An Act To Modernize Maine's Solar Power Policy and Encourage Economic Development
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1649
Committee Amendment CA_C_H668 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT • .c_" to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649, Bill, "An Act To 
Modernize Maine's Solar Power Policy and Encourage Economic Development" 
Amend the bill in section 4 in §34 71-A by inserting before subsection 1 the 
following: 
'1. Agricultural business. "Agricultural business" means a business located in the 
State and engaged in the commercial growing or harvesting of plants; raising of animals; 
growing or obtaining plant or animal by-products; aquaculture, as defined in Title 12, 
section 6001, subsection 1; or further processing, storing, packaging or marketing a raw 
product derived from plants, animals, plant or animal by-products or aquaculture, as 
defined in Title 12, section 6001, subsection 1. with the intent that the product be sold or 
otherwise disposed of to generate income. "Agricultural business" includes a business or 
activity that attracts visitors to a farm for the pt1tpose of supplementing income from the 
primary crop or livestock operation. "Agricultural business" does not include a business 
engaged primarily in the growing, harvesting or further processing of forest species of 
trees for the purpose of producing pulp or other materials used in the paper manufacturing 
or wood manufacturing process.' 
Amend the bill in section 4 in §3471-A in subsection 4 in the 4th line (page 3, line 15 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "this section the beneficial use of the output of the 
resources" and inserting the following: 'section 3478 the beneficial use of the output' 
Amend the bill in section 4 in §3471-A by striking out all of subsection 6 (page 3, 
lines 18 to 27 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'6. Micro-combined heat and power system. "Micro-combined heat and power 
system" means a system that produces heat and electricity in a manner as defined by 
commission rule.' 
Amend the bill in section 4 in §3471-A by renumbering the subsections to read 
consecutively. 
Amend the bill in section 5 by striking out all of subsection 3 (page 4, lines 5 to 8 in 
L.D.) and inserting the following: 
Page I - 127LR2731(04)-1 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "6 to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
'3. Solar procurements. The commission shall procure solar distributed generation 
resources in the municipal, large-scale community, commercial and industrial, residential 
and small business and agricultural business market segments to achieve the targets in 
section 3475 using the procurement methods described in this chapter as long as the cost 
does not exceed the rate caps established in section 3475. 
A contract for the procurement of solar distributed generation resources under this 
chapter may not be entered into after January 31, 2021.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in the first line (page 4, line 19 in L.D.) by striking out 
the following: "3481" and inserting the following: '3482' 
Amend the bill in section 6 by striking out all of §3475 (page 4, lines 20 to 35 in 
L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'§3475. Solar procurement targets 
1. Municipal. The procurement target for the municipal solar distributed generation 
resources under section 3477 is 50 megawatts by January 1, 2022, to the extent that the 
target can be achieved under the rate cap in paragraph A. 
A. The rate paid to municipal solar distributed generation resources may not exceed 
80% of the rate cap under subsection 4. 
2. Large-scale community. The procurement target for the large-scale community 
solar distributed generation resources under section 3478 is 30 megawatts by January 1, 
2022, to the extent that the target can be achieved under the rate cap in paragraph A. 
A. The rate paid to large-scale community solar distributed generation resources may 
not exceed 80% of the rate cap under subsection 4. 
3. Commercial and industrial. The procurement target for the commercial and 
industrial solar distributed generation resources under section 3479 is 50 megawatts by 
January 1, 2022, to the extent that the target can be achieved under the rate cap in 
paragraph A. 
A. The rate paid to commercial and industrial solar distributed generation resources 
may not exceed 80% of the rate cap under subsection 4. 
4. Residential and small business. The procurement target for the residential and 
small business solar distributed generation resources under section 3480 is 75 megawatts, 
to the extent that the target can be achieved under the following rate caps: 
A. Twelve cents per kilowatt-hour through calendar year 2017; 
3 
B. Eleven and 1/2 cents per kilowatt-hour through calendar year 2018; 
C. Eleven cents per kilowatt-hour through calendar year 2019: 
D. Ten and 1/2 cents per kilowatt-hour through calendar year 2020; and 
E. Ten cents per kilowatt-hour through calendar year 2021. 
7 
5. 
Agricultural business. 
