 months

Herman K. Trabish, May 19, 2016 (Utility Dive)

Editor’s note: New Energy has recently heard rumors of ongoing negotiations and a potential settlement in this proceeding.

New Hampshire stakeholders in solar are working toward a successor tariff for the retail rate net energy metering (NEM) benefit. A doubled cap of 100 MW has given them breathing room but growth has raised questions about how long it will keep the the state’s solar builders working. Meanwhile, a contentious debate is ongoing at the the Public Utilities Commission about the costs and benefits of customer-sited generation, the impacts on all customers, and how to avoid a perceived cost shift from solar owners to all electricity customers.

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The proceeding at the commission over solar valuation methods and the successor tariff is where long term decisions will be made. Solar advocates want to use data quantifying the costs and benefits to precisely define them. The state Office of Consumer Advocate and others have proposed new and creative approaches for how to fairly compensate people for the power they feed to the grid. Many include components that value generation at market prices, at the costs solar avoids, at the value it delivers to the distribution system, and includes the value of the renewable energy credits for their onsite generation… click here for more

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