Committee reviews H.710 to adopt PUC's single-plant definition for renewable programs; developers say it lowers costs
January 29, 2026 | Environment & Energy, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont
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The House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee heard legal and stakeholder testimony on H.710 on Jan. 28, a bill that adopts Public Utility Commission stakeholder language to redefine "plant" in Vermont's renewable-energy statutes.
Ellen Tchaikovsky, legislative counsel, told the committee H.710 amends the definition used throughout Title 30, chapter 89 (the Renewable Energy Programs chapter). The bill's primary test would treat multiple electric-generating facilities that use the same technology and that are located on the same or contiguous parcels as a single "plant" unless listed exceptions apply.
Tchaikovsky explained three exceptions. First, facilities on separate parcels that are wired to offset consumption on separate billing meters and that supply different retail customers (typical neighborhood net-metering installations) would be treated as separate plants. Second, multi-owner net-metering systems within a common-interest community (for example, condominium unit owners) with separate meters and customers also would be exempted. Third, multiple small distributed-generation facilities (net metering, standard-offer, or RES Tier 2 systems) may co-exist on the same or contiguous parcels provided they have separate points of interconnection and do not exceed the statutory program caps.
The bill references statutory capacity caps that differ by program: the bill text and witnesses restated program caps discussed during testimony (net metering 500 kW, standard offer 2.2 MW and Tier 2 up to 5 MW), and Tchaikovsky said the point-of-interconnection test is central to determining whether collocated arrays count as a single plant for cap enforcement.
Peter Sterling of Renewable Energy Vermont testified in support of the PUC's recommended language. Sterling said the change would enable co-location of larger projects on previously developed sites (for example, gravel pits) by allowing developers to share roads, poles and other site infrastructure, lowering project costs. Sterling offered developer illustrations: one example showed road-sharing that could reduce site-preparation costs by roughly $50,000, and he said sharing lines and poles could save roughly $10,000 per 100 feet avoided. He argued that the change would reduce land disturbance and speed deployment of mid-size projects (2'5 MW range).
Sterling also noted the PUC added decommissioning to its recommended workstream; Renewable Energy Vermont opposed the PUC's initial decommissioning language but said it is actively negotiating revised decommissioning language with PUC staff and expects to return with agreed language later in the session.
Committee members asked detailed drafting questions and requested clearer phrasing in one subsection. Representative Michael Southworth asked for 'cleaner language' in a particular paragraph before the committee moves toward a vote. The committee asked legislative counsel Ellen Tchaikovsky to draft a clean version for committee review and asked staff to invite the PUC staff members who previously presented the consensus report back for a 30'45 minute follow-up to explain the drafting choices.
No formal committee vote occurred at the Jan. 28 meeting; the committee will review the draft language and hear PUC clarifications before proceeding.
Ellen Tchaikovsky, legislative counsel, told the committee H.710 amends the definition used throughout Title 30, chapter 89 (the Renewable Energy Programs chapter). The bill's primary test would treat multiple electric-generating facilities that use the same technology and that are located on the same or contiguous parcels as a single "plant" unless listed exceptions apply.
Tchaikovsky explained three exceptions. First, facilities on separate parcels that are wired to offset consumption on separate billing meters and that supply different retail customers (typical neighborhood net-metering installations) would be treated as separate plants. Second, multi-owner net-metering systems within a common-interest community (for example, condominium unit owners) with separate meters and customers also would be exempted. Third, multiple small distributed-generation facilities (net metering, standard-offer, or RES Tier 2 systems) may co-exist on the same or contiguous parcels provided they have separate points of interconnection and do not exceed the statutory program caps.
The bill references statutory capacity caps that differ by program: the bill text and witnesses restated program caps discussed during testimony (net metering 500 kW, standard offer 2.2 MW and Tier 2 up to 5 MW), and Tchaikovsky said the point-of-interconnection test is central to determining whether collocated arrays count as a single plant for cap enforcement.
Peter Sterling of Renewable Energy Vermont testified in support of the PUC's recommended language. Sterling said the change would enable co-location of larger projects on previously developed sites (for example, gravel pits) by allowing developers to share roads, poles and other site infrastructure, lowering project costs. Sterling offered developer illustrations: one example showed road-sharing that could reduce site-preparation costs by roughly $50,000, and he said sharing lines and poles could save roughly $10,000 per 100 feet avoided. He argued that the change would reduce land disturbance and speed deployment of mid-size projects (2'5 MW range).
Sterling also noted the PUC added decommissioning to its recommended workstream; Renewable Energy Vermont opposed the PUC's initial decommissioning language but said it is actively negotiating revised decommissioning language with PUC staff and expects to return with agreed language later in the session.
Committee members asked detailed drafting questions and requested clearer phrasing in one subsection. Representative Michael Southworth asked for 'cleaner language' in a particular paragraph before the committee moves toward a vote. The committee asked legislative counsel Ellen Tchaikovsky to draft a clean version for committee review and asked staff to invite the PUC staff members who previously presented the consensus report back for a 30'45 minute follow-up to explain the drafting choices.
No formal committee vote occurred at the Jan. 28 meeting; the committee will review the draft language and hear PUC clarifications before proceeding.
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