The procurement target for the agricultural business 
distributed generation resources under section 3481 is 20 megawatts, to the extent that the 
target can be achieved under the rate cap established under subsection 4.' 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "l" to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
Amend the bill in section 6 in section §3476 in subsection 2 by striking out all of 
paragraph B (page 5, lines 15 to 17 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'B. 
Reimburse investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities for any bill 
credit or payment to a customer, subscriber or project sponsor pursuant to section 
3477, 3478, 3479, 3480 or 3481;' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3476 in subsection 3 by striking out all of paragraphs 
Band C (page 5, lines 36 to 39 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'B. 
All payments to customers, subscribers and project sponsors under each 
procurement pursuant to sections 34 77 to 3481; 
C. 
Any costs of providing renewable energy credits to participating customers 
pursuant to section 3478, subsection 8 and section 3480, subsection 7; and' 
Amend the bill in section 6 by striking out all of §3477 and inserting the following: 
'§3477. Municipal solar procurement 
1. 
Procurement. 
The commission shall conduct a competitive solicitation as 
frequently as the commission determines reasonable but no less than once per year for 
long-term contracts for the output of solar distributed generation resources of up to 5 
megawatts associated with a single municipal customer account. In each calendar year, 
the commission shall seek to procure approximately 20% of the capacity needed to meet 
the procurement target in section 3475, subsection 1; except that the commission may 
modify this annual allocation if it concludes that doing so would be in the best interests of 
all ratepayers. Prior to a solicitation, the commission shall develop, in consultation with 
the standard buyer, a standard contract that commits all parties to commercially 
reasonable behavior and includes provisions to ensure that projects proceed to 
commercial operation on a reasonable timeline. 
2. Bidder eligibility. The commission may establish minimum requirements for 
bidders in a solicitation under subsection 1, including but not limited to site control, 
completion of an interconnection application and system details for potential bidders. The 
commission may require bidders to pay an application fee to defray administrative costs. 
3. 
Ensuring competition. 
Prior to each solicitation under subsection 1, the 
commission shall establish standards to ensure that the solicitation has a sufficient 
number of unique bidders and quantity of offered capacity to be determined competitive. 
If the commission concludes based on these standards that a solicitation is not 
competitive, no bidders may be selected and the capacity available in that solicitation 
must be deferred to a subsequent solicitation. The commission may adjust the maximum 
project size eligible for a solicitation to ensure that there is more than one bid selected. 
4. Bid selection. Following review of bids, if the commission determines that the 
solicitation under subsection 1 is competitive, the commission shall select one or more 
winning bidders and direct the standard buyer to negotiate and enter into a contract with 
the winning bidder or bidders for a term of 15 years at a specified contract rate. When 
selecting bids, the commission shall consider the geographic distribution of solar 
distributed generation resources in the State, grid reliability and overall economic 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. c.,,, to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
benefits. The commission shall select bids that maximize benefits or minimize costs to all 
ratepayers. 
5. Determination of bill credit. A bill credit must be allocated to the municipal 
customer or the eligible customers as designated by the municipal customer. For the 
purposes of this section, "eligible customer" means the following customers located 
within a municipality: 
A. Any municipal entity; 
B. A quasi-municipal corporation or district as defined in Title 30-A, section 2351, 
subsection 4; or 
C. A school administrative unit as defined in Title 20-A, section 1, subsection 26. 
The bill credit to be allocated to a municipal customer or the eligible customers must be 
based on the total kilowatt-hours of energy production of the solar distributed generation 
resource for the previous month. Each billing month, the value of the credits must be 
calculated by multiplying the number of kilowatt-hours by the contract rate. Payments to 
a customer must be credited against the customer's monthly electricity bill in accordance 
with section 3482. 
The monthly production must be determined by a revenue-grade meter installed and paid 
for by the participating municipal customer. 
6. 
Exemption. 
A customer is not considered a public utility or competitive 
electricity supplier solely as a result of entering into a contract with the standard buyer 
under this section. 
