New York regulators suspend net metering caps

Regulators in New York have suspended net metering caps for rooftop solar projects as it completes its Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) process.  According to Utility Dive: 

• The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) has suspended all caps on retail rate net metering for rooftop solar until the state's Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) proceedings set values for distributed energy resources (DERs), RTO Insider reports.
• Until the completion of that valuation process — slated for the end of 2016 — owners of distributed generation (DG) will continue to receive retail rate remuneration for electricity sent to New York’s grid. 
• The ruling (15-E-0407) applies to all six New York investor-owned utilities and requires them to file NEM tariff revisions by Oct. 30, to be effective Nov. 6. The PSC rejected ORU’s proposal to replace the existing NEM remuneration with a plan in which DG owners sell their system’s output at a wholesale rate, but buy their electricity from the grid at the retail rate.

Massachusetts would do well to take note of this and follow New York's lead: Suspend net metering caps until the 1600 MW solar target is reached, initative a value of solar process and set compensation levels for new solar projects (post-1600 MW) based on the results.