Georgia lawmakers are looking to regulate the installation of rooftop solar panels, saying some companies are ripping off consumers.
The House Energy, Telecommunications and Utilities Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance House Bill 73, which would require companies that install panels at residences to be certified by the state Public Service Commission and make certain basic disclosures to consumers.
The measure advances next to the full House for more debate.
“We want this industry to flourish; solar is a big part of where we’re going, but we want to get the bad actors out,” Rep Joseph Gullett, a Dallas Republican who is sponsoring the bill, told the committee.
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The Georgia Solar Energy Association opposes the bill because it sees the five-member elected Public Service Commission as a foe of rooftop solar, a spillover from fights over how much Georgia Power Co. is required to pay for surplus electricity generated by residential solar panels. Commissioners last year set a payment rate that solar supporters say is too low.
“We do not believe residential rooftop solar should be regulated by the Public Service Commission because they have historically done little to support rooftop solar and there are grave concerns around how the commission would go about the COA rule making, requirements, and approval process,” Don Moreland, the association’s executive director, wrote in an email to the association’s members.
Beginning Jan. 1, every company selling solar panels would have to get a certificate showing that the all employees that would visit a buyer’s property have been subjected to PSC criminal background checks; that it has enough money to fulfill its obligations; and that its contact data is publicly accessible.
The commission could deny applications, revoke certificates or issue fines in cases of companies that break laws or rules.
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