STAND. COM. REP. NO.  643

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   H.B. No. 1520

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1520, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to support the State's overall clean energy objectives by:

     (1)  Exempting owners and operators of renewable energy generating facilities located on property owned by another person from regulation as a public utility when electricity generated by those facilities is supplied to that property owner or an electric utility; and

     (2)  Requiring the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to monitor the impact of net energy metering on existing electric utility ratepayers.

     SunRun, Inc. and The Solar Alliance supported this measure.  The PUC provided comments.

     Your Committee amended this bill by:

     (1)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments to, among other things, clarify the PUC's duty in monitoring net energy metering; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1520, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1520, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

ROBERT N. HERKES, Chair