An Act Regarding Large-scale Community Solar Procurement
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1444
Committee Amendment CA_A_S359 (Senate)
Amends: 35-A MRSA §3209-A

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 499, L.D. 1444, Bill, "An Act 
Regarding Large-scale Community Solar Procurement" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act To Prohibit Gross Metering' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3209-A, as corrected by RR 2017, c. 1, §32, is amended to 
read: 
§3209-A. Net energy billing 
The commission may adopt or amend rules governing net energy billing. Rules 
adopted or amended under this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. "Net energy billing" means a billing and metering practice 
under which a customer is billed on the basis of net energy over the billing period taking 
into account accumulated unused kilowatt-hour credits from the previous billing period. 
1. Billing based on gross output prohibited. A customer may not be required to 
meter the gross output of a facility used for net energy billing purposes in order to 
participate in net energy billing. Net energy for a net energy billing customer must be 
calculated based on the difference between the ldlowatt-hours delivered by a transmission 
and distribution utility to that customer over a single billing period and the kilowatt-hours 
exported by that customer to the transmission and distribution utility over that same 
billing period, taking into account accumulated unused kilowatt-hour credits from the 
previous billing period. For the purposes of this subsection, "gross output" means all of 
the energy generated by a facility used by a net energy billing customer for net energy 
billing purposes during an applicable period, including all energy that is used to offset the 
usage of that customer. 
2. Shared interest. In the service territory of an investor-owned transmission and 
distribution utility, the number of net energy billing customers that participate in net 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to S.P. 499, L.D. 1444 
energy billing through a shared interest or the number of meters associated with a shared 
interest may not exceed 50. For the purposes of this subsection, "shared interest" means 
an interest in a facility used for net energy billing purposes shared by multiple net energy 
billing customers that have distinct billing accounts with an investor-owned transmission 
and distribution utility. 
This subsection is repealed July 1, 2020. 
Sec. 2. Rules. The Public Utilities Commission shall amend its net energy billing 
rules by October 1, 2018 to conform with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 
3209-A, subsections 1 and 2. The commission may not make any other changes to rules 
adopted pursuant to Title 35-A, section 3209-A except as required by this section until 
July 1, 2020.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment is the majority report of the committee, and it replaces the bill and 
changes the title. It prohibits a transmission and distribution utility from requiring a 
customer to meter the gross output of a facility used for net energy billing purposes in 
order to participate in net energy billing. It specifies that net energy is calculated based 
on the difference between the kilowatt-hours delivered by a transmission and distribution 
utility to a customer over a single billing period and the kilowatt-hours exported by that 
customer to the transmission and distribution utility over the same billing period, taking 
into account unused kilowatt-hour credits. In the service territory of an investor-owned 
transmission and distribution utility, it limits the number of net energy billing customers 
that may participate in net energy billing through a shared interest or the number of 
meters associated with a shared interest to 50 until July 1, 2020. It requires the Public 
Utilities Commission to amend its net energy billing rules by October 1, 2018 to conform 
with these provisions. It prohibits the commission from making any other changes to its 
net energy billing rules until July 1, 2020. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Approved: 02/12/18 feac.. 
LD 1444 
LR 1425(03) 
An Act Regarding Large-scale Community Solar Procurement 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment "j/ 
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - Other Special Revenue Funds 
cs-35q) 
Any additional costs to the Public Utilities Commission as a result of modifications to the laws regarding net energy 
billing are anticipated to be minor and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LR1425(03) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1