Letter to the Honorable Jeb Bradley, Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources - Lifting the Cap on Net Metering
Letter
The Honorable Jeb Bradley
Chair, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
State House, Room 302
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
Re: Senate Bill 333, relative to net energy metering
Dear Senator Bradley:
I am writing in support of Senate Bill 333, specifically its goal of lifting the current legislatively mandated cap on net metering that threatens the state's emerging innovative renewable energy industries and employers, particularly solar energy.
Solar is one of many clean energy resources in New Hampshire that contribute to a diverse and reliable energy supply, and one that businesses and families across the state have accessed to lower their energy bills and to increase their energy independence. And as we have seen with the opening of the SolarCity facility in Manchester, the arrival of other national companies like Sunrun, and the growth of many small local businesses, the solar industry is also creating good-paying, high-quality jobs, spurring economic development and boosting New Hampshire's growing clean energy economy.
As our clean energy sector continues to grow, it is critical that our state's regulatory environment keeps pace with technology and that we work to expand distributed generation, including the installation of solar technology, in order to continue building a more innovative and competitive 21st-century economy.
New Hampshire's families and businesses have invested millions of dollars in our local economy by installing solar arrays and other renewable generation facilities that make us more independent and keep our money closer to home. Our success means that we are now at or close to the statutory limit on net metering, a practice that allows utility customers to be compensated for the energy they send back to the electric grid. This consumer-driven progress must continue, and I support efforts to lift the cap on net metering as soon as is possible. I thank this bill's many sponsors for their efforts toward this goal.
I look forward to working with you to ensure the best outcome for the people of New Hampshire.
With every good wish,
Margaret Wood Hassan
Governor
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