South Carolina's Office of Regulatory Staff has filed an agreement with the state's Public Service Commission (PSC) that spells out solar net-metering policies.
The agreement, which has the support of public utilities, including Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress, proposes a methodology to calculate the value of solar generation based on its known and quantifiable benefits and costs, and also provides for direct incentives for distributed energy resources.
‘Cooperation was a key element when South Carolina passed solar legislation in June,’ says Clark Gillespy, Duke Energy South Carolina president. ‘Many of those same groups participating in that process have ironed out an agreement that will enable solar development in the state.’
The agreement has the support of Southern Environmental Law Center, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the Coastal Conservation League, the South Carolina Solar Business Alliance and other environmental, solar and business groups.
Under the agreement, net-metering customers as of Dec. 31, 2020, will continue to be credited at the retail rate through Dec. 31, 2025. The difference between the applicable retail rate and the value of net-metered solar generation as computed under the methodology proposed in the agreement will be treated as a distributed energy resource program net-metering incentive and collected from customers system-wide by the utilities.
The proposed agreement must be approved by the PSC. The full agreement can be found here.
