Community solar gardens; SCC to establish standards for operation. (SB311)

Introduced By

Sen. John Edwards (D-Roanoke)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Community solar gardens. Requires the State Corporation Commission to establish standards for the operation of community solar gardens. A community solar garden is defined in the bill as a solar energy system that (i) has a nameplate capacity of not more than 20 megawatts, (ii) is owned or operated by a subscriber organization, and (iii) generates electricity for subscribers of the community solar garden. The regulations are required, among other things, to (a) establish goals for the generation of electricity by community solar gardens; (b) establish eligibility requirements for subscriber organizations, including a requirement that a subscriber organization have at least 10 subscribers; (c) prohibit a subscriber organization from allowing a subscriber to have a subscription that exceeds 40 percent of a proportional interest in a community solar garden owned or operated by the subscriber organization; (d) prohibit a subscriber organization from allowing subscriptions to a community solar garden that are more than 25 kilowatts to account for more than 40 percent of the total generating capacity of the community solar garden; and (e) require that at least 10 percent of the total generating capacity of community solar gardens be available for use by low-income residential customers or by persons providing services that benefit low-income customers. A subscriber is entitled to a credit on the subscriber's monthly utility bill for the proportional output of the community solar garden attributable to that subscriber for the preceding month; the credit is required to be provided for 25 years. The measure requires utilities to purchase unsubscribed electricity generated by a community solar garden within the service area of the utility. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Failed

History

DateAction
01/08/2018Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/18 18101675D
01/08/2018Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
01/21/2018Impact statement from SCC (SB311)
02/05/2018Continued to 2019 in Commerce and Labor (11-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
11/30/2018Left in Commerce and Labor