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Mark Your Calendar – Municipal Aggregation Draft Proposal
DOER and DPU will host a joint virtual working group session Tuesday, February 11 from 3-5pm, during which it will seek to reach a broad consensus over the attached proposal. Attendees will be given up to 5 minutes to present any relevant data or information, before voting on a consensus document. A meeting invite is to follow.
Please reach out to Cobi Frongillo or Ben Dobbs with any questions.
With the meeting announcement staff issued a memorandum outlining DOER’s analysis and recommendations on each of these objectives, as refined through stakeholder input including a working group meeting on December 20, 2024.”
As background, “on June 4, 2024, the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) issued the Revised Model Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program Provision, D.P.U. 20-145-D. Following its examination of ratepayer funds usage to support a municipal aggregation low-income community shared solar (LICSS) program, the DPU concluded that the D.P.U. 23-67 proceeding is the appropriate forum for determining its role in reviewing and approving LICSS program designs (D.P.U. 20-145-D at 155).
Subsequently, on July 24, 2024, the DPU expanded its investigation under D.P.U. 23-67 to address:
- The DPU’s authority to review LICSS programs developed by municipal aggregators,
- Guidelines for submitting LICSS program filings to the DPU, and
- Best practices to mitigate barriers to LICSS program implementation (D.P.U. 23-67-B).
In accordance with Hearing Officer Memoranda issued on October 18 and October 25, 2024, the DPU held a working group meeting on October 29, 2024. The meeting focused on a DPU staff proposal regarding the transition from the Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) current SMART regulations (SMART 2.0) to future SMART regulations (SMART 3.0).
At the meeting’s conclusion, the DPU accepted DOER’s offer to facilitate stakeholder discussions aimed at consensus on key issues. DOER has identified the following primary objectives for these discussions:
- Defining meaningful customer savings for low-income participants in municipal aggregation LICSS programs.
- Establishing processes for DOER and DPU certification of eligible projects.
- Creating transition guidelines for SMART 2.0 qualification ahead of SMART 3.0 implementation.
DOERLICSSConsensusDraft02-05-25.pdf (02/05/2025)
D.P.U. 23-67 (08/15/2023)
(Investigation by the Department of Public Utilities on its own Motion into Establishing Guidelines for Municipal Aggregation Proceedings.)
