BRUNSWICK

Both houses of the Maine Legislature voted Wednesday in favor of a compromise solar bill put forth by Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton.

The bill would undo a recent rule change put forth by the Public Utilities Committee that would have begun phasing out net metering — which requires energy companies to compensate solar power generators for the energy they feed into the grid — next year. The new legislation would replace that rule, allowing those engaged in net metering by the end of the year to continue at the same rate, while solar arrays built in 2018 face a 10 percent cut to the rate they could receive, and those built in 2019 face a 20 percent cut.

“Passage of this commonsense solar bill will move Maine forward and prevent the costly and harmful new PUC rule from going into effect at the end of the year. This is a strong rejection of the Public Utilities Commission’s terrible rule,” said Natural Resources Council of Maine Communications Director Judy Berk in a press release.

Many of the features in the final compromise were part of a solar bill sponsored by Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, that received support from the NRCM and several solar industry representatives and advocates earlier in the legislative session.

“While this compromise bill does not live up to Maine’s full potential for solar jobs and for control of our energy future, it is a step in the right direction,” said Berry in a statement. “At a time when we are in danger of falling even further behind, I am pleased that my committee was able to reach a reasonable compromise and to work across the aisle to get the job done.”

While current law stipulates that no more than 10 entities can invest in a solar array, the new legislation would raise that limit to a hundred.

“This tenfold increase in the number of meters that can share in a solar farm represents a major step forward, and allows many more Mainers the opportunity to share in the benefits of solar,” said Berry.

The bill also requires the PUC to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the net metering program for the Legislature in 2019.

Although Gov. Paul LePage is expected to veto the bill, it passed both houses of the Legislature with more than the two-thirds support it would need for a veto override.

“If Gov. LePage chooses to veto the solar bill, and his veto were upheld there would be real, painful consequences on the ground throughout Maine, as good jobs would be lost and Maine would burdened with a backward energy supply,” said Berk.

nstrout@timesrecord.com