Utilities would connect shared solar projects and credit customer bills

Public utilities would connect qualifying shared solar facilities and apply credits to participating customers' accounts. This covers solar facilities in the utility's service territory that produce shared electricity for at least two local customers, with capacity from 50 kilowatts through 5 megawatts. Each customer's assigned share must represent at least 1 kilowatt of generating capacity. The utility would apply credits under rules adopted by the Public Service Commission. The facility owner must give the utility customer lists, account information, generation shares, and a single point of contact. The requirements would begin when the act takes effect, which the bill sets as passage and approval.

Utilities would calculate shared-solar credits each billing period, carry excess credits to the next bill, and transfer credits when an eligible customer changes accounts or designates another eligible customer. This covers retail customers receiving credits from a shared solar facility in the same utility service territory; subscribers may not also be customer-generators. Customers would still pay applicable minimum monthly fees when credits exceed their electricity use. Customers would pay for utility electricity not covered by their credits. A customer may assign its generation share to a nonprofit or the utility's low-income energy share program. The customer would own the renewable-energy credits tied to its assigned generation. Credit calculations and transfers would apply after the act takes effect and during each billing period.

The Public Service Commission would set shared-solar credit, participation, transfer, consumer-protection, and owner-participation rules, while facility owners would pay for required safety equipment and maintain the facility. The rules would cover all customer classes and shared solar facility owners, and would not remove customers from their existing utility customer class. The commission would need to adopt rules within one year after the act takes effect. Facility owners would have to meet commission safety, power-quality, and interconnection requirements at their own expense. Participation rules would need to be nondiscriminatory and include consumer protections under existing Montana law. Commission rulemaking would be due within one year after passage and approval; the proposed act would otherwise take effect on passage and approval.