NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE UTILITY CONSUMER ADVOCATES
R E S O L U T I O N
Regarding Net Energy Metering for
Small-Scale Renewable Generating Facilities
WHEREAS, NASUCA supports the development and increased use of renewable resources and has promoted regulatory strategies to effectively encourage the development of renewable resources; and
WHEREAS, renewable energy production has steadily improved in cost-effectiveness and performance and promises continued improvement; and
WHEREAS, renewable energy supply brings fuel diversity benefits and mitigates fuel market power in the nation’s mix of energy supplies, and enhances national security, reduces dependence on imported fuels, and decreases environmental impacts; and
WHEREAS, public preference and customer demand support cost-effective renewable energy product development and commercialization; and
WHEREAS, net energy metering, an accounting mechanism whereby customers are billed only for their net energy consumption over a given billing period, provides a direct, inexpensive, and easily-administered mechanism for encouraging the demand side use of small scale renewable energy facilities; and
WHEREAS, net metering and greater distributed generation from renewable energy sources offer many technical and economic benefits to the electricity system, including helping to relieve stress on the transmission system, improving voltage conditions in load pocket areas, reducing transmission and distribution line loads and losses, and/or peak demand reduction; and
WHEREAS, over twenty states currently require utilities to make net energy metering available under terms and conditions that vary among states, and among individual utilities within those states; and
WHEREAS, greater support for net energy metering could help to remove or reduce market entry barriers, reduce the administrative burden and complexity of interconnecting small-scale renewable energy generating facilities, and encourage the effective use of such facilities;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that NASUCA urges states to consider measures to make net energy metering available to small-scale renewable generating facilities, and further request Congress and the FERC to identify and remove any barriers to state implementation of net energy metering; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NASUCA supports further exploration of issues relating to implementation of net energy metering including such issues as: the eligibility for net metering of different customer classes; generating technologies and generator sizes; the appropriate metering and interconnection requirements for net energy metering facilities; state and federal barriers to implementation; and such issues as funding mechanisms to address any revenue impacts associated with the implementation of net energy metering; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NASUCA authorizes its Executive Committee to develop specific positions and to take appropriate actions consistent with the terms of this resolution. The Executive Committee shall advise the membership of any proposed action prior to taking action if possible. In any event the Executive Committee shall notify the membership of any action pursuant to this resolution
Approved by NASUCA:
Submitted by:
Seattle, WA
Place
NASUCA Electricity Committee
June 10, 1998
Date
Larry Frimerman (OH), Chair
Thomas Brocato (TX)
Scott Cauchois (CA)
Barry Cohen (OH)
John P. Cook (IN)
Nancy Vaughn Coombs (SC)
Steve Corneli (MN)
Anne Curtin (NY)
George Dean (MA)
William Fields (MD)
Margaret Force (NC)
Brian Gallagher (DE)
Walker Hendrix (KS)
Jim Hurt (GA)
Bruce Johnson (CT)
Robert Kelter
Angela Kennedy (DC)
Eugene Koss (CT)
Ryan Kind (MO)
Thomas Nicholson (VA)
Charles Noble (NM)
Gerald Norlander (NY)
Blossom Peretz (NJ)
William Perkins (ME)
Irwin A. Popowsky (PA)
Fred Schmidt (NV)
Ben Stead (IA)
Kenneth Traum (NH)