Mass. Senate votes to lift solar net-metering cap [View all]

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20150724/NEWS/150727792/0/breaking_ajax

Mass. Senate votes to lift solar net-metering cap
By Matt Murphy and Andy Metzger/State House News Service
Posted Jul. 24, 2015 at 11:50 AM

BOSTON - In an effort to help facilitate meeting the state's goal of developing 1,600 megawatts of solar power by 2020, the Senate voted on Thursday to raise the cap on the amount of solar power than can be sold back to the grid by consumers.

The provision, which was offered by Sen. Benjamin Downing and attached to broader climate change preparedness bill, would lift the cap to 1,600 megawatts of solar power, consistent with the goal set by former Gov. Deval Patrick. Gov. Charlie Baker has endorsed the goal, though his Energy Secretary Matthew Beaton has previously said he believes it could be met without lifting the cap.

The net-metering caps are currently calculated as a percentage of the peak electrical usage, and Downing said the change he proposed would nearly double the size of the cap.

Net metering, which allows utility customers with solar panels to sell power back to the grid at retail rates, is one of the incentives offered to encourage clean energy production. Utility companies have resisted efforts to lift the cap, arguing that customers without solar end up paying for it.