New MA clean energy bills clear energy committee

Several new clean energy bills recently cleared the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy that have the potential to help member business attract investments, create jobs, and save money. These, and others under consideration by the Legislature, would promote solar energy, energy efficiency, and an overall increase in the amount of renewable energy used across the state.

They include:

• S.1876, "An Act Relative to Enhancing RPS Standards," calls for a 3 percent annual increase in renewable energy while the House more recently introduced a similar bill (H. 2700) that would increase it by 1.2 percent in 2019 with incremental increases up to 2 percent by 2023.

• S.1871, "An Act Relative to Net Metering," and respective House bill (H. 2712) would allow solar panel owners to sell more of the excess energy that their panels feed back to the electrical grid -- providing an incentive for solar energy growth.

• H.3404, "An Act Relative to Expanding Resource Efficiency in the Commonwealth," and H.1724, "An Act Relative to Energy Efficiency" would help expand on MA's leadership on energy efficiency.

• H.2600, "An Act Relative to Promote Energy Storage Systems," and S.1874,"An Act Relative to Energy Storage Procurement for 2025 and 2030," would promote storage by creating a research center and calling for more studies as well as setting energy storage targets. Energy storage is widely considered "game-changing" technology that will enable renewable energy to be used on a much larger scale.

Stay tuned! Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy will keep you updated as these clean energy bills move through the legislature. If you are interested in learning more or getting more engaged, please contact Daren Cheatham at dcheatham@sfchamber.com.