*Note: In February 2024, the Department of Public Utilities and the net metering rules. The rule changes added a first-in-the-nation mechanism that allows new solar net metering, and cap-exempt class II and class III facilities, to transfer credits across the state's distribution companies and the state's three ISO-NE load zones; and credits can also be transferred to customers in more than one company service territory. You can find a summary of the rule changes by clicking here.

In January 2023, the Department also opened an investigation (Docket No. 23-20) to implement revisions made according to Section 55

Note: In March 2017, the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued an order replacing net metering with a "buy-all, sell-all" compensation structure, which will gradually reduce the credit rate for energy produced by customer-generators from retail rate to the avoided cost rate. Although this entry is categorized as net metering, the policy adopted by the PUC does not meet DSIRE's definition of net metering, as self-consumption will no longer be permitted and production will no longer be netted one-to-one against consumption over the billing period.

Maine offers a Buy-All, Sell-All Compensation Program for new distributed generation customers, where a customer's

Idaho does not have a statewide net-metering policy. However, each of the state's three investor-owned utilities -- Avista Utilities, Idaho Power, and Rocky Mountain Power -- has developed a net-metering tariff that has been approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Idaho Power's net-metering tariff is Schedule 84. Systems owned or operated by residential and small general service customers must be 25 kW or smaller to participate in net metering. Large general service, large power service, and agriculture irrigation service customers may own or operate a system up to 100 kW to participate. 

In July 2013, the PUC

NOTE: In May 2018, S.B. 9 signed into law and made significant changes to the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard and Net Metering policies. The law ends net metering to new customers when the Residential Solar Investment Program ends on January 1, 2022. The existing net metering customers will be grandfathered until December 2039. Starting January 1, 2022, new customers will be able to select a buy-all, sell-all option, or net billing option under the new Net-Tariff program. The Public Utilities Regulator Authority (PURA) has finished implementing the new program as the Residential Renewable Energy Solutions Program. Non-residential customers can participate

Note: The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a decision in December 2022 phasing out the current Net Energy Metering (NEM 2.0) tariff and replacing it with a new net billing tariff. Customer generators who submit interconnection applications on or after April 15, 2023 will only be eligible for the new net billing tariff. The summary immediately below describes the existing NEM 2.0 rules, followed by a summary of the new net billing rules. 

NEM 2.0  

California's net-metering law originally took effect in 1996 and applies to all utilities except LADWP.  However, a number of publicly-owned utilities have reached

NOTE: On October 2016, the PA Public Service Commission (PUC) issued a final rulemaking order amending interconnection regulation to reflect the increase in limits on customer generation capacity, clarifying the definition of system size limit, and other minor amendments. The documents associated with the case can be accessed at Docket L-2014-2404361.

The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission was required to adopt interconnection standards and net-metering rules by the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act of 2004. The PUC subsequently adopted interconnection standards for net-metered distributed generation (DG) systems in August 2006. In July 2007, H.B.1203 required the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission

NET METERING

Eligibility and Availability

In December 2005 the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) adopted standards for net metering and interconnection, as required by Amendment 37, a renewable energy ballot initiative approved by Colorado voters in November 2004.

Customer-generators are eligible for net metering in Colorado for retail renewable distributed generation. The following sections describe the rules that apply to investor-owned utilities (IOUs), with last section detailing net metering for municipal utilities and electric cooperatives. All utilities subject to the below net metering rules are required to provide net metering service at non-discriminatory rates to customer-generators.

Systems sized

Nevada has a number of laws which prohibit restrictions on solar and wind energy systems. 

Nevada Revised Statutes 111.239 and 111.2395 relate to property. The laws disallow covenants, deeds, contracts, ordinances or other legal instruments which unreasonably restrict a property owner from using a solar or wind energy system on his or her property. For solar systems, unreasonable restrictions are those which decrease system performance by more than 10%. For wind systems, unreasonable restrictions are those which “significantly” decrease the efficiency or performance of the system. Further restrictions can be placed on a wind system based on its height, noise

Note: The Arizona Corporation Commission is currently considering changes to the state's Renewable Energy Standard in Docket No. E-00000Q-16-0289.

In November 2006, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) adopted final rules to expand the state's Renewable Energy Standard (RES) to 15% by 2025, with 30% of the renewable energy to be derived from distributed energy technologies. In June 2007, the state attorney general certified the rule as constitutional, allowing the new rules to go forward, and they took effect 60 days later. Investor-owned utilities and electric power cooperatives serving retail customers in Arizona, with the exception of distribution companies with

In 1983, Iowa became the first state in the U.S. to adopt a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) by enacting the Alternative Energy Production law. The Iowa RPS requires its two investor-owned utilities (MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy Interstate Power and Light) to own or to contract for a combined total of 105 megawatts (MW) of renewable generating capacity and associated energy production.

Eligible Technologies

Eligible resources include solar, wind, waste management, resource recovery, refuse-derived fuel, agricultural crops or residues, wood-burning facilities, or small hydropower facilities.

Requirements

The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) has allocated the 105 MW requirement between the two