During the 2025 legislative session, REV successfully pushed for a directive requiring the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to recommend changes to the definition of “plant” in Vermont statute that would make it easier, more predictable, and more cost-effective to co-locate solar projects on the same or adjoining parcels. In passing S.50, the Legislature and Governor recognized that the current “single plant” determination process hinders efficient land use and needlessly adds duplicative costs by creating barriers to co-located solar.
The opening order in PUC investigation 25-1253-INV requested proposed modifications to the definition of a plant that would achieve these ends. REV submitted a response with proposed language that would support more efficient land use by renewable generation projects by promoting denser, “solar smart growth” and reducing the need for redundant access roads and line extensions. REV is committed to protecting Vermont’s open spaces and supports reforms that facilitate more concentrated solar development. Making it easier to co-locate solar projects supports this goal and is consistent with the principle behind the planning processes underway at Towns and Regional Commissions in response to Act 181.
By reducing the investment in redundant infrastructure and promoting better utilization of good solar sites, REV’s proposal would also lower the cost of renewable power for utilities and Vermont rate payers. With the passage of Act 179, updating Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard, there should be broad support for reforms that make it more cost-effective to achieve the renewable energy requirements outlined in that Act. REV’s proposed revisions to the definition of “plant” that reduce redundant costs are emblematic of the reforms that will allow us to achieve these requirements at the lowest cost.
As detailed in REV’s filing with the PUC, REV believes that these proposed changes will reduce the time that PUC staff must devote to single plant determination cases for facilities that are not net-metered or enrolled in the Standard Offer Program. It will reduce the costs and uncertainty arising from the existing definition as interpreted by the Commission while protecting the state’s interest in promoting distributed generation
and reducing costs to consumers.