Encore CEO testifies in support of S.119

Encore CEO Chad Farrell provided testimony in support of S.119, a bill that has recently been introduced to complement Vermont’s existing net metering statute to allow for lower-priced renewable energy projects due to a larger scale. In response to demand by larger commercial and institutional electrical customers for renewable energy at a larger scale than the current net metering program allows, the bill, should it become law, would direct the Vermont Public Utility Commission to create a program for larger projects of between 500kW and 5MW based on a base rate that would be targeted at either utility avoided costs or a certain percentage of blended retail electricity rates, with adders and subtractors based on grid services, project location, preferred sites and other factors such as the inclusion of low to moderate income customers under a community solar aggregation concept, something that the State has lacked.