Vermont

Vermont's original net-metering legislation was enacted in 1998, and the law has been expanded several times subsequently. Any electric customer in Vermont may net meter after obtaining a Certificate of Public Good from the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB). An application for a Certificate of Public Good for Interconnected Net Metered Power Systems is available on the program web site listed above.  
 
Net metering is generally available to systems up to 250 kilowatts (kW) in capacity that generate electricity using eligible renewable-energy resources, and to micro-combined heat and power (CHP) systems up to 20 kW. “Renewable energy” is defined as “energy produced using a technology that relies on a resource that is being consumed at a harvest rate at or below its natural regeneration rate.” Biogas from sewage-treatment plants and landfills, and anaerobic digestion of agricultural products, byproducts and wastes are explicitly included. (The term "renewable energy" explicitly excludes solid waste that is not agricultural or silvicultural, as well as nuclear fuel, coal, oil, propane and natural gas.)  
 
Net metering is available on a first-come, first-served basis until the cumulative capacity of net-metered systems equals 2% of a utility’s peak demand during 1996 or the peak demand during the most recent full calendar year, whichever is greater. The PSB is authorized to raise the 2% cap. Any customer net excess generation (NEG) is carried over to the customer’s next bill. Any NEG shall be used within 12-months of the month earned, if not, it is granted to the utility with no compensation for the customer. Any NEG reverting to the utility shall be considered qualifying Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) resources. Net metering is also available under a time-of-use metering arrangement.  
 
Vermont has established special provisions to allow “group net metering.” In order to set up such a net metering system, the group must file with the PSB and other relevant parties, the following information:  

• Which meters are part of the group;  
  
• Method for adding/removing meters;  
  
• Contact person responsible for communications and aggregate bill; and  
  
• A dispute resolution process.

The utility is required to issue a single aggregate monthly bill to the contact person and therefore allocation of NEG credits among group members is the responsibility of the group.  
 
Utilities may require a customer to comply with generation interconnection, safety and reliability requirements, as determined by the PSB, and may charge reasonable fees for interconnection, establishment, special metering, meter reading, accounting, account correcting, and account maintenance of net-metered systems greater than 15 kW in capacity. (Interconnection requirements for systems 150 kW or less are accessible at the program web site listed above. Interconnection requirements for systems greater than 150 kW must follow the interconnection procedures specified in PSB Rule 5.500)  
 
Note that Green Mountain Power, an investor-owned electric utility operating in Vermont, offers a bonus payment to customers with net-metered photovoltaic (PV) systems. In addition to the benefits of net metering, Green Mountain Power customers with a PV system receive a payment of $0.06 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated by the system. This payment is available to all customers of Green Mountain Power, which serves roughly one-quarter of Vermont's population. This program, known as Solar GMP, took effect in July 2008.