Let Our Powers Combine? Just 17 States Allow Aggregate Net Metering
Originally posted at ilsr.org.
In nearly every state, an electric customer can offset their own energy consumption with on-site power generation, such as a solar panel.
But for larger electric customers, net metering has a hitch.
In many states, the solar array (or other power generation) has to be attached to the same building (or meter) where the entity wants to offset energy use. So consider a corporate campus or set of city buildings. If Building A has a great roof for solar but Building B is where all the energy is used, tough luck. If you have a great carport for solar but it’s metered separately from the building’s electricity consumption, no deal.
“Aggregate net metering” is a modification to net metering that solves the problem by allowing electric customers to offset energy use at all meters or buildings with solar at any meter or building.
The following chart, a re-make of one from the North Carolina Solar Center, illustrates which states allow electric customers to aggregate their energy use across meters for net metering. Green states allow it, red states don’t, and states in gray have no net metering policy at all. Nevada allows aggregate net metering, but not for local governments. The other green states all allow it for municipalities.
Aggregate net metering is a crucial policy for expanding solar power, since it allows electric customers to find the best place for solar and to reduce their energy consumption. To understand more about how it matters, listen to our podcast with Charles Harris, project manager with Kansas City city government about how the lack of net metering reduced the city’s opportunity to reduce energy use with on-site solar power.
This article originally posted at ilsr.org. For timely updates, follow John Farrell on Twitter or get the Democratic Energy weekly update.
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In the Netherlands this is called the “kropje sla model” (the lettuce head model) . This means that if you grow your own lettuce you don’t get taxed for it indifferent if you grow it in the garden behind your house or on an allotment. This should be the same for solar power. unfortunately this idea resulted in de infamous postcoderoosregeling (postal code rose regulation). This means the PV installation can must be in the same or neighbouring postal code region as the owner. Co-operative projects are also allowed, as long as all the owners live in the same postal code rose. Unfortunately the regulation is so complicated that there are almost no system being build using this regulation
I’m not sure if this is accurate. The map shows that Arkansas (where I live) does not allow aggregate metering but we do allow for community solar projects – where a meter is parked behind a series of arrays that offsets the electric usage of a home or business miles and miles away.
Community solar falls under different regulation, it only “looks” like net metering.
You’re probably right. I need to figure out what the difference is then
Oh my “Nevada allows aggregate net metering, but not for local governments” what was the thinking there. The fact that there might be limits to how far apart the meters can be is a reasonable. Say all severed by same substation.