Georgia state Sen. Jason Anavitarte has introduced SB 210, in the Georgia Homegrown Solar Act of 2023 in the Georgia Assembly to expand community solar and net metering in the Peach State.
The legislation adds to Georgia’s Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act of 2001, the expansion of the solar market by the Georgia Public Service Commission in 2013, and adoption of the Georgia Solar Free-Market Act of 2015.
Solar Power World reports that the legislation would update monthly net metering, create a nonprofit community solar program, and enhance access to consumer usage data.
The bill would allow tax-exempt customers, such as governments and non-profits, to aggregate demand from multiple locations and purchase solar power from generating facilities under 3 MW.
The proposal would increase the net metering cap for non-residential systems from 100 kW to 125 percent of their maximum annual peak demand, and from 10 kW to 15 kW for residential systems. The legislation would allow utilities to set a $20 minimum monthly bill for solar customers but ensure that all fees are reasonable and don’t discriminate against solar customers.
The rooftop solar program cap would be raised from 0.2 percent to 5 percent of the prior year annual peak demand to give markets time to mature. Once the threshold is reached, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PUC) would determine a successor crediting mechanism for ongoing monthly net metering.
“Georgia has seen amazing growth of the solar industry since the Georgia Public Service Commission expanded the solar market in 2013 with strong support from then-Chairman Bubba McDonald and Commissioner Tim Echols,” said Georgia Solar Energy Industries Association President Pete Corbett. “The Georgia General Assembly followed that up by passing the Solar Power Free-Market Act of 2015 from Representative Mike Dudgeon. Senate Bill 210 seeks to build upon these strong measures by improving the community solar market and updating net metering provisions in law.”