The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center, Raleigh, N.C., in conjunction with Meister Consultants Group, Inc., recently published a quarterly report, The 50 States of Solar, that provides insights on state regulatory and legislative discussions and actions on distributed solar policy, with a focus on net metering, community solar, residential fixed charges, residential solar charges, third-party ownership, and utility-led rooftop solar programs. This latest edition includes an extensive review and analysis of major solar policy developments during the 2015 calendar year, followed by comprehensive solar policy changes proposed and adopted during the last quarter of 2015.
The report finds that all but four states took some form of solar policy action in 2015. A total of 103 state and utility-level distributed solar policy and rate changes were proposed, pending, or enacted in Q4 2015, including 28 ongoing or approved net metering policy changes in 17 states.
Kathryn Wright, consultant at Meister Consultants Group and a report co-author observed that, “The last quarter of 2015 has demonstrated that states and utilities are responding to the increase in distributed generation in radically different ways. Nevada’s decision to roll back net metering and California’s continued support of retail rate net metering illustrate the stark contrast.”
