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Senate approves bill easing small distributed solar connections to the grid
Summary
After debate on safety and technical standards, the Senate passed House Bill 10-07 to make it easier for customers to deploy small, UL-listed distributed energy devices and to limit utilities' ability to require separate production meters.
The Colorado Senate on April 2 passed House Bill 10-07, a bill intended to improve a customer's ability to use distributed energy resources, including small UL-listed solar devices and so-called meter-collar adapters.
Senator Byron Pelton said he had safety concerns about backfeed from balcony-mounted solar devices and raised questions about utility interconnection. "The sponsors have done an excellent job ... to make sure that they keep that they worked with utilities," Pelton said, adding that equipment will need to be Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listed and that the sponsors worked with utilities and co-ops to address safety. His remarks framed his decision to support the bill.
Senator Marchman urged an aye vote, calling the measure an affordability bill that reduces costs for households that want to build resilience and lower energy bills without subsidies. The bill prohibits utilities from imposing a separate production meter as a condition of interconnection and asks the Public Utilities Commission to update related rules by the end of the year; municipal utilities and electric co-ops would follow the same standard.
Following debate, the Senate adopted the bill on third reading (recorded vote: 29 yeas, 4 nays, 2 excused). Supporters said the measure expands customer options for distributed generation while preserving safety standards; opponents expressed concerns that led to amendments and clarifying language negotiated with stakeholders.
The bill will proceed for enrollment; proponents noted the changes aim to lower barriers for homeowners and renters seeking small-scale generation and grid resilience.
