Snow this morning will change to rain showers this afternoon. High 42F. ESE winds shifting to W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 23F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Updated: April 7, 2026 @ 9:57 am
In this 2021 photo, Dan Weeks, vice president for business development for ReVision Energy, shows the array of solar panels on the roof of the Associated Grocers’ distribution facility in Pembroke.
Senior Political Reporter
Major private employers and renewable energy advocates urged a House committee to increase by five times how much of their own electricity industrial customers could generate and sell any excess back to the power grid.
In this 2021 photo, Dan Weeks, vice president for business development for ReVision Energy, shows the array of solar panels on the roof of the Associated Grocers’ distribution facility in Pembroke.
But officials with the state Department of Energy said a Senate-approved bill was “unworkable.” They also said it’s unknown how much the enhanced net metering for some customers would shift higher costs onto all other ratepayers.
Net metering allows owners who produce their own renewable energy to send excess back to the grid and get credits to offset the cost of any future energy they have to buy.
Right now, industrial users can net meter up to 1 megawatt (MW) of power.
When the project produces less energy than the owner needs, such as at night for a solar panel project, they use their credits to pay for any power they need from the grid.
The Senate-passed bill at issue (SB 449) would increase from one to five MWs of power how big a net metering project could be for an industrial customer.
“I look at this not as an energy bill but a jobs bill. We need to help our manufacturers,” said Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton and the bill’s prime sponsor.
Kyle King, sustainability manager for Coca Cola Beverages Northeast, said if this bill passed, the firm would seriously consider building a 5 MW solar array on top of its bottling plant in Londonderry as the corporate goal is to become a net zero, carbon-based energy using company by 2050.
Kristopher Tiernan is with the facilities planning and sustainability offices at Lonza, a pharmaceutical firm that employs 2,000 in Portsmouth.
“This gives us the option to incorporate more renewable energy on a larger scale,” Tiernan said.
D.J. Burke with the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire said the manufacturing sector is twice as big a factor in this economy as it is in Massachusetts.
“This is not a magic bullet, but it does provide an option for our large energy users,” Burke said.
Josh Elliot, director of policy and programs, said industrial customers consume 17% of all electricity in the state and as written he said this bill could permit a user to build a multiple of 5 MW plants.
“This could shift risks from (business) developers to ratepayers” Elliot said.
“I don’t think the bill is workable as it is.”
Sam Evans Brown, executive director of Clean Energy NH, said past studies suggest the cost benefit to ratepayers were greater than what net metering customers received from these arrangements.
“We might be saving our ratepayers money by building more of these,” Evans Brown said. “This is sort of a win-win as far as we can tell based on the best evidence we have.”
But Rep. Michael Harrington, R-Strafford, and a former Public Utilities Commission member, questioned if these deals didn’t produce a bigger windfall at the expense of other ratepayers.
Legally, companies currently can produce 5 MW of power on site as long as they consume all for their own use, Harrington said.
“If they aren’t doing it right now, how is this then not a subsidy?” Harrington asked rhetorically.
What’s Next: The House Science, Technology and Energy Committee has until the end of the month to make a recommendation.
Outlook: Unlikely. Under both parties’ control, the Senate, going on five years, has been unable to convince the House to support a change in net metering for the private sector.
klandrigan@unionleader.com
The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission is considering how much power companies should pay solar customers who send the excess electrici…
CONCORD — A Senate-passed bill would create a dangerous precedent by letting a renewable energy company sell excess hydropower back to the pow…
Senior Political Reporter
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Account processing issue – the email address may already exist
Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today!
Sign up with
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Sign in with
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.
