LANSING, Mich. — Democratic lawmakers and environmental activists are hoping for swift approval of legislation to give Michigan residents better access to rooftop and community solar, saying the state cannot reach its emissions goals otherwise.
The Michigan Legislature will return to session Sept. 5 after a summer-long recess with little more than a couple of weeks before the federal deadline to apply for grants under EPA’s Solar for All competition. Rep. Rachel Hood (D) said the Sept. 26 deadline will create pressure for quick action on the bills.
In a press briefing last week, Rep. Jenn Hill (D) said the House Energy, Communications and Technology Committee — of which she is a member — should meet early in the session to act on the legislation. She said there have been numerous meetings among supporters of the legislation while the Legislature has been on break.
Sen. Jeff Irwin (D) said he expected some Republican support on the legislation. In the last legislative session, several GOP members — mostly from Northern Michigan, where many residents are adopting solar energy — backed a bill to eliminate the statutory 1% cap on distributed energy. Utilities can exceed the cap on their own, and in its agreement on renewable adoption and rates, approved by the Public Service Commission last month, DTE Energy agreed to increase the cap to 6% of its load.
Legislation eliminating rooftop solar caps and encouraging development of community solar projects is before the House committee and the Senate Energy and Environment Committee.
SB 152, which is before the Senate panel and one of the bills lawmakers and activists want moved, is sponsored by Republican Sen. Ed McBroom. The measure would require the Michigan Public Service Commission to draft rules for the creation and financing of community solar projects, under which subscribers would receive bill credits.
House Bill 4839, sponsored by Hill, would allow the PSC to create a virtual power plant program. It was packaged with Rep. Donavan McKinney’s (D) HB 4840, which would provide rebates of $500/kWh for a new solar energy system and $300/kWh for a new battery storage system.
Other bills the lawmakers and activists want to see action on are SB 153, SB 362 and SB 363 as well as HB 4464, HB 4465 and HB 4466.
Hood called the bills “simple fixes” to ensure everyone in the state has access to renewable energy. Minnesota, she said, has enacted similar legislation on community solar, and its residents are saving money on their utility bills.
