Georgia

Incentives/Policies for Renewable Energy

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Georgia - Net Metering

Last DSIRE Review: 06/18/2009

Incentive Type:	Net Metering
State:	Georgia
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies:	Photovoltaics, Wind, Fuel Cells
Applicable Sectors:	Commercial, Industrial, Residential
Applicable Utilities:	All utilities
System Capacity Limit:	100 kW non-residential; 10 kW residential
Aggregate Capacity Limit:	0.2% of utility's peak demand during previous year
Net Excess Generation:	Credited to customer's next bill at a predetermined rate filed with the commission
REC Ownership:	Not addressed
Meter Aggregation:	Not addressed
Authority 1:	O.C.G. § 46-3-50 et seq.
Date Enacted:	4/28/2001
Date Effective:	6/1/2002

Summary:
Georgia enacted legislation in 2001 requiring all utilities -- investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities and electric cooperatives -- to offer net metering to customers. Eligible technologies include photovoltaic (PV) systems, fuel cells and wind turbines up to 10 kilowatts (kW) in capacity for residential applications, and systems up to 100 kW for commercial applications. The aggregate capacity of net-metered systems is limited to 0.2% of a utility's system peak demand from the previous year.

Utilities must offer bi-directional metering or single, directional metering to customers, depending on how the customer's facility is connected to the grid. Systems connected on the customer's side of the meter use a bi-directional meter, and any net excess generation (NEG) is credited to the customer's next bill at a predetermined rate filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission. Alternatively, a customer may choose to sell all electricity from a system (rather than using the electricity generated by the system) by connecting ahead of the meter. Georgia Power -- the state's only investor-owned utility -- purchases electricity from PV systems at a rate of 18.31 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), up to an aggregate capacity of 200 kW. A previous cap of 500 kW was reached, but the Public Service Commission approved an increase in the cap to allow an additional 200 kW. For more information, see the Georgia Power Solar Buyback Program.

Contact:

	Public Information - Georgia PSC Georgia Public Service Commission 244 Washington Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: (800) 282-5813 Phone 2: (404) 656-4501 Fax: (404) 656-2341 E-Mail: gapsc@psc.state.ga.us Web Site: http://www.psc.state.ga.us

	Rita Kilpatrick Southern Alliance for Clean Energy 427 Moreland Avenue NE, Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30307 Phone: (404) 659-5675 Fax: (770) 234-3909 E-Mail: kilpatrick@cleanenergy.org Web Site: http://www.cleanenergy.org

Please note: The information on the DSIRE web site provides an overview of incentives and other policies, but it should not be used as the only source of information when making purchasing decisions, investment decisions, tax decisions or other binding agreements. Please refer to the individual contact provided in each record to verify that a specific incentive or other policy is applicable to your specific project.