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Solar, net‑metering and interconnection reforms draw industry and installer concerns
Summary
Industry and municipal witnesses warned mandatory SMART enrollment and caps on behind‑the‑meter solar risk slowing projects and raising consumer cost, while stakeholders broadly supported flexible interconnection reforms.
BOSTON — A major source of disagreement at the committee hearing was how the Energy Affordability Act would change solar compensation, SMART enrollment and interconnection rules.
Administration witnesses described proposals to reduce some net‑metering credits for large behind‑the‑meter or public net‑metering generators and to require flexible, faster interconnection procedures. They said the goal is to lower bill impacts that flow from some distributed generation compensation while continuing to grow solar at a lower overall cost. The bill would also create a single common application and require utilities to modernize interconnection to be faster and more flexible.
Solar industry trade groups (CBAM, SIA, New Leaf Energy, Sunrun and others) told the committee mandatory SMART enrollment for all net‑metered systems and certain meter requirements would add cost, complexity and could be effectively retroactive for projects delayed in interconnection queues. Witnesses asked the committee to limit any SMART requirement to new interconnection applications filed after a date certain or to allow projects to choose the incentive path — SMART or REX/class‑1 REC — that fits their financing.
Installers and municipal leaders asked the committee to lift municipal caps (a 10 MW host cap and lower behind‑the‑meter limits that affect commercial and multifamily projects) and to avoid adding a costly SMART meter requirement which some said adds hundreds of dollars per installation. Several municipal officials described rooftop and parking lot solar as an affordable way to reduce municipal energy costs and urged exemption from caps.
On interconnection, developers and utilities supported a mandated, uniform flexible interconnection process. Witnesses said expanded virtual power plant programs and flexible interconnection could depress peak prices and reduce the need for costly transmission upgrades if the DPU adopts standard, faster cluster or staged study processes. Several speakers urged the committee to move quickly on interconnection reform to unlock near‑term benefits for customers and the ISO‑NE market.