7. Rules. The commission shall adopt rules to implement this section by January 1, 
2017. Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3478 by striking out all of subsection 4 (page 7, lines 
to 25 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'4. Bid selection. Following review of bids in a solicitation under subsection 1, if the 
commission determines that the solicitation is competitive, the commission shall select 
one or more winning bidders and direct the standard buyer to negotiate and enter into a 
contract with the winning bidder or bidders for a term of 15 years at a specified contract 
rate. When selecting bids, the commission shall consider the geographic distribution of 
solar distributed generation resources in the State, grid reliability and overall economic 
benefits. The commission shall select bids that maximize benefits or minimize costs to 
all ratepayers.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3478 in subsection 6 in the first paragraph in the last 
line (page 8, line 2 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "3481" and inserting the 
following: '3482' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3478 in subsection 8 by striking out all of the last 4 
lines (page 8, lines 13 to 16 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'The commission shall establish a mechanism to allow a subscriber to a large-scale 
community solar distributed generation resource under this section to purchase renewable 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "c..." to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
energy credits equivalent to those the subscriber has sold to the standard solar buyer at a 
price equal to 80% of market value.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3478 in subsection 10 in paragraph B in the 2nd line 
(page 8, line 33 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "3481" and inserting the following: 
'3482' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in § 34 79 by striking out all of subsection 4 (page 10, lines 
to 16 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'4. Bid selection. Following review of bids, if the commission determines that the 
solicitation is competitive, the commission shall select one or more winning bidders and 
direct the standard buyer to negotiate and enter into a contract with the winning bidder or 
bidders for a term of 15 years at a specified contract rate to be paid as a bill credit to the 
commercial and industrial customer. When selecting bids, the commission shall consider 
the geographic distribution of solar distributed generation resources in the State, grid 
reliability and overall economic benefits. 
The commission shall select bids that 
maximize benefits or minimize costs to all customers.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3479 in subsection 5 in the first paragraph in the last 
line (page 10, line 22 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "3481" and inserting the 
following: '3482' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3480 by striking out all of subsections 1 to 3 (page 10, 
lines 32 to 40 and page 11, lines 1 to 23 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'l. Long-term contracts. The standard buyer shall enter into a long-term contract of 
no longer than 15 years with a residential or small business customer for the output of a 
distributed generation resource of 250 kilowatts or less. The rate paid for the output must 
be set by the commission in accordance with subsection 2. Payments to customers under 
a contract under this section must be credited against the customer's monthly electricity 
bill in accordance with section 3482. 
2. Rates. The commission shall establish the rates to be paid for the output of 
distributed generation resources under a contract between a residential or small business 
customer and the standard buyer under subsection 1. 
The rates established by the 
commission under this section may not exceed the rate cap established under section 
3475, subsection 4. 
Rates must be sufficient to ensure, to the extent possible, that the total capacity of 
installations meets the residential and small business procurement targets set forth in 
section 3475, subsection 4. In determining whether rates are sufficient, the commission 
shall consider independent analysis of installation costs and development projections in 
establishing the rates, including but not limited to those from the United States 
Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, National 
Renewable Energy Laboratory. 
The commission may establish separate rates for specific types of distributed generation 
resources or additional incentives or a per kilowatt-hour increase in contract price for 
resources with attributes that maximize benefits or lower costs to all customers, subject to 
the rate cap established under section 3475, subsection 4.' 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. c_; to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
Amend the bill in section 6 in § 3480 in subsection 4 in the first line (page 11, line 24 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "section" and inserting the following: 'subsection' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3480 in subsection 6 in the 3rd line (page 11, line 38 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "10" and inserting the following: '2.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3480 in subsection 6 in the 4th line (page 11, line 39 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "10" and inserting the following: '2.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3480 in subsection 6 in the last line (page 11, line 41 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "ll" and inserting the following: '10' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3480 by striking out all of subsection 7 (page 12, lines 
to 24 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'7. Existing net energy billing customers. A customer who has elected net energy 
billing pursuant to section 3209-A prior to the effective date of rules established pursuant 
to subsection 9 continues to be eligible for compensation in the form of a kilowatt-hour 
credit on the customer's monthly electricity bill for generation in excess of that customer's 
consumption for that month. which may be carried forward and applied to the customer's 
subsequent monthly electricity bills over 12 months, or the financial equivalent of that 
credit. for 12 years from the effective date of rules established pursuant to subsection 9. 
Notwithstanding the limitation on facility size under subsection 1. the commission shall 
establish a process to permit customers eligible under this subsection to enter into 
contracts and receive payments under subsections 1 and 2. 
