Lawmakers hear broad push to lift solar caps, streamline permitting and boost state tax credit

At a hearing of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, state lawmakers and a wide range of stakeholders urged the legislature to advance bills that would speed rooftop and municipal solar, ease interconnection, and expand state incentives amid rising electricity costs and weaker federal tax support.

The committee heard detailed testimony about two related bill packages widely discussed during the hearing: Senate Bill 2269 (an act facilitating distributed energy resources) and the companion House measures, including H.3520. Provisions discussed included statewide adoption of instant permitting for residential solar, lifting municipal and regional net‑metering caps, increasing and making refundable the state residential solar tax credit, and creating programs to aggregate distributed resources into virtual power plants.

Why it matters: Advocates said rapid adoption of rooftop solar and batteries can lower household bills, reduce wholesale prices during peak demand, and avoid expensive grid upgrades — especially important after recent federal tax changes that will reduce national subsidies for residential solar. The proposals aim to replace administrative delays and inconsistent local rules with statewide standards and technical programs that can be hosted by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER).

Hannah Birnbaum, chief of advocacy at Permit Power, described the permitting problem in plain terms: "Rooftop solar is one of the few ways for families…