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05 POLICY LANDSCAPE
announced (although not necessarily operational) net metering
policies. In North America, South Carolina became the 44th
US state i to establish net metering, while Newfoundland and
Labrador became the 4th Canadian province to do so. 35 In
addition, the Emirate of Dubai established a rooftop solar PV net
metering programme in 2015. 36
Revisions to net metering policies have focused increasingly
on technical standards for grid connection, as well as on the
introduction of taxes or fees on self-generators participating in
net metering programmes or generating their own power. As the
amount of distributed renewable electricity operating under net
metering has increased, policy makers in some countries have
come under pressure from private citizens or electric utilities
citing electric rates or revenue concerns. In response, some policy
makers have revised downward the net metering payments and/
or have levied new taxes or fees on renewable generators.
remained one of the most active regions in 2015. Argentina
began preparing tenders to be launched in 2016, while Peru
held its fourth round of auctions, offering 1,300 GWh of biomass,
wind and solar PV power, and also awarded a power purchase
agreement (PPA) to supply electricity to rural households
through 150,000 solar home systems. 26 Mexico and El Salvador
announced plans to hold their first and second renewable energy
auctions, respectively. 27
In the MENA region, both Iraq and Jordan held their first tenders,
and Morocco awarded 850 MW of new wind projects. 28 Turkey
held multiple auctions that attracted bids totalling nearly 15 times
the capacity offered. 29 In Europe, tenders were held in countries
including France, Germany and Spain. 30
Although auction mechanisms have been used primarily at the
national level, their adoption is expanding among sub-national
jurisdictions as well. Several Indian states employed tenders
in 2015 to support solar power deployment. Notable examples
include Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Telangana
(which held two solar tenders for 400 MW) and Jharkhand (which
announced plans to allocate 1,200 MW of small- and large-scale
solar contracts). 31 In addition, the Emirate of Dubai in the UAE
awarded a contract for a 200 MW solar PV park and opened its
third solar PV tender (800 MW). 32 The Australian Capital Territory
launched its second utility-scale wind power auction in 2015. 33
Net metering / net billing policies were in force in 52 countries
as of year-end 2015. Net metering / net billing has been utilised
to support the deployment of small-scale, distributed renewable
energy systems by enabling generators to receive credit or
payments for excess on-site generation. In many cases, net
metering policies have been adopted in conjunction with other
policy mechanisms – such as FITs or auctions – that support
larger-scale projects.
Although the pace of new adoption of net metering policies had
slowed in recent years, this trend reversed in 2015, with four new
policies announced at the national level and five added at the
state/provincial level. Colombia, Ghana, Nepal and Pakistan all
adopted net metering/net billing for plants no larger than 1 MW,
and Brazil expanded its net metering cap from 1 MW to 5 MW. 34
In India, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan adopted solar PV
net metering, bringing to 21 the number of Indian states with
Notable examples introduced in 2015 include Spain’s surcharge
on many solar PV systems and on self-consumption of the
electricity generated on the premises. 37 Generators pay grid
fees plus separate capacity and generation taxes, with a second
tax established for systems larger than 10 kW. 38 In the United
States, Nevada revised tariffs on new and existing systems after
reaching its net metering cap, and Hawaii closed its net metering
programme to new applicants and introduced additional tariffs
for connecting systems to the electric grid. 39 Other US states
– including Arizona, California, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas –
were considering proposals for rate adjustments and charges on
residential customers with solar PV systems. 40
In addition to regulatory policies that stimulate increased
renewable electricity generation, renewable obligations or
mandates that require the deployment of renewable power
capacity are in use worldwide. Electric utility quotas or Renewable
Portfolio Standards (RPS) are the most common mandate in use
at the national level to promote renewable power. RPS policies
were in place nationally in 26 countries by year-end 2015. ( R See
Reference Table R21.) The overall pace of new adoption at the
national level has slowed significantly in recent years, and no new
additions were made at the national level in 2015.
RPS policies remain popular at the sub-national level. As of
year-end 2015, RPS or quota policies were in place in 74 states/
provinces/territories, including in Belgium (2), Canada (3), India
(27 states and 7 union territories) and the United States (29 states,
the District of Columbia and three territories). State-level policy
makers were by far the most active in revising existing mandates in
2015. Policy changes resulted in a wide array of new and increased
obligations as well as in the removal of some existing mandates.
New RPS policies were added in one state and one territory
in 2015. In the United States, Vermont upgraded its voluntary
standard to mandate that all utilities in the state acquire 55%
of electricity from qualifying renewable technologies by 2017,
and 75% by 2032. 41 The US Virgin Islands codified the existing
voluntary goal of 30% by 2025 as a mandatory RPS. In addition,
Colorado’s RPS survived a court challenge when the Federal
Appeals Court ruled the policy constitutional because it does not
impose unlawful regulations on out-of-state companies. 42
i In addition to American Samoa, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
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