Notwithstanding the limitation on facility size under subsection 1. a customer who has 
elected net energy billing between January 1. 2016 and the effective date of the rules 
established pursuant to subsection 9 may choose to enter into a contract at the initial rate 
established by the commission under subsection 2 prior to any decline in rate. as long as 
that customer makes that choice within one year of the effective date of the rules. 
The capacity of a net energy billing customer who has installed a solar distributed 
generation resource and participated in net energy billing under section 3209-A prior to 
the effective date of rules established pursuant to subsection 9 and elects to enter into a 
long-term contract under this subsection may not be counted against the procurement 
target in section 3475. subsection 4 or the cap on total annual contract payments under 
subsection 2 or trigger any decline in prices. 
No later than December 31. 2028. the commission shall initiate a proceeding to consider 
methods to allow an owner of a distributed generation resource to continue to offset that 
owner's own consumption and receive fair compensation for exported power in a manner 
that benefits all ratepayers.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3480 by striking out all of subsection 11 (page 12, 
lines 42 and 43 and page 13, lines 1 to 26 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'11. Program review. By one year after the effective date of rules adopted pursuant 
to subsection 9. or when 14 megawatts of capacity have been installed by residential and 
small business customers pursuant to this section, whichever is earlier. the commission 
shall initiate an expedited proceeding to determine whether: 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"C,: to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
A. The procurement targets in section 3475, subsection 4 are likely to be met through 
2022;and 
B. The total cost to all customers is likely to be less than if the procurement targets in 
section 3475, subsection 4 were installed under the commission's net energy billing 
rules. 
If at the time of a proceeding under this subsection the commission concludes that there is 
not sufficient information to conduct an evaluation of the conditions under paragraphs A 
and B, the commission may defer the evaluation for an additional 6 months. 
If the commission concludes that both conditions under paragraphs A and B will be met, 
the rules established pursuant to subsection 9 remain in effect, and net energy billing 
pursuant to section 3209-A is not available to new customers in the future. 
If the commission concludes that the condition under paragraph A or B will not be met, 
the commission shall make findings regarding the reasons the condition will not be met 
and provide a report summarizing its conclusions to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over utility matters within 30 days of the start of the First 
Regular Session of the 129th Legislature. If the commission determines that the rules 
adopted under this section can be modified to enable the program to meet procurement 
targets or reduce costs so that the conditions under paragraphs A and B are likely to be 
met in the future, it shall make and submit such changes to the First Regular Session of 
the 129th Legislature. If the commission determines that these rules cannot be modified 
to meet these targets or reduce costs, the commission shall review its net energy billing 
rules or recommend alternative mechanisms to support distributed generation in a manner 
that benefits all ratepayers. If the commission does not propose changes to the rules 
adopted pursuant to subsection 9 or new rules are not adopted within 60 days of the 
adjournment of the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature, net energy billing 
pursuant to section 3209-A must be made available to new customers beginning 60 days 
after adjournment of the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in §3480 by renumbering the subsections to read 
consecutively. 
Amend the bill in section 6 by inserting after §3480 the following: 
'§3481. Agricultural business solar procurement 
1. Long-term contracts. The standard buyer shall enter into a 15-year long-term 
contract with an agricultural business customer for the output of a distributed generation 
resource of 500 kilowatts or less. The rate paid for the output must be set by the 
commission in accordance with subsection 2. Payments to a customer under a contract 
under this section must be credited against the customer's monthly electricity bill in 
accordance with section 3482. 
2. Rates. The commission shall establish the rates to be paid for the output of 
distributed generation resources under a contract between an agricultural business 
customer and the standard buyer under subsection 1. The rates established by the 
commission under this section may not exceed the rate cap established under section 
3475, subsection 5. 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. c_;, to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
Rates must be sufficient to ensure to the extent possible that the total capacity of 
installations meets the agricultural business procurement targets set forth in section 3475, 
subsection 5. In determining whether rates are sufficient, the commission shall consider 
independent analysis of installation costs and development projections in establishing the 
rates, including but not limited to those from the United States Department of Energy, 
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, National Renewable Energy 
Laboratory. 
3. 
Self-consumption. 
