N.H. Admin. Code § Puc 909.13 - Low-Moderate Income Community Solar Projects

(a) The host customer-generator for a low-moderate income community solar project shall register as a low-moderate income community solar project group by providing the information in its registration application as specified in Puc 909.09(a)(1) through (17).

(b) A group registered with a low-moderate income community solar project shall receive additional on-bill monetary credits for all excess electricity production eligible under Puc 909.08(c) through (j), at the following rates for the specified time periods:

(1) An additional 3 cents per kilowatt-hour through July 1, 2021; and

(2) An additional 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour on July 2, 2021 and thereafter.

(c) The group host of a low-moderate income community solar project shall have the option to receive payment from the electric distribution utility on a monthly basis equal to the host's on-bill monetary credit amount in excess of the host's billed charges for the billing period.

(d) To register as a low-moderate income community solar project group, a project shall meet the following requirements:

(1) The host facility has an initial operational date on or after July 1, 2019;

(2) The host has elected for the group to receive on-bill credits pursuant to Puc 909.12;

(3) The host shall indicate whether it elects the monthly payment option provided under (c) above;

(4) The group includes at least 5 residential end-user customers;

(5) A majority of the residential end-user customers in the group have household income at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, as verified by the methods specified in (f) below;

(6) No more than 15 percent of the projected annual load for the group is attributable to non- residential end-user customers;

(7) A group member that is an affordable housing project will provide direct benefits to the tenants or residents of that project as provided in (e) below;

(8) No group member who is a residential end-user customer with household income at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines shall be charged or assessed any subscription fee, investment amount, termination fee, withdrawal charge, or other cost, expense, fee, charge, price, or other amount as a condition of his or her group membership; and

(9) Solely for the purposes of this paragraph (d), the projected annual load for a group that is attributable to non-residential end-user customers shall not include any such projected load attributable to affordable housing projects.

(e) A group member that is an affordable housing project shall provide direct, quantifiable benefits, such as rental payment reductions, building improvements, energy efficiency measures, wireless internet access, investments in new affordable housing units, or resident services to the extent not reimbursed or otherwise funded by a federal, state, or local source, to the tenants or residents of that project, unless the provision of such benefits would result in any tenant's or resident's ineligibility for, or reduction in the amount of benefits available from, any other federal, state, or local assistance program.

(f) The host shall be responsible for initial and ongoing annual income verification for group members who are residential end-user customers with household income at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, using one of the following income verification methods:

(1) Participation in the electric assistance program;

(2) Income verification performed by a community action agency;

(3) A complete copy of an award letter dated within 12 months of the income verification date for the Home Energy Assistance Program/Fuel Assistance Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or Supplemental Security Income;

(4) Verification of moderate income members with sufficient documentation to verify that annual income is at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines; or

(5) An alternative income verification method functionally equivalent to the methods described in (1) through (3) above that is proposed by a host and approved by the commission.

(g) The commission or its third party contractor may independently review and verify a host's income verification method and documentation, group members' income information, and eligibility criteria compliance for low-moderate income community solar projects.

(h) In addition to compliance with Puc 909.12(c) through (e), the host of a group registered as a low-moderate income community solar project shall make on-bill monetary credit percentage allocations to the host and group members such that the sum of such percentage allocations to members that are residential end-user customers with household income at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or affordable housing projects shall not be less than 12 percent of the total credit amount allocated to the host and all group members.

(i) Upon receipt of a host registration number for a group registered as a low-moderate income community solar project, the distribution utility shall thereafter allocate an on-bill monetary credit to the host's and each group member's account as follows:

(1) A total monetary credit shall be calculated for the host's net excess electricity exported to the distribution system at the end of each billing cycle, based on the alternative net metering tariff and host rate class, plus an additional 3 cents per kilowatt-hour through July 1, 2021 and 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour after that date;

(2) The total monetary credit for each billing cycle calculated pursuant to (1) above shall be distributed to the host's and members' accounts in accordance with the percentage allocations specified pursuant to Puc 909.12(c) through (e) and (h) above;

(3) The monetary credit shall be separately itemized on one line on a customer's bill and deducted from the balance due on the bill after all applicable charges and all other credits; and

(4) Monthly payments shall be made to any group host that has elected the monthly payment option provided under (c) above.

(j) The host of a group registered as a low-moderate income community solar project shall demonstrate the continuing eligibility of the group on an annual basis by providing the information required pursuant to Puc 909.10(a)(4).

Notes

N.H. Admin. Code § Puc 909.13

Derived from Volume XL Number 33, Filed August 13, 2020, Proposed by #13080, Effective 9/14/2020, Expires 9/14/2030