The state legislature has approved a bill that could
significantly increase renewable energy by expanding net metering to schools,
hospitals and nonprofit organizations, including churches.
Rep. Deb Ruggiero, who represents Jamestown and Middletown,
co-sponsored the bill in the House.
Net metering allows the owners of green energy to receive
credit for the power they feed into the electric grid. Remote net metering is
an arrangement that allows kilowatt-hours generated from one site to be credited
toward energy consumption at a different site.
Until last year, state law allowed only municipalities to
participate in remote net metering. In 2016, lawmakers expanded the program to
“community remote net metering,” which included affordable housing developments
and residential partnerships that split the credits.
This measure, which now heads to the governor, encourages
Rhode Islanders to invest in the development of renewable energy while opening
access to facilities that are not in the best location for wind or solar. These
investments allow more institutions to reduce their energy costs while helping
Rhode Island meet its goals for clean energy by using less power from fossil
fuels.
The measure is consistent with the state’s energy plan,
which was created to shift Rhode Island away from carbon power produced out of
state to cleaner, locally produced alternatives. The energy plan estimates the
status quo could cost Rhode Island between $6.6 billion and $15.4 billion more
in fuel costs compared to alternative energy by 2035.
According to the sponsors, the plan also will fuel job
growth and expand the green economy in Rhode Island by encouraging more
construction.
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