Notwithstanding subsection 1, an agricultural business 
customer may offset that customer's own consumption using that customer's distributed 
generation resource on an hourly basis. The commission may specify a longer period for 
measuring self-consumption if it determines that a transmission and distribution utility 
cannot track consumption on an hourly basis using a standard residential meter. 
4. Renewable energy credits. A participating agricultural business customer retains 
all environmental attributes associated with electricity generated by a distributed 
generation resource that is not exported to the grid and sold to the standard buyer. The 
commission shall develop a standard disclosure to be provided to all participating 
customers prior to their entering into a contract under this section that describes the effect 
of selling the renewable attributes of exported electricity to the standard buyer and 
explains how a customer may participate in the voluntary renewable energy credit 
market. 
The commission shall establish a mechanism to allow an agricultural business customer 
who has entered into a long-term contract under this section to purchase renewable 
energy credits equivalent to those the customer has sold to the standard solar buyer at a 
price equal to 80% of market value. 
5. Consumer-owned utility exemption. This section does not apply to a consumer-
owned transmission and distribution utility and its customers. 
6. Rules. The commission shall adopt rules to implement this section by January 1. 
2017. Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 by renumbering any nonconsecutive section number to 
read consecutively. 
Amend the bill in section 7 in the first line (page 13, line 40 in L.D.) by striking out 
the following: "Siting of solar distributed generation resources." and inserting the 
following: 'Report; siting of solar distributed generation resources on pre-existing 
impervious surfaces or brownfields.' 
Amend the bill by adding after section 7 the following: 
'Sec. 8. 
Report; siting of solar distributed generation resources on 
farmland. 
By January 1, 2017, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and 
Forestry shall submit to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over energy and utilities matters and the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over agricultural matters a report that evaluates what 
actions can be taken to ensure that any new solar distributed generation resource procured 
pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, sections 3477 to 3479 and proposed 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "C,;.' to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
to be built on farmland designated as "prime farmland" or "farmland of statewide 
importance" by the United States Department of Agriculture is designed and built in a 
manner that does not remove topsoil or otherwise permanently impair the suitability of 
that land for future agricultural use. The report must also include an evaluation of what 
actions can be taken to ensure that the decommissioning of solar distributed generation 
resources procured pursuant to Title 35-A, sections 3477 to 3479 on farmland that is 
designated as "prime farmland" or "farmland of statewide importance" occurs in a 
manner that enables the farmland to be returned to agricultural use. The report may 
include recommendations for legislation that may be necessary to address these issues. 
The joint standing committees may each report out a bill to the First Regular Session of 
the 128th Legislature based on the report. The Public Utilities Commission may not 
contract for a new solar distributed generation resource pursuant to Title 35-A, sections 
3477 to 3479 if it is to be sited on farmland designated as "prime farmland" or "farmland 
of statewide importance" by the United States Department of Agriculture until 90 days 
after the First Regular Session of the 128th Legislature. 
Sec. 9. Reports. By February 1, 2019 and again by February 1, 2021, the Public 
Utilities Commission shall submit to the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over utilities and energy matters a report on the status of solar 
distributed generation resource procurement. 
Each report must include the level of 
procurement for each solar distributed generation resource segment and how that 
compares to the procurement targets for those segments established in the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 35-A, section 3475. If the commission determines that procurement targets 
are unlikely to be met, the report must include recommendations to achieve procurement 
targets. The report may also include other recommendations as they relate to Title 35-A, 
chapter 34-B. The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
utilities and energy matters may report out a bill relating to solar distributed generation 
resource procurement to the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature and may also 
report out a bill relating to solar distributed generation resource procurement to the First 
Regular Session of the 130th Legislature. 
Sec. 10. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF 
Geological Survey 0237 
Initiative: Provides funds to hire a consultant to assist the department in preparing a 
report related to solar distributed generation resources proposed to be built on certain 
farmland. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
2015-16 
$0 
$0 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
2016-17 
$10,000 
$10,000 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "V to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND 
FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS 
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION 
Public Utilities - Administrative Division 0184 
2015-16 
2016-17 
$0 
$10,000 
$0 
$10,000 
Initiative: Establishes one Utility Analyst - Public Services Coordinator III position and 
one Staff Attorney - Public Services Coordinator III position. 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT 
Personal Services 
All Other 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS 
SECTION TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
SECTION TOTAL -ALL FUNDS 
SUMMARY 
2015-16 
0.000 
$0 
$0 
$0 
2015-16 
$0 
$0 
2015-16 
$0 
$0 
$0 
2016-17 
2.000 
$203,946 
$11,372 
$215,318 
2016-17 
$215,318 
$215,318 
2016-17 
$10,000 
$215,318 
$225,318 
This amendment is the minority report of the committee. This amendment does the 
following. 
