Bill > HB111

This bill aims to expand access to renewable energy by allowing for "shared renewable energy facilities," which are essentially community solar projects where individuals can purchase "subscription shares" or proportional interests in the energy generated by a facility, entitling them to a percentage of the energy produced. This allows renters and those with lower incomes to benefit from renewable energy even if they cannot install solar panels on their own property. The bill clarifies that owning or operating such a facility, or being a "shared renewable energy subscriber" (a purchaser of a share who is a customer of a public utility and receives net metering based on their shares), does not automatically classify them as a "public utility," which is a company that provides essential services like electricity and is subject to government regulation. For investor-owned utilities, the bill sets limits on the total capacity of shared renewable energy facilities they must allow, with gradual increases over time, and establishes a process for approving facility locations, prioritizing suitability based on the utility's infrastructure. Rural electric cooperatives are exempt from these specific requirements for investor-owned utilities but are generally permitted to allow shared renewable energy facilities. The bill also defines key terms like "host" (the customer using the energy at the facility's site), "renewable energy distributed generation facility" (a renewable energy production facility), and "site" (the property where the facility is located).