A bill to permit third-party ownership of small rooftop solar systems has landed on the desk of Gov. Nathan Deal after passing the Georgia House of Representatives in early February and the State Senate in late March.
“National solar installers like SolarCity, SunPower, SunEdison, and Vivint are likely to benefit from the legislation, which would allow residential customers to lease rooftop solar installations and sell the excess power they generate,” Greentech reports. The legislation “caps the size of residential solar projects at 10 kilowatts, and limits the amount of solar power commercial customers can generate at up to 125% of their annual peak demand.”
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The bill requires customers or installers to cover the cost of safety and interconnection equipment and permits utility fees “to protect public safety, power quality, and system reliability,” Pyper writes. Georgia Power, the state’s largest utility, “supported the legislation because we believe it allows for solar development in a cost-effective way, a way that protects the reliability of the grid and doesn’t burden the non-solar customer,” spokesperson John Kraft told Greentech.
