Bill Description: House Bill 612 would define a “portable solar generation device” and prohibit electric companies from imposing fees or constraints on its use.
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Does it give government any new, additional, or expanded power to prohibit, restrict, or regulate activities in the free market? Conversely, does it eliminate or reduce government intervention in the market?
A “portable solar generation device” is a movable, self-contained solar-powered system that generates electricity. It plugs into a standard outlet, but instead of drawing power, it sends the power it generates into the home's wiring to offset whatever loads are drawing power at the moment.
House Bill 612 would create Section 61-122, Idaho Code, to define a “portable solar generation device” as a moveable photovoltaic generation device that “is designed to be connected to a building's electrical system through a standard electrical outlet; is intended to offset part or all of a customer's electricity consumption; is limited to supplying a maximum power output of not more than one thousand two hundred (1,200) watts to the utility electric grid; is certified by underwriters laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory; and meets the standards of the most recent version of the national electrical code.”
The bill would exempt portable solar generation devices from interconnection and net metering requirements. It would also say that electric companies cannot require customers using such a device to obtain permission from the electric company, pay any fee or charge related to the device, or install any additional controls or equipment beyond what is integrated into the device.
The bill also clarifies that electric companies are not liable for any damage or injury caused by a portable solar generation device.
NOTE: While the definition of portable solar generation device contained in this bill is somewhat limiting (a related bill introduced in Colorado would set the limit at 1,920 watts), the bill would not explicitly prohibit the use of larger or non-UL-certified devices, it just would not apply the bill’s protections and exemptions to them.
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