This bill amends existing laws related to community solar projects and net energy metering in New Hampshire, with a focus on enhancing accessibility for low-moderate income households. Key changes include increasing the capacity limit for solar arrays in low-moderate income community solar projects from 6 megawatts to 18 megawatts, and expanding the definition of "political subdivision" to include not-for-profits while removing the previous specification regarding special purpose entities. The bill also allows customer-generators to participate as group members without becoming group hosts and enables them to sign agreements with multiple group hosts, provided their combined load does not exceed their total load.

Additionally, the bill introduces new provisions for net metering, requiring the Department of Energy to report on the costs and benefits of low-moderate income community solar projects and to authorize at least two new projects annually in each utility's service territory. It raises the metering threshold for facilities from 100 kilowatts to 500 kilowatts and ensures that customer-generators are not responsible for the installation costs of net meters. The anticipated implementation of this bill will require hiring a full-time Utility Analyst IV, leading to increased expenditures of approximately $104,000 in FY 2026, with costs ultimately recovered from electric utility ratepayers. Overall, the bill aims to improve access to solar energy for low-moderate income households while broadening the eligibility criteria for community solar projects.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 362-A:9, 362-F:2, 362-A:1-a
As Amended by the Senate: 362-A:9, 362-F:2, 362-A:1-a