Massachusetts has raised the caps on the Commonwealth's net
metering program. The governor's signature was inked on April
11, 2016 on a bill approved by the legislature last week, after
months of negotiation.
Net metering programs allow homeowners and other solar customers
to sell excess power they generate back to the electrical grid in
exchange for a credit. Each utility has a cap on the amount of
large-scale projects that can receive credits in their area.
Existing net metering caps have been reached in much of
Massachusetts, inhibiting further solar development in the
state.
The new law, seen by many as a compromise between the competing
interests of solar advocates and utility companies, will lift the
cap by 3 percent (from 4 percent to 7 percent of peak load for
privately owned systems, and from 5 percent to 8 percent for
municipally owned installations) for public and private projects.
While expanding the amount of eligible projects, the new law will
lower
