Georgia balcony solar bill sidelined

The sun set quickly on a piece of legislation meant to make small-scale solar power more accessible to Georgians.

State Rep. Imani Barnes (D-Tucker) on Feb. 13 introduced House Bill 1304 that would exempt “balcony solar” — portable, plug-in solar energy generation devices — from certain regulatory requirements that apply to rooftop solar.

 “The goal of this legislation is to empower Georgians to generate their own electricity,” Barnes said in a press release from Environment Georgia. “Energy resilience should not be limited to those who can afford full rooftop systems.”

Despite the measure’s bipartisan sponsorship, when it got a hearing in the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee on Feb. 25, Chairman Don Parsons (R-Marietta) declined to put it to a vote. That likely means the measure will not advance in this legislative session.

Balcony solar systems include solar panels that are connected to a micro-inverter that plugs directly into a wall outlet. The energy generated by the solar panels can help power appliances and reduce the amount of energy a household buys from Georgia Power or other electric utilities in Georgia. Panels can be mounted on a balcony, placed in a yard, or set up on a deck. Prices for the systems start around $500 to $1,200.

The systems are already popular in other countries, including Germany, and are gaining traction in the U.S. Last year, Utah became the first state to pass legislation to explicitly allow the devices. Now more than half the U.S. states, including Georgia, are looking at new laws addressing balcony solar.

But at Wednesday’s hearing, representatives from electric utilities in Georgia spoke against the measure. Despite a requirement in the bill that the devices “include a device or feature that prevents the system from energizing the building’s electrical system during a power outage” utility spokespersons worried that devices would not meet those standards or would fail.

“The safety of our linemen and others that work on that system is a reason that we oppose House Bill 1304,” said Emily Pateuk, legislative affairs and PAC manager at Georgia EMC.

Wilson Mallard, the director of renewable development at Georgia Power Company, said his company doesn’t want to exempt systems from the current interconnection regulations, which allow the utility to track which customers have their own solar panels connected to the grid.

“The notion of a blanket exemption for small systems is not something that I think is prudent, or something that George Power would support,” he told the committee.

Underwriters Laboratories, which reviews electrical equipment, recently created a certification process for balcony solar systems, but has not yet certified any portable solar facilities, Mallard said.

In a statement to The Current GA, spokesman Joshua Peacock wrote, “Georgia Power believes this legislation is not needed. Georgia currently has a vibrant solar market with significant growth in customer sited and grid connected solar projects.”

Georgia ranks seventh among U.S. states for total installed solar capacity, but most of that is utility-scale installations, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Despite plenty of available sunshine, Georgia ranks 39th for residential rooftop installed solar capacity.

Peacock also raised safety issues:

“Georgia Power is ultimately responsible for the safety and reliability of the power grid and this legislation, as proposed, would create an exemption to the requirements in the Cogen(eration) Act that decrease safety and reliability which could harm participants and non-participating customers alike.”