S 2658

2026 -- S 2658
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LC005349
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  STATE  OF      RHODE  ISLAND
  IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
  JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
  ____________
  AN ACT
  RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PORTABLE SOLAR
  GENERATION DEVICE
  Introduced By: Senators de la Cruz, DiMario, Ciccone, Tikoian, Felag, Burke, and Euer
  Date Introduced: February 27, 2026
  Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
1SECTION 1. Title 39 of the General Laws entitled "PUBLIC UTILITIES AND
2 CARRIERS" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:
3CHAPTER 36
4PORTABLE SOLAR GENERATION DEVICE
539-36-1. Definitions.
6When used in this chapter, these terms shall have the following meanings:
7(1) "Annualized billing period" means:
8(i) A twelve (12) month billing cycle beginning on April 1 of one year and ending on March
9 31 of the following year; or
10(ii) An additional twelve (12) month billing cycle as defined by an electrical corporation's
11 net metering tariff or rate schedule.
12(2) "Customer-generated electricity" means electricity that:
13(i) Is generated by a customer generation system for a customer participating in a net
14 metering program;
15(ii) Exceeds the electricity the customer needs for the customer's own use; and
16(iii) Is supplied to the electrical corporation administering the net metering program.
17(3) "Customer generation system" means:
18(i) An eligible facility that is used to supply energy to or for a specific customer that:
1(A) Has a generating capacity of:
2(I) More than one thousand two hundred watts (1,200 W) but not more than twenty-five
3 kilowatts (25 kW) for a residential facility; or
4(II) Not more than two megawatts (2 MW) for a non-residential facility, unless the
5 governing authority approves a greater generation capacity;
6(B) Is located on, or adjacent to, the premises of the electrical corporation's customer,
7 subject to the electrical corporation's service requirements;
8(C) Operates in parallel and is interconnected with the electrical corporation's distribution
9 facilities;
10(D) Is intended primarily to offset part or all of the customer's requirements for electricity;
11 and
12(E) Is controlled by an inverter;
13(ii) Includes an electric generator and its accompanying equipment package; and
14(iii) Does not include a portable solar generation device.
15(4) "Eligible facility" means a facility that uses energy derived from one of the following
16 to generate electricity:
17(i) Solar photovoltaic and solar thermal energy;
18(ii) Wind energy;
19(iii) Hydrogen;
20(iv) Organic waste;
21(v) Hydroelectric energy;
22(vi) Waste gas and waste heat capture or recovery;
23(vii) Biomass and biomass byproducts, except for the combustion of:
24(A) Wood that has been treated with chemical preservatives such as creosote,
25 pentachlorophenol, or chromated copper arsenate; or
26(B) Municipal waste in a solid form;
27(viii) Forest or rangeland woody debris from harvesting or thinning conducted to improve
28 forest or rangeland ecological health and to reduce wildfire risk;
29(ix) Agricultural residues;
30(x) Dedicated energy crops;
31(xi) Landfill gas or biogas produced from organic matter, wastewater, anaerobic digesters,
32 or municipal solid waste; or
33(xii) Geothermal energy.
34(5) "Electric distribution company" or "electrical corporation" means and shall be defined
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1 as set forth in § 39-1-2.
2(6) "Equipment package" means a group of components connecting an electric generator
3 to an electric distribution system, including all interface equipment and the interface equipment's
4 controls, switchgear, inverter, and other interface devices.
5(7) "Excess customer-generated electricity" means the amount of customer-generated
6 electricity in excess of the customer's consumption from the customer generation system during a
7 monthly billing period, as measured at the electrical corporation's meter.
8(8) "Fuel cell" means a device in which the energy of a reaction between a fuel and an
9 oxidant is converted directly and continuously into electrical energy.
10(9) "Governing authority" means:
11(i) For a distribution electrical cooperative, its board of directors; and
12(ii) For each other electrical corporation, the division as defined in § 39-1-2.
13(10) "Inverter" means a device that:
14(i) Converts direct current power into alternating current power that is compatible with
15 power generated by Rhode Island Energy or other servicing electrical corporation; and
16(ii) Has been designed, tested, and certified to UL1741 and installed and operated in
17 accordance with the latest revision of IEEE1547, as amended.
18(11) "Net electricity" means the difference, as measured at the meter owned by the
19 electrical corporation between:
20(i) The amount of electricity that an electrical corporation supplies to a customer
21 participating in a net metering program; and
22(ii) The amount of customer-generated electricity delivered to the electrical corporation.
23(12) "Net metering" means and shall be defined as set forth in § 39-26.4-3.
24(13) "Net metering program" means a program administered pursuant to the provisions of
25 chapter 26.4 if title 39.
26(14) "Portable solar generation device" means a moveable photovoltaic generation device
27 that:
28(i) Has a maximum power output of not more than one thousand two hundred watts (1,200
29 W);
30(ii) Is designed to be connected to a building's electrical system through a standard one
31 hundred twenty volt (120 V) alternating current outlet;
32(iii) Is intended primarily to offset part of the customer's electricity consumption;
33(iv) Meets the standards of the most recent version of the National Electrical Code; and
34(v) Is certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing
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1 laboratory.
2(15) "Switchgear" means the combination of electrical disconnects, fuses, or circuit
3 breakers:
4(i) Used to:
5(A) Isolate electrical equipment; and
6(B) De-energize equipment to allow work to be performed or faults downstream to be
7 cleared; and
8(ii) That is:
9(A) Designed, tested, and certified to UL1741; and
10(B) Installed and operated in accordance with the latest revision of IEEE1547, as amended.
1139-36-2. Portable solar generation device -- Exemptions -- Requirements.
12(a) A portable solar generation device that meets the requirements of this chapter is exempt
13 from the interconnection requirements described in chapter 26.4 of title 39 and the requirements is
14 to enter into a interconnection agreement pursuant to chapter 26.4 of title 39.
15(b) A portable solar generation device shall include a device or feature that prevents the
16 system from energizing the building's electrical system during a power outage.
17(c) An electrical corporation:
18(1) May not require a customer using a portable solar generation device to:
19(i) Obtain the electrical corporation's approval before installing or using the system;
20(ii) Pay any fee or charge related to the system; or
21(iii) Install any additional controls or equipment beyond what is integrated into the system;
22 and
23(2) Is not liable for any damage or injury caused by a portable solar generation device.
24SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC005349
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  EXPLANATION
  BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
  OF
  AN ACT
  RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PORTABLE SOLAR
  GENERATION DEVICE
  ***
1This act would create a new category of residential solar energy generation for small
2 portable solar generation devices.
3This act would take effect upon passage.
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    LC005349
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