Homegrown Energy for Montana’s Businesses

In the twenty years since Montana adopted net metering laws, nearly 3,000 customers have installed energy systems using solar, wind, micro-hydro, and other technologies. These include small businesses, farmers and ranchers, schools, libraries, fire stations, and many more. These Montanans are independently producing their own homegrown energy that is helping save them money. Improvements in technology and changes in the market have rendered the system size statute inadequate for meeting the needs of Montana’s businesses today. Many businesses – including some of the undersigned – would have installed larger systems, but were prevented from doing so by the arbitrary and outdated 50 kW system size limit.

The government-imposed limit on net metering does not meet the needs of Montana’s small businesses, schools, and libraries.
• Businesses need systems larger than 50 kW to adequately meet their energy savings goals.
• Solar and wind systems help businesses save money and hedge against rising operating costs like energy bills and property taxes.
• Small solar and small wind offer long-term savings that will stimulate the private sector, and save tax-payers dollars in the public sector.

The system size limit is stifling business growth and restricting opportunities in Montana for local, high quality careers.
• Government barriers are preventing the market from driving growth through private investment.
• Bigger projects means business growth – for the customer businesses as well as the installers. Montana’s laws are preventing small businesses from expanding operations and hiring more staff.
• Small-scale renewable energy installation is a statewide, small-business industry. There are more than 40 businesses involved in installation in Montana, with the average business having approx. 5 employees. They work statewide, and are based in counties across Montana, including: Yellowstone, Lake, Flathead, Cascade, Carbon, Ravalli, Butte-Silver Bow, and Lewis and Clark.

There is strong and bipartisan support in Montana for solar and wind energy development.
• We, the undersigned, are proof of this. Many of us, and thousands of other Montanans, have integrated wind and solar energy into our businesses and lives.
• A 2019 national poll by the Conservative Energy Network showed that 75% of voters want more emphasis on solar, 67% want more emphasis on wind, and 74% of voters are in favor of “cutting regulations and red tape that slow the development of clean energy resources.”
• A 2017 statewide poll by Maxfield Strategic Communications Research showed that 73% of respondents supported significantly increasing the net metering cap beyond the current 50 kW limit, and 78% supported a holistic and significant expansion of Montana’s net metering laws.

We call upon the 67th Montana Legislature to support and pass legislation that will increase the allowable net metering system size to meet the needs of Montanans.

**By signing this petition you are granting the Montana Renewable Energy Association permission to publicly share you name, business name, and business location (city) in association with this petition.

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