STAND. COM. REP. NO.  85-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2570

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 2570 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to encourage and facilitate the deployment of microgrids in the State by preventing counties from requiring buildings served by a microgrid to connect to another source of power and by excluding certain microgrids from regulation as a public utility.

The Alliance for Solar Choice and a few individuals provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Public Utilities Commission provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying that microgrids under twenty-five kilowatts are excluded from regulation as a public utility.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2570, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2570, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair