Bill > A597

Introduced Session

This bill establishes the "Neighborhood Solar Energy Investment Program" to permit customers of an electric public utility (utility) to invest in solar energy projects. Under the bill, the Board of Public Utilities (board) is to permit a customer of a utility to invest in a solar energy project in a manner and at a price that is determined by the owner of a solar energy project, provided that the solar energy project is connected to the electric grid and located in the service territory of the utility which services the investing customer. A customer who has invested in a solar energy project is to be permitted a credit on the customer's utility bill for the amount of electricity that the customer's investment has produced, provided that the credit is less than or equal to the customer's annual electric usage in the previous energy year. A customer is to be compensated for any credits each billing period or at the end of the annual billing period. As determined by the board, the board is to require the owner of a solar energy project to provide a copy of its agreement with its investing customer to the customer's utility, report the amount of electricity produced by the customer's investment each billing period to the customer's utility, and notify the customer's electric public utility once the agreement between the owner of the solar energy project and the customer has been terminated. The bill provides that the board is to make available on its Internet website information on solar energy projects whose owners are seeking investors. The bill requires the board to establish standards and an application process for owners of solar energy projects who wish to be included in the Neighborhood Solar Energy Investment Program. The standards for the Neighborhood Solar Energy Investment Program are to include, but not be limited to, a verification process to ensure that solar energy projects are producing an amount of electricity that is greater than or equal to the amount of electricity that is being credited to its investors' electric utility bills.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Gary Schaer (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document