‘An Act To Improve Maine's Economy and Energy Security with Solar Energy’
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §10121-A is enacted to read:
§ 10121-A. Renewable Energy Rebate Program Fund
1. Fund established. There is established the Renewable Energy Rebate Program Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," to be used by the trust solely for the purposes of providing rebates for cost-effective solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies as determined by the trust as part of a renewable energy technologies rebate program under section 10121, subsection 1, paragraph F. Any interest on funds in the fund must be credited to the fund. Funds not spent in any fiscal year remain in the fund to be used for the purposes of this subsection.
2. Assessment. The commission shall assess transmission and distribution utilities in accordance with the following.
A. The commission shall assess transmission and distribution utilities to collect funds for the fund. The amount of all assessments by the commission under this subsection must result in total program expenditures by each transmission and distribution utility of .011¢ per kilowatt-hour except as provided for in paragraph B. All assessments made under this paragraph must be transferred to the fund.
B. Electricity customers receiving service at transmission voltage levels and subtransmission voltage levels are not eligible for rebates under this section, and those customers are not required to pay in rates any amount associated with the assessment under paragraph A. For the purposes of this paragraph, "transmission voltage levels" means 44 kilovolts or more and "subtransmission voltage levels" means 34.5 kilovolts.
3. Administration. The trust shall administer rebates under this section in accordance with the following.
A. The trust shall by rule establish criteria for determining eligibility of a solar photovoltaic or solar thermal technology under this section.
B. A natural person is eligible to receive a rebate from funds collected pursuant to this section only if that person is a resident of this State. The trust shall establish proof of residency requirements by rule. Other entities, including, but not limited to, commercial, nonprofit or government entities, may receive a rebate under this section as long as the facility on which the eligible technology is installed is located in this State.
This section is repealed December 31, 2016.
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
EFFICIENCY MAINE TRUST
Renewable Energy Rebate Fund N170
Initiative: Provides an allocation of $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2014-15 for rebates to persons or entities for the installation and use of cost-effective solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technology.
| OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|
All Other
|
$0 | $1,000,000 |
 |
|
|
| OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL | $0 | $1,000,000 |
summary
This amendment is the majority report of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology. This amendment replaces the bill. It establishes the Renewable Energy Rebate Program Fund under the Efficiency Maine Trust. The trust is required to provide rebates for the purchase of certain renewable energy equipment until December 31, 2016. The rebate program is funded by an assessment of .011¢ per kilowatt-hour on electricity bills. The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)