House advances safety rules for plug‑in photovoltaic 'plug‑and‑play' solar devices

The House advanced S202, described by a committee sponsor as a safety‑focused measure to allow renters and others to participate in small‑scale solar while protecting building owners, utilities and line workers.

Representative Marorrow (member from Weston) told members that S202 defines a "plug‑in photovoltaic device" and requires safety features that prevent the unit from energizing a building's electrical system during an outage and that the devices be certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. He said the bill limits a customer's combined inverter capacity to no more than 1,200 watts per electric meter and requires devices to be compatible with smart meters or have equivalent protections.

The bill exempts qualifying plug‑in devices from the need to obtain a certificate of public good or an interconnection agreement and prohibits utilities from assessing installation fees; it also states that energy exported by such devices is not compensated by utilities and that devices are not eligible for net metering. The bill includes tenant/landlord provisions requiring tenants to provide 10 days' notice and gives landlords 10 days to impose reasonable restrictions or deny installation.

Representative Marorrow listed witnesses who testified to the committee, including utilities, Underwriters Laboratories, manufacturers, fire and safety representatives, landlord associations and advocacy groups. Committee support was reported in the transcript as a unanimous favorable vote, and the House proposed the committee‑amended bill to the Senate and ordered third reading.

Next steps: the Senate will receive the House's proposed amendments and the bill will proceed toward third reading on the House calendar.