Bill seen as a compromise in a challenging environment

Connecticut's General Assembly passed H.B. 5340, An Act Concerning Renewable Power Generation (bill summary) on May 6th, the final day of the 2026 legislative session, with the Senate voting 27-9 and the House 99-43. 

The bill establishes successor programs for the state's three existing clean energy tariff programs (the Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (RRES), Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (NRES), and Shared Clean Energy Facility (SCEF) programs) and makes a range of other changes to state energy law. 

ACT was engaged throughout the process, working with legislators, committee staff, and leadership from the Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) across multiple iterations of the bill. It now awaits Governor Lamont's signature.

This was a difficult session for energy policy. Affordability concerns dominated legislative deliberations, with members under real pressure to demonstrate near-term rate relief for constituents. Clean energy programs faced scrutiny as potential cost drivers, and the bill went through significant changes over the course of the session. 

ACT and our partners worked to keep the affirmative case in front of legislators: distributed clean energy reduces long-run system costs and expands consumers' ability to manage their own energy future. The industry also successfully beat back significant proposed amendments that would have undermined clean energy progress. The bill that passed reflects our sustained and collective advocacy.

The successor programs are the heart of the legislation. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) must initiate proceedings to establish successors to RRES, NRES, and SCEF by August 1, 2026, with final orders due by December 1, 2027. Tariffs under the successor programs will be offered for terms of up to 20 years through December 31, 2035. 

The bill sets a total aggregate procurement target of 180 MW and $85 million per year across the successor programs and the existing Energy Storage Solutions program, with the spending target taking precedence if the two cannot be reconciled in a given year. Both buy-all and netting options are preserved for RRES and NRES customers. 

The PURA proceeding is the next major milestone for the industry, as the authority works through tariff terms, rate-setting methodologies, and program eligibility requirements for each program. ACT will be engaged in that process.

The bill addresses several other areas of note:

1. Energy storage: The bill directs the Connecticut Green Bank to administer a pilot program promoting storage installation for RRES and RSIP customers, with a working group to follow and make recommendations on an ESS successor program.
2. Portable solar: The bill exempts portable solar generation devices from interconnection requirements, with related building and fire safety code amendments to be addressed in future code cycles.
3. Agrivoltaics: The bill directs DEEP to study agrivoltaics projects and report to the relevant legislative committees by January 1, 2027.
4. Transmission siting: The bill expands the Siting Council's jurisdiction to cover certain combinations of transmission lines and substations designed to accommodate future generation sources.

The bill also requires the Department of Administrative Services to implement a smart solar permitting platform by July 1, 2028, with municipalities required to accept applications through the state platform or an approved equivalent alternative. The permitting provisions were drawn from a standalone bill that Governor Lamont himself submitted to the legislature this session.

The bill includes a provision that prohibits the Siting Council, until July 1, 2027, from approving solar facilities in municipalities where solar already covers more than 5.5% of total land area, or 2% in certain municipalities contiguous with and north of those towns. Brownfields, landfills, and commercially and industrially zoned land are exempt from the prohibition. ACT does not support moratoriums on solar development, and it will be important to engage with DEEP as it prepares its report on solar siting issues to ensure the findings reflect the full value of solar to the grid and to ratepayers.

ACT thanks the many members who contributed to our advocacy throughout this session. The bill keeps Connecticut's clean energy tariff programs running past their 2027 expiration and sets successor program development in motion.The next step will take place at PURA, where the terms of the successor programs will be determined. ACT will be engaged in those proceedings and will keep members informed as they develop.

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