FERC dismisses petition to end state jurisdiction over net metering

Solar Power
A foggy morning with an orange sun which I thought would look cool behind a street lamp.
By James P. Mann on 2015-07-11 06:47:32
tags FERC dismisses petition to end state jurisdiction over net metering

July 17 (Renewables Now) – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Thursday dismissed a petition that aimed to put an end to state and local jurisdiction over net metering programmes.

The petition was filed by the New England Ratepayers Association (NERA), which argues that FERC improperly disclaimed jurisdiction over net metering. By dismissing this stance, the commission leaves individual states the right to establish their own net energy metering policies.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) applauded the ruling, with president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper referring to the petition as “flawed”, while the head of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), Gregory Wetstone, commented that it is a “commonsense decision”.

According to ACORE, a shift to federal jurisdiction would have severely limited the appeal of net metering by reducing the compensation rate received by participants.