S-1723 : Still Just a Bill

Promoting Renewable Energy with Shared Solar Act of 2015

This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require an electric utility, upon the request of an electric consumer, to make available to the consumer interconnection service and net billing service for a solar photovoltaic system allocating electricity to multiple individual electric consumers of the utility and meeting other specified characteristics (community solar facility).

Each state regulatory authority and each nonregulated utility must, within specified time limitations, commence consideration of and finally determine ratemaking standards.

The bill makes conforming technical amendments to the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Certain ratemaking time limitations set out in PURPA, and requirements in case of a failure to comply with them, shall not apply in the case of any electric utility in a state if before enactment of this Act:

• the state has implemented the standard under this Act (or a comparable one) for the electric utility;
• the state regulatory authority or the relevant nonregulated electric utility has conducted a proceeding to consider implementation of the standard (or a comparable one) for the electric utility; or
• the state legislature has voted on the implementation of the standard (or a comparable one).