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Senate committee advances SB202 with amendments after divided testimony on net energy metering
Summary
The joint Senate committee passed SB202 with amendments that remove member‑owned cooperatives from the bill and let the Public Utilities Commission set compensation rates; utility representatives warned of equity impacts while clean‑energy groups urged retention of net energy metering benefits.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, meeting jointly with other committees on Feb. 4 in Room 016, advanced Senate Bill 202, a measure addressing net energy metering (NEM), after hearing extended testimony for and against the bill.
Supporters and opponents told senators the bill would have wide consumer and grid implications. Kaʻiulani Shin Sato, speaking on behalf of Hawaiian Electric, said the utility “respectfully oppose[s] SB202,” arguing the bill “would effectively do away with the forfeiture feature of the NEM program” and that the feature “benefits all of our customers, including customers who live in condos or who don't have rooftop PV or who are struggling to pay the electric bills.”
Why it matters: NEM rules determine how rooftop solar owners are…
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