The territory will eliminate excise and gross receipts taxes on material for and operation of alternative power generating systems and net metering qualifications will be tightened, if a bill sent on for final approval before the full Senate becomes law.
The bill [Bill 30-0347] sponsored by Sen. Craig Barshinger would also eliminate net metering on leased property, amending a law requiring new construction to use solar hot water to also allow heat pump water heaters. It allows a resident without a qualifying property at their residence to put up solar panel at a remote location and sell power by net metering, and it forbids one resident from opening up multiple separate net metering accounts and occupying a disproportionate amount of the net metering capacity limit.
It also specifies that subcontractors on alternative power generating systems get the same tax exemptions as the main contractor building or running an alternative power generating system.
As written, the bill would have limited residential power production capacity for one parcel of property to 20kw and commercial power production to 100kw. An amendment from Barshinger reduced the maximum for residential power production to 10kw. It also grandfathered in net metering of existing residential systems larger than 10kw until 2025, when they would convert to a Feed In Tariff, receiving payment from WAPA at a lower rate.
While the payment rate is lower with the Feed In Tariff, which Barshinger also proposed this year, with the FIT you can get cash in your pocket, while net metering is zeroed out at the end of the year and can only be applied to your electric bill, Barshinger said.
Voting to send the bill on for a final up or down vote by the full Legislature were Sens. Diane Capehart, Janette Millin Young, Myron Jackson, Kenneth Gittens, Donald Cole and Sammuel Sanes. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was absent.
The Rules and Judiciary Committee also vetted and unanimously approved three individuals re-nominated for new terms on boards and commissions, sending them on for a final up or down vote. It approved the re-nomination of Violet Ann Golden for another term as chairwoman of the V.I. Casino Control Commission. And it approved the re-nominations of Cheryl Boynes-Jackson and Donald Francois to new terms on the V.I. Water and Power Authority Governing Board.
