The state of New Hampshire has no acknowledged clear power objectives, regardless of being surrounded by two states with critical commitments. Massachusetts Local weather Motion Legislation requires net-zero by 2050. Maine lately elevated its renewable portfolio customary to 80% by 2030 and set a aim of 100% clear power by 2050. This sharp distinction with its neighbors is a theme that carries by many state insurance policies. Nonetheless, the state’s clear power market will get a lift from knowledgeable and environmentally conscious organizations and particular person residents, a lot of whom have – slowly however certainly– pushed by modifications in clear power insurance policies.

Excessive electrical payments are the impetus for a lot of New Englanders to go photo voltaic, as New England states have among the highest electrical charges within the nation. Whereas New Hampshire’s charges usually are not the very best of the six-state area, they lately skilled a pointy enhance. In 2022, for instance, in accordance with EIA information, residential electrical charges had been $21.26, up from $18.93 in 2021. Business charges additionally noticed a spike, leaping from $15.40 in 2021 as much as $17.54 this 12 months.

Tax credit and exemptions

For individuals who seize the chance to go photo voltaic in New Hampshire, the federal Funding Tax Credit score (ITC) is presently 26% of system prices however on the lookout for additional incentives will get difficult. For starters, there isn’t a property tax exemption provided by the state. As a substitute, RSA 72: 61-72 permits cities and cities to supply exemptions from native property taxes for sure renewable power installations, which means that those that go photo voltaic must verify on whether or not their particular person city has issued both a full or partial exemption. As a result of property taxes are so excessive in New Hampshire (third highest within the nation) exemptions are vital for owners going photo voltaic.

State incentives and credit

The renewable power fund was created by the legislature (RSA 362F) to assist promote renewable power initiatives in New Hampshire. The fund helps initiatives by rebate and grant packages. Feeding the fund is New Hampshire’s renewable portfolio customary (RPS) requires that 25% of the electrical power equipped within the state should be from renewable fuels and sources. Electrical energy suppliers who can not buy sufficient renewable power or who can not get it at an inexpensive value are allowed to satisfy this requirement by making another compliance fee to the renewable power fund.

As for a state rebate for going photo voltaic, the State of New Hampshire’s Public Utilities Fee has a Residential Renewable Electrical Era Incentive Program that provides $0.20 per watt, as much as a most of $1,000 or 30% of the overall system price, whichever is much less.

In June of 2017 the New Hampshire PUC up to date its internet metering coverage to allow small customer-generators (100kW or much less) to internet meter their distributed era sources. In response to the docket, “These customer-generators will obtain month-to-month extra export credit equal to the worth of kWh expenses for power service and transmission service at 100% and distribution service at 25 p.c, whereas paying nonbypassable expenses, such because the system advantages cost, stranded price restoration cost, different comparable surcharges, and the state electrical energy consumption tax, on the complete quantity of their electrical energy imports from the electrical grid”.

NH PUC has a renewable power certificates (REC) program that makes use of the regional era info system of power certificates administered by ISO-New England and the New England Energy Pool.  Nonetheless, RECs in NH are value far lower than in neighboring states. Latest REC costs have been about $30 per MWh, whereas a REC in Massachusetts is presently valued at about $300 per MWh.

New Hampshire offers a nod towards low- to middle-income residents with the Low-Earnings Neighborhood Photo voltaic Act (SB 165) of 2019 that expanded the unique Clear Power Jobs and Alternative Act. It requires the NH PUC to authorize not less than two new LMI neighborhood photo voltaic initiatives per utility territory annually beginning in 2020. In response to the 2020 Value and Advantages Report, “When operational, the initiatives, as proposed, will generate an estimated 600,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) yearly and supply direct advantages to 123 LMI households, plus 21 non-LMI households”.

Neighborhood energy

Senate invoice 286 went into impact in 2019, permitting for neighborhood energy, often known as municipal aggregation, which lets cities present electrical energy to its residents and companies on a aggressive foundation. Electrical energy is distributed by one of many 4 conventional utilities in NH– Eversource, Liberty Utilities, NH Electrical Cooperative, and Unitil—and cities could select to buy energy generated by photo voltaic, wind, or different attributes. Cities may select to assemble an area power challenge to offer the facility to its Neighborhood Energy program.

Six cities in New Hampshire have dedicated to the Sierra Membership’s Prepared for 100 marketing campaign, a motion that goals to get cities to commit 100% clear, renewable power. Hanover was the primary city within the nation to signal on, committing in 2017 to a aim of powering the whole neighborhood with 100% renewable power for electrical energy by 2030 (warmth & transportation by 2050).

Photo voltaic alternative

With a complete of solely 164.8MW of photo voltaic put in within the state, New Hampshire is presently ranked 40^th within the nation for put in photo voltaic (down from 36^th final 12 months), and only one.8% of the state’s electrical energy presently comes from photo voltaic.

The expansion projection is much more bleak with solely 427MW projected over the subsequent 5 years, or a rating of 42^nd within the nation. Let’s say that one other manner: Solely eight states are anticipated to put in much less photo voltaic than New Hampshire by 2028. There are presently about 55 photo voltaic corporations in New Hampshire, with a complete of roughly 1,000 jobs within the business.

To learn the way to advance photo voltaic in New Hampshire and seize the clear power alternative, pv journal spoke with Sam Evans-Brown, government director of Clear Power New Hampshire, a non-profit that gives companies and sources to help the clear power and tech communities. Evans-Brown indicated that the 1st step in advancing clear power in NH could be to broaden the renewable portfolio customary. “We’ll preserve attempting to get coverage wins yearly and people will essentially for some time be small, however with small incremental steps, we’ll get it performed,” he stated. For a few years the biggest photo voltaic arrays within the state had been 1 and 2MW amenities, the latest of which is personal by the New Hampshire Electrical Coop and positioned in Moultonborough. The excellent news is that the tide could also be turning, with a number of a lot bigger amenities deliberate within the state. For instance, the Chariot Photo voltaic 50MW challenge was lately authorised to be constructed by NextEra Power on an roughly 200-acre website in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, and anticipated to be operational subsequent 12 months.

That is the third article within the 50 states of photo voltaic incentives collection, which started with Maine after which took a take a look at Connecticut.