HB 970 renames Maryland's "Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard" to the "Clean Energy Portfolio Standard" and changes related terms like "renewable energy credits" to "clean energy credits." The bill explicitly adds electricity generated from certain nuclear power plants as an eligible Tier 2 source for meeting the standard, expanding the types of energy that can count toward compliance. This change directly affects utilities and energy providers required to meet the state's clean energy targets, applying retroactively to prior compliance periods. The bill focuses on updating terminology and eligibility criteria within existing energy policy frameworks.
HB 1561 requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to mandate investor-owned electric utilities to develop resource adequacy plans if the state faces insufficient power supply capacity or experiences severe price spikes in the PJM electricity market. The bill directs utilities to prioritize renewable energy investments in these plans and allows them to recover reasonable costs (including stranded investments) through regulated surcharges. It modifies how utilities can recover expenses for building power generation facilities and transmission infrastructure, ensuring cost recovery aligns with federal rate base approvals. This directly affects Maryland's major electric utilities (like Potomac Electric Power Company) and their ratepayers through potential cost adjustments.
HB 1494 modernizes Maryland's residential electricity and gas markets by allowing suppliers to offer time-of-use rates for terms longer than 12 months and combining electricity with green energy certificates in multi-year plans. It permits rates that exceed standard utility rates during peak times and exempts certain green power products from typical marketing and pricing rules. The bill requires the Public Service Commission to establish new rules for consolidated billing, cybersecurity, and fair interconnection of energy services. These changes directly affect residential customers choosing electricity/gas plans and suppliers offering those services, aiming to expand consumer options while adding new regulatory safeguards.
SB 841 changes how Maryland uses fees paid by utilities to fund renewable energy projects. Instead of direct grants, it requires the Maryland Energy Administration to run annual competitive auctions where developers bid to build renewable energy projects. The bill sets specific targets for project capacity, deadlines for completion, and eligibility rules for bidders, including prioritizing projects benefiting low-income or overburdened communities. It redirects existing compliance fees - previously used for solar grants - into this auction system to accelerate renewable energy development.
SB 966 requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to develop a successor program for net energy metering (NEM) when the current program reaches 3,000 megawatts of combined customer-generator capacity. The new program must incentivize distributed renewable energy (like rooftop solar), minimize long-term costs for all ratepayers, and balance fair compensation for energy exported to the grid with grid benefits and energy equity concerns. The Commission must complete this program development by December 2026, including stakeholder input, and submit a report to the legislature. The successor program will operate until total NEM capacity (current + successor) reaches 6,000 megawatts. This directly affects residential and commercial solar/wind system owners (eligible customer-generators) and electric utilities.
SB 749 defines "residential retail customer" as individuals using electricity or gas at a home, excluding businesses mislabeled as residential. It requires electricity suppliers to price non-green power at or below the utility's standard offer service rate, allows consolidated billing for electricity and gas, and mandates that suppliers marketing electricity as "green" must meet a 51% renewable energy standard (or 1% above the state's portfolio standard). The bill also adds requirements for the Public Service Commission to approve green power pricing and restricts automatic renewals for green power contracts. These changes directly affect residential electricity suppliers and their customers in Maryland.
HB 1572 amends Maryland's renewable energy law to include "waste-to-energy" as an eligible Tier 1 renewable energy source under the portfolio standard. The bill defines "waste-to-energy" as energy generated from facilities meeting six specific technical requirements: no combustion, continuous base-load capability, carbon recovery, no landfill byproducts, minimum 80% waste conversion efficiency, and compliance with EPA PFAS guidelines. This change directly affects waste-to-energy facilities that meet these criteria, allowing them to count toward utilities' renewable energy compliance requirements. The law takes effect for compliance years starting January 1, 2026.
SB 598 requires Maryland electric companies to submit cost containment plans to the Public Service Commission by January 1, 2027, and every three years thereafter. These plans must detail how the companies will reduce costs through "nonwires solutions" (like distributed energy resources and grid-enhancing technologies) and "demand flexibility" programs to avoid expensive infrastructure upgrades. The bill specifically mandates that plans address reducing peak electricity demand and integrating renewable energy while maintaining grid reliability. This directly affects all Maryland electric distribution and transmission companies operating under the Public Service Commission.
SB 954, the "Affordable Energy Act," requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to mandate investor-owned electric companies to submit resource adequacy plans if the state faces insufficient power supply or a "price stability event" (when PJM capacity market prices exceed projected new generation costs). These plans must prioritize renewable energy investments and address shortages through new generation or storage projects. The bill also allows utilities to recover prudently incurred costs - including stranded investments - for constructing or operating generation facilities, with a minimum annual return tied to federal transmission rates. It directly affects Maryland's investor-owned electric utilities by shaping how they plan for reliability and recover infrastructure costs.
This bill creates Maryland's GREEN Loan Program, providing no-interest loans to 501(c)(3) nonprofits for solar panels, energy-efficient building upgrades (like new windows or HVAC systems), and related planning. Nonprofits must contribute 10% of project costs, with priority given to those with annual budgets under $1 million. The program is funded through state budget appropriations and transfers from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, managed by the Maryland Clean Energy Center. Loans require repayment over time with deferred payment options, and must demonstrate long-term energy cost savings exceeding the loan's total cost.
