The new order allows all customers with systems of less than 100kW to receive a monthly excess export bill credit up to 100 percent of the energy and transmission costs and 25 percent of the distribution services. Customers will still be required to pay non-bypassable charges such as the system benefits charge, stranded cost recovery charge, and the state electricity consumption tax on the full amount of their electricity imports for the grid. New customers with solar or small hydro will receive new meters that will measure both total imports and total exports.
The New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association (NHSEA) is pleased with the news.
"This is a result that will protect and benefit utilities, businesses, ratepayers and the renewable energy industry,” said Kate Epsen, Executive Director of NHSEA.
The organization worked for nearly a year with its allies and stakeholders to bring data in front of the PUC and the public so that a clear understanding of the impacts of net-metering distributed energy resources (DER) was visible.
“We went into this process open-minded and ready to share and receive the critical information necessary to inform the ultimate decision, and worked with each and every other party to reach a fair and evidence-based result,” said Epson.
According to NHSEA, the record showed that net-metering is good for all consumers and that "there is little to no evidence of any significant cost-shifting." Regulators often fear that if too many customers in a state net-meter, the burden of paying for the grid itself will fall on those without generating capacity, thereby cost-shifting to rate-payers who may not be able to afford to self-generate in the first place.
Read more at Live Free or Die State Celebrates Energy Independence by Removing Net-metering Cap
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