On Monday, April 2, 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed bill LD 91, ending Maine’s controversial three-year policy of “gross metering,” by which owners of solar panels were required to purchase an extra meter to measure excess energy generated through their solar array, and compensated at a lower-than-market value for their electricity production, even if used on-site. LD 91 returns the state to a policy of “net metering,” which provides solar owners with a one-to-one credit for the excess electricity they produce.
“Maine has lagged behind other states in embracing policies that advance solar power,” Governor Mills said on Twitter. “That ends today. By signing this bill, we are restoring net metering, resetting solar policy, and charting a course for the growth of solar power to lower electricity bills and combat climate change.”
Representative Seth A Berry voiced his support for the bill when it was signed, thanking the governor for her support. The cost of solar generation has fallen by almost half in the last few years, and seventy solar companies are operational in the state of Maine.