The Connecticut General Assembly has passed House Bill 5340, a wide-ranging package of energy provisions that combines many solar-related provisions that extend and create programs and establish new rules.
Key provisions of the law include an extension of the state’s residential and non-residential Renewable Energy Solutions tariff programs, the establishment of new programs for low-income community solar and residential energy storage incentives, increased requirements for annual procurement of renewable energy capacity by the state’s eclectic utilities, new guidelines for portable plug-in solar systems and requirements for municipalities to allow automated instant solar permitting for residential installations.
The legislation, which cleared the state Senate on the final day of the 2026 legislative session, now heads to governor Ned Lamont.
“This bill modernizes Connecticut’s renewable programs so clean energy can continue lowering bills, improving system reliability, and expanding consumer protection,” said state representative Jamie Foster, a co-sponsor of the bill, in a statement on Facebook. “Connecticut’s energy demand continues to rise, and families are feeling the strain of higher utility bills. As the state adds more renewable energy, programs must be designed to lower costs, support households with the greatest energy burdens, reduce administrative hurdles, and ensure consistent safety standards across the energy system.”
Renewable Energy Solutions program extensions
The bill’s primary clauses provide extensions to the state’s Residential Renewable Energy Solutions and Non-residential Renewable Energy Solutions, tariffs that define compensation to solar owners for energy exported to the local electric grid over 20-year terms.
The tariffs, which replaced the state’s net metering rules starting in 2022, had been set to expire at the end of 2027. The bill extends these programs through December 31, 2035.
Starting in 2028, the programs will be subject to an aggregate target of 180 megawatts per year and an $85 million annual budget cap.
Notably, the bill exempts residential photovoltaic systems paired with energy storage from these caps, provided the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) determines the combined systems offer a net benefit to all ratepayers.
Portable solar provisions
The passage of HB 5340 makes Connecticut the sixth state to move a plug-in solar bill to the governor’s desk. The state joins Utah, Maine, Virginia, Maryland and Colorado in passing such rules.
The Connecticut version of the bill is relatively straightforward compared to some other states. It would allow all utility customers to use portable solar devices with 1,200 watts of output or less, provided the devices meet the state’s building and fire codes, comply with the national Electrical Code and are certified by Underwriter’s Laboratory or another nationally-recognized testing lab.
The bill also prohibits utilities from charging portable solar users fees or requiring them to enter into interconnection agreements, and requires the state building and fire code authorities to examine whether changes must be made to state regulations in order to allow for implementation of the new rules.
Portable solar provisions of the law will take effect on October 1, 2026.
Smart solar permitting
HB 5340 requires the Commissioner of Administrative Services to implement a smart solar permitting platform, such as SolarAPP+, to automate the review and issuance of building permits for residential systems.
Municipalities will use the platform to process applications for rooftop solar systems up to 25 kilowatts, including those systems paired with energy storage. The state must deploy the system by July 1, 2028, and municipalities are required to adopt the state platform or an equivalent alternative by January 1, 2029.
The permitting provisions of HB 5340 were adopted from a standalone permitting bill governor submitted to the legislature by Governor Lamont himself, and added to the larger bill in the final days of the 2026 session.
Other provisions
One of the bill’s less headline-grabbing provisions directs the state departments of energy and environmental protection and agriculture to study the feasibility of an incentive program for agrivoltaics.
The study will evaluate nameplate capacity restrictions, requirements that participation be limited to land already in productive agricultural use and configurations that preserve farming operations. Recommendations from the study are due to the General Assembly by Jan. 1, 2027.
Other sections in the bill establish or replace requirements for reporting of major and minor incidents at electric generating or storage facilities, introduce new emergency preparedness and response requirements for owners and applicants of certain electric generating and storage facilities and require the establishment of a working group to review and assess processes for resuming electric generation services after shutoff.
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