Net Metering

Summary

Note: A decision filed by the Georgia Public Service Commission in Georgia Power's 2019 rate case required Georgia Power to offer net metering with monthly netting to 5,000 rooftop solar customers or 32 MW of capacity, whichever comes first. This cap was met in 2021. The PSC made a decision in Georgia Power's 2022 rate case that kept the cap, and stipulated that for current and new customers on instantaneous net metering, Georgia Power will pay an avoided cost in addition to four cents/kWh for excess generation starting January 1, 2023 -- with the additional amount set in place until a review is done for the company's 2025 rate case.

The Georgia Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act of 2001 allowed but did not require net energy metering to be adopted by utilities. The law requires all utilities -- investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities and electric cooperatives -- to offer bidirectional or single directional metering to customer generators, depending on how the customer's facility is connected to the grid. Eligible technologies include photovoltaic (PV) systems, fuel cells and wind turbines up to 10 kilowatts (kW) in capacity for residential applications, and systems up to 100 kW for commercial applications. The aggregate capacity of such systems is limited to 0.2% of a utility's system peak demand from the previous year. 

Temporary Net Metering for Georgia Power (fully subscribed as of July 2021)

A decision filed by the Georgia Public Service Commission in Georgia Power's 2019 rate case requires Georgia Power to offer net metering with monthly netting to 5,000 rooftop solar customers or 32 MW of capacity, whichever comes first.  The cap was kept according to the PSC's decision during Georgia Power's 2022 rate case. Monthly excess will be credited at the utility's solar avoided cost rate. 

Net Billing

When Georgia Power reaches the threshold for net metering described above, it will revert to offering only net billing. Systems connected on the customer's side of the meter use a bi-directional meter, and any instantaneous net excess generation (NEG) is credited to the customer's next bill at a predetermined rate filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission (this is currently the Solar Avoided Cost for Georgia Power). Alternatively, a customer may choose to sell all electricity from a system (rather than using the electricity generated by the system) by connecting ahead of the meter.

Net energy metering tariffs filed by cooperatives are recorded in Docket # 31536 on the Georgia Public Service Commission's website. Customers should contact their utility to see if it offers net metering.

Georgia Power stipulates that commercial systems with a peak capacity of less than or equal to 250 kW are eligible and that systems between 100 and 250 kW may not exceed 125% of the previous year's demand. Fuel cell applications are limited to 100 kW or less.

Third-Party Ownership

HB 57 allows residential and commercial customers to work with third parties to install, operate, lease, and/or finance solar systems. The limit for residential customers is 10 kW and the limit for commercial customers is 125% of the actual or expected peak demand of the premises. All systems must meet applicable safety, power quality, and interconnection requirements. 

Commercial systems above 100 kW and residential systems above 10 kW are not explicitly prohibited at this time but may be subject to additional compliance requirements.