Renewable Energy Growth Program

NOTE: S.B. 112A enacted in June 2017 extended the program to the end of 2029, and increased the annual target to 40 MW per year with a total cumulative procurement of 400 MW of renewable energy between 2020 and 2029. 

In 2014, Act H 7727 created the Renewable Energy Growth (REG) program with the goal to promote installation of grid connected renewable energy within the load zones of electric distribution companies (EDCs) at a reasonable cost. This tariff-based  incentive program is designed to finance the development, construction, and operation of renewable energy distributed generation projects through competitive bidding processes over 5 years to achieve specific megawatt (MW) targets. This program is implemented by the EDCs under supervision and review of the Public Utility Commission (PUC).

For the period of at least 5 years, the EDCs shall file tariffs with the PUC that are designed to provide multi year performance based  incentives to eligible renewable distributed generation projects. Tariffs shall be developed by the EDCs and will be reviewed and approved by the PUC. Proposed tariffs shall include a ceiling price and term lengths that shall be from 15 to 20 years. After being approved by the PUC, the terms under the tariffs shall not be altered in any way that would undermine the reliance of those tariffs. 

Program Goal
The REG program has target install total of 160 MW of distributed renewable energy during its 5 year term. The first year of the program (2015) has an  annual target of 25 MW, 40 MW for second year, 40 MW for third and fourth year, and rest of the 160 MW for the fifth year. There is also an annual target of at least 3 MW for small scale solar projects for first 4 years of the program. In 2017, SB 112A extended the program to the end of 2029, and increased the annual target to 40 MW per year with a total cumulative procurement of 400 MW of renewable energy between 2020 and 2029. 

Program Description

Small-scale Solar Program provides incentives for systems up to 25 KW and are designed for residential and small business owners. Applicants can enroll via the interconnection application to receive a standard performance based incentive for the period of years in an applicable tariff. The incentives depend on the size and ownership of the system, and the duration of the contract term. The incentives will be provided on a first come, first served basis until the program reaches its target of 5.5 MW capacity.

The RI Public Utility Commission has approved the solar incentive for National Grid for 2016. The program will begin accepting applications starting April 1st, 2016. Incentive amounts are listed in the table below

Bonus incentives from SolarWise Program: Beginning from 2016, the Renewable Growth Program includes SolarWise program which provides additional incentives to customers who choose to install solar PV systems in conjunction with making significant investments in energy efficiency in their homes or businesses. Applications for the program must be received and approved before the end of program year on March 31, 2017 to be eligible for 2016 awards. 

The SolarWise program combines the National Grid’s Energy Efficiency program with the Renewable Energy Growth program. Interested participants may request for a solar PV screening at no cost as a part of the National Grid’s Energy Efficiency assessment. The Energy Efficiency assessment will identify list of potential energy savings, solar PV screening, and access to the online SolarWise Marketplace- the applicant can request and compare offers from independent solar installation companies. 

Solar PV systems must be sized such that the maximum annual (kWh) output is not greater than the 3 year historic annual average electric (kWh) usage at the customer’s location minus the estimated annual energy savings (kWh) from the energy efficiency measure.

For Example: If a residential customer used an average of 10,000 kWh per year for the last three years, and it implemented 2,000 kWh of projected energy efficiency savings, then the solar PV system must be sized to produce no more than (10,000 – 2,000= 8,000 kWh) of energy in a year. 

The incentives for the SolarWise projects are classified into Tiers based on the additional energy savings. Each Tier receive additional percentage increase in the performance based component of the RE Growth Program Incentive. The award criteria for each of the Tiers is provided in the table below:

Please visit the program webpage for additional information.