1. It corrects cross-references in the bill to other sections within the bill and corrects 
terminology for consistency. 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"L" to H.P. 1120, L.D. 1649 
2. 
It removes the grid-scale segment and adds a municipal solar distributed 
generation resource segment and an agricultural business solar distributed generation 
resource segment. 
3. It changes the procurement targets for all segments and sets decreasing rate caps. 
4. It reduces the term for a contract to 15 years, except in the residential and small 
business segment, which is no longer than 15 years. 
5. It removes provisions related to rates that are no longer applicable due to the rate 
caps. 
6. It clarifies that existing net energy customers may enter into contracts even if they 
exceed the facility size limitations in the bill for a residential and small business 
distributed generation resource. 
7. It changes the time frame for program review of the residential and small business 
segment to one year or when 14 megawatts of capacity have been installed, whichever is 
earlier, instead of 18 months or 21 megawatts as in the bill. 
8. It changes the reporting date on the program review from the Second Regular 
Session of the !29th Legislature to the First Regular Session of the !29th Legislature. 
9. It requires the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to submit a 
report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy 
and utilities matters and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over agricultural matters that evaluates what actions can be taken to ensure 
that any new solar distributed generation resource procured pursuant to the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, sections 3477 to 3479 on "prime farmland" or "farmland of 
statewide importance" is designed, built and decommissioned in a manner that retains 
topsoil and enables the farmland to be returned to agricultural use. Each committee is 
authorized to report out a bill to the First Regular Session of the 128th Legislature based 
on the report. 
10. 
It prohibits the Public Utilities Commission from contracting for new solar 
distributed generation resources to be sited on farmland designated as "prime farmland" 
or "farmland of statewide importance" until 90 days after the First Regular Session of the 
128th Legislature. 
11. It adds 2 reporting requirements, one in 2019 and one in 2021 to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over utilities and energy 
matters on the status of solar distributed generation resource procurement. It requires the 
Public Utilities Commission to report on the status of procurement for each distributed 
generation resource segment. If procurement targets are not likely to be met, the 
commission is directed to include recommendations to achieve those targets. 
The 
committee may report out a bill to the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature and 
may report out a bill to the First Regular Session of the 130th Legislature. 
12. It adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/12/16 fea<:!. 
LD 1649 
LR 2731(04) 
An Act To Modernize Maine's Solar Power Policy and Encourage Economic Development 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment C' (µ. -',a) 
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Revenue 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2015-16 
$0 
$0 
$0 
$0 
FY 2016-17 
$10,000 
$10,000 
$215,318 
$215,318 
Projections 
FY 2017-18 
$0 
$0 
$252,998 
$252,998 
Projections 
FY 2018-19 
$0 
$0 
$263,258 
$263,258 
The bill requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to arrange for a solar power offer, conduct competitive 
solicitations for solar distributed generation resources and initiate a proceeding. The bill establishes one Utility 
Analyst - Public Services Coordinator III position and one Staff Attorney - Public Services Coordinator III position to 
take part in the required proceedings, rulemakings and periodic solicitations and contract evaluations. This bill 
includes an Other Special Revenue Funds allocation of $215,318 in fiscal year 2016-17 for these two positions. The 
PUC will receive $215,318 in Other Special Revenue Funds revenue in fiscal year 2016-17 from increased 
assessments to fund these two new positions. 
The bill also requires the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF) to submit a report to the 
Legislature that evaluates what actions can be taken to ensure that any new solar distributed generation resource 
procured and proposed to be built on certain farmland does not remove topsoil or impair the suitabiltiy of that land for 
agricultural use. ACF has indicated the cost to hire a consultant to prepare this report would be $10,000. The bill 
includes a one-time General Fund appropriation in fiscal year 2016-17 for this purpose. 
LR273 l (04) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1