Home » Legislation to update energy policy passes out of committee

Legislation to update energy policy passes out of committee

Jim Gooch
Jim Gooch

The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee passed legislation Thursday to update Kentucky’s private solar energy policy, in a move aimed at ensuring costs remain fair for all energy consumers in the state.

Current law requires utility companies to pay certain private solar energy customers for any excess electricity they feed onto the energy grid at a rate that’s higher than utilities pay for other energy sources.

It’s common for private solar customers to produce excess solar power at certain times of the year or day, and requiring utilities to take that excess power provides a benefit to these customers. Private solar customers rely on the utility’s energy grid when the sun isn’t shining.

House Bill 227, sponsored by House Natural Resources and Energy Committee Chair Jim Gooch, would continue to require the utility to pay for excess power generated by private solar customers while ensuring all customers pay their fair share of use of the energy grid.

Watch an interview with Rep. Gooch about the legislation here.

House Bill 227 now moves to the full House for a vote on the floor.