Committee hears bill to let batteries participate in net metering; DOE neutral, pilots cited as proof of concept

Representative Tom Corman introduced House Bill 761, which would authorize the Department of Energy to adopt rules and the Public Utilities Commission to approve tariffs that allow customer energy storage systems to participate in net‑metering arrangements.

Sponsor's case Corman told the committee the measure is narrowly focused: enable storage owners to receive net‑metering compensation when they export energy back to the grid. He said storage is rapidly evolving — batteries are becoming denser, cheaper and safer — and that allowing storage to be valued in net‑metering arrangements would let owners store midday solar and export it at evening peaks, helping flatten load, support reliability and lower wholesale costs.

Support and pilots The Community Power Coalition, municipal energy committees and Clean Energy New Hampshire supported the bill. Witnesses pointed to pilot projects — including a Liberty Utilities battery pilot that the PUC found cost‑effective — and to local examples of storage programs that can participate in peak reduction programs. One witness cited ISO New England data showing most high‑price shortages were concentrated in relatively few hours; well‑targeted storage dispatch can displace those high‑cost events.

DOE and PUC concerns Matt Young of the Department of Energy said the department is neutral and raised structural and jurisdictional questions: statutory net‑metering language and PUC rule scopes may need adjustment to implement storage rules; the department noted an energy storage task force bill is moving through the Senate and said coordination would help.

Utility testimony and operational issues Cooperative and utility witnesses noted implementation complexity. The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative told the committee it had tested an hourly transactive energy rate and abandoned it after a year because billing, device integration and customer understanding proved difficult. Utilities emphasized that integrating storage into billing, settlement and interconnection systems requires careful rulemaking and back‑office work.

Next steps The committee heard technical details and jurisdictional questions but did not vote on the bill that day. Supporters urged the committee to adopt the statute to clarify roles and accelerate pilots; regulators and utilities recommended coordinated rulemaking and careful pilot expansion before system‑wide changes.

Ending House Bill 761 framed storage as a practical, near‑term tool to shift energy use and provide local value. The hearing highlighted a common pattern: pilots have shown feasibility, but scaling requires rule changes, meter and settlement capabilities, and careful allocation of costs and responsibilities.