MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont's attorney general and Department of Public Service have issued guidance to solar companies doing business in the state to avoid making deceptive claims for some projects.
Attorney General William Sorrell says in some project agreements — including most community solar or net metering credit purchase agreements — the solar company owns the solar panels, not the consumer.
Within some of the projects, the company also sells the renewable energy certificates/credits attributed to the electricity generated by the panels to help finance it. In such cases, the energy used by the consumer is not, legally, renewable or solar energy. It's simply undifferentiated power or "null electricity."
So, companies may not state or imply the energy consumed from such projects is "solar," ''renewable," or "clean," and should have clear disclosures about the certificates.