SENATOR NEEDLEMAN LEADS FINAL APPROVAL OF BILL IMPROVING SOLAR ENERGY GENERATION STANDARDS IN CONNECTICUT

This week, State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex), Senate Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, led the Senate’s final approval of legislation improving solar energy generation standards statewide. The bill will study the feasibility and cost-related impacts of a uniform tax and will pursue monitoring of best practices for the state’s renewable energy tariff programs.

“This legislation will lay groundwork to improve and increase the state’s renewable energy environment,” said Sen. Needleman. “As we seek further developments in expanding and pursuing increased access and use of these renewable energy sources to diversify our state’s energy portfolio, this will take significant steps to support its use.”

House Bill 5232, “An Act Concerning Solar Projects In The State,” takes the following steps:

• It requires the Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to work with the Office of Policy and Management to conduct a study concerning the impacts of establishing a uniform capacity tax for solar photovoltaic systems installed in Connecticut.
• It requires the chair of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to conduct a study regarding renewable energy tariff programs, including whether to extend existing ones and considering what potential successor programs the state could pursue.
• DEEP would work with other state departments to submit information on potential solar siting of solar projects in the state.
• PURA would be allowed to exceed megawatt caps subject to a limit based on total dollar amounts from procured projects in the 2024 calendar year, extending renewable energy tariff programs for two years.