POLICY: Verogy files emergency motion with CT PURA to remove solar program caps in race against OBBBA deadlines
A developer in Connecticut is asking the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to remove caps associated with several solar incentive programs to spur new solar development ahead of deadlines associated with the OBBBA and US President Donald Trump’s subsequent executive order.
Verogy, a solar energy developer, filed an emergency motion with PURA on July 22 asking the entity to open up additional capacity in the state’s Shared Clean Energy Facility (SCEF) and Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (NRES) programs. The filing also pushes for PURA to “move quickly to approve shovel-ready projects while these cost-saving tax credits are still available,” Verogy CEO Will Herchel said in a statement.
Herchel said the federal government’s abrupt rollback of solar and wind tax credits “poses an immediate threat to affordable renewable energy development in Connecticut.”
“If left unaddressed, these changes will significantly increase the cost of clean energy projects, reduce competition, and place unnecessary financial burdens on families, municipalities, and businesses alike,” Herchel said. “Connecticut has made real progress toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future. But with the window to qualify for current federal tax incentives rapidly closing, we must act now.”
In its filing, Verogy said that NRES and SCEF projects would require between 40% and 100% more revenue to reach economic viability if they lose the ability to monetize existing tax credits. In turn, the company requests that PURA removes the annual cap associated with upcoming SCEF and NRES solicitations and direct electric distribution companies to issue “multiple, serial procurements in rapid succession to capture available lower cost projects.”
New procurements, 110 MW for NRES and 50 MW for SCEF, are set to open August 4, so Verogy asked PURA to rule on their motion before then.
Verogy’s filing points to Massachusetts emergency ruling from June that established the new SMART 3.0 program as an example of states strengthening their support of renewable energy procurement in reaction to Trump’s policies.
Verogy’s full PURA filing can be found online. PURA did not response to requests for comment on Verogy’s filing.
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