House expands solar‑plus‑storage rebate program to retrofit existing homes
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Summary
Senate Bill 8‑27 was passed to allow rebates for adding battery storage to existing residential solar systems; the bill aims to increase resilience, reduce fossil fuel generator use, and expand access for low‑ and moderate‑income customers.
The House approved Senate Bill 8‑27 on third reading, extending Oregon’s solar plus storage rebate program to homeowners who want to add battery storage to existing residential solar systems. Representative Anderson carried the measure and emphasized the program’s role in resilience and equity.
Why it matters: The bill opens rebates to retrofit storage onto more than 20,000 existing residential solar installations in Oregon, potentially improving resilience during power outages and helping reduce reliance on fossil‑fuel backup generators. Sponsor remarks cited program statistics showing thousands of projects across most counties, about $23.6 million of state funds leveraged into roughly $275 million in project value, and that 39% of rebate funds went to low‑ and moderate‑income customers.
Representative Anderson said the change “allows rebates to be made available to customers who want to upgrade their current systems by adding storage capacity,” noting that prior law limited rebates to concurrent installation of generation and storage. He said enabling retrofits will spur installations, create local jobs and expand access to storage technology.
The bill was carried to final passage with no extended floor debate; the clerk declared it passed after the vote.
