In 2001, Vermont launched net metering, which lets owners of small renewable energy projects sell excess energy to utility companies. The program was later expanded to include energy cooperatives, encouraging more people to invest in renewable energy.
In 2008, a local utility company, Green Mountain Power, started paying a premium for energy produced by these projects. The Vermont government liked this program so much that, in 2011, they made all utilities in the state do something similar, requiring they pay an extra amount on top of their regular rates for net metering energy.
However, in 2017, it changed to paying out a blended rate based on a weighted average of residential rates of all utilities in Vermont. This meant lower returns for some residents, which has overall reduced the benefits of net metering in Vermont.