Senate Bill 827 would let homeowners add batteries to existing solar and qualify for state rebates

Senate Bill 827 would modify the Oregon Solar Plus Storage Rebate program to allow rebates for battery storage systems added to existing solar installations, the Oregon Department of Energy told the Senate Energy and Environment Committee.

The bill "would expand the Oregon solar and storage rebate program to include battery storage systems that are coupled with existing solar installations," Christy Split, government relations coordinator for the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE), said during a public hearing. She added the bill would "allow the Oregon Department of Energy to adopt consumer protection provisions in rule."

The change is aimed at lowering the upfront cost of adding batteries to homes that already have solar. "Adding battery storage to a home can be expensive," Split said, and unlike solar, "batteries do not currently provide payback in the form of savings on energy bills." Program proponents told the committee that batteries can provide backup power during outages and could, if aggregated, provide services that lower peak costs for utilities.

Why it matters: ODOE reported the state’s solar-plus-storage rebate program has supported just over 8,000 projects across 34 of Oregon’s 36 counties and roughly $275,000,000 in total project costs. The agency said about 40% of program dollars have gone to low- and moderate-income customers or low-income service providers, even though the statute reserves 25% of rebates for those groups. The bill’s sponsor and industry witnesses argued allowing rebates for storage added to existing solar would expand resilience benefits to more households and neighborhoods.

Industry representatives urged more funding. Tristan Kinsey, director of sales and operations for Earthlight Technologies, said customers with existing solar call his company "on a daily basis" asking about incentives to add batteries; inconsistent funding has interrupted sales cycles, he said. Angela Crowley Cook, executive director of the Oregon Solar and Storage Industries Association (OSEA), told the committee the industry is seeking additional appropriations. She said OSEA is asking for "$20,000,000 for the biennium" because the program has historically used about $10,000,000 each year and has run out of funds in prior years; a separate speaker requested making $10,000,000 permanent in the ODOE budget.

The committee heard questions about payback and distributional effects. Senator Robinson asked how much homeowners save on electricity versus the program’s cost; Split replied she would provide supporting studies and data. Split said program staff and contractors have succeeded at exceeding the statutory low-income participation target and flagged a separate federal program, "Solar for All," for which ODOE holds an $87,700,000 award aimed at 100% low-income deployment.

On consumer protections, Crowley Cook said the House is considering a consumer-protection bill for solar sales and that ODOE should be able to incorporate similar protections into program rules. Industry and ODOE witnesses described the proposed rule authority as a way to align the rebate program with forthcoming consumer protections and to address market practices.

No formal vote or motion on Senate Bill 827 was recorded during the hearing. The committee closed the public hearing after testimony from ODOE staff and industry representatives.

Ending: Committee members asked ODOE to provide additional data on savings and payback timelines and noted the program’s distribution across districts. The bill will proceed through the committee process for further consideration and any budget discussions about program funding would move to Ways and Means.