Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X X V O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 6 EU backtracks on proposed lobster ban e proposed ban on the import of live lobsters into the European Union was quashed after the EU's Committee on Invasive Alien Species told Swedish offi cials that the American lobster isn't an inva- sive species. e Portland Press Herald reported that although the committee would not support the invasive species listing, it said that it could explore other measures to protect the European lobster in the future. e invasive species listing was the cornerstone of the pro- posed ban. " is would have had a massive impact throughout the industry, from the fi shermen on up to the processors to the restaurants who serve our lobsters and consum- ers who eat them," Annie Tselikis, marketing manager for Maine Coast Co. and a spokesperson for the Maine Lobster Dealers' Association, told the Press Herald. Venture capital deals, dollars soften in Q3 Venture capital deals and invest- ment dollars both dropped in the third quarter of the year ended Sept. 30 partly due to a typical annual third-quarter cycle and to uncertainty about the presi- dential election. " is quar- ter was one of the lowest since 2010," Tom Ciccolella, U.S. Venture Capital Market Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, told Mainebiz. He referenced data released Oct. 14 in the MoneyTree Report from PwC based on data B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E Whether you're looking to enroll students online, offer streaming courses, track teacher performance, or analyze financial aid, count on the experts at ITS. For nearly two decades, we've helped regional and national institutions of higher learning get the most out of their current IT systems or upgrade cost-effectively to make their data work for them, while preventing breaches. And we're not afraid to work weekends and holidays, so we'll schedule our work to minimize disruption of your school calendar. Call to talk with an ITS specialist about your needs, today. W E ' V E R E A L LY D O N E O U R H O M E W O R K O N I T S O LU T I O N S F O R E D U C AT I O N . I T S N E . C O M / H I G H E R E D 8 8 8 - 2 6 4 - 7 8 5 2 R E P O R T C A R D A D VA N C E D I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O LO G Y Student Enrollment & Registration Data Analysis Security System Upgrades Consulting I T S G E T S S T R A I G H T S I N DATA M A N AG E M E N T F O R H I G H E R E D ! PUC on the hot seat over proposed 'net metering' rules Solar power advocates came out in force to tell the Maine Public Utilities Commission that it should scrap its proposed rule to gradually phase out fi nancial incentives designed to encourage consumers to install solar panels on their homes or small businesses. At a public hearing Oct. 17 in Augusta, solar advocates argued that rolling back current "net energy billing" policies, which the state implemented in the late 1980s to encourage its emerging solar industry, would keep Maine in last place among the Northeast states at a time when solar energy installations and jobs are growing nationwide. Under net energy billing (often referred to as "net meter- ing"), the solar customer's electric meter keeps track of how much electricity is consumed by that household or business and how much excess electricity is generated by solar panels and sent back into the electric utility grid. Over a 12-month period, aside from a small monthly service fee charged by their utility, the customer pays only for the net amount of electricity used from the utility that's over-and-above the amount of electricity generated by their solar power system. In mid-September, the three-member PUC, all appointees of Gov. Paul LePage, proposed in a rule that would grandfather for 15 years net metering credits for existing solar owners. As new customers sign up over the next 10 years, the PUC also stated in its proposed rule, "netting of the transmission and distribution portion of the bill will be gradually reduced" while "netting regarding the supply portion of the customer's bill will remain unchanged." The PUC's proposal also calls for a 50% increase in the size cap for eligible solar-powered facilities — from 660 kilowatts to 1,000 kilowatts — and explicitly allows net energy billing for community solar projects. "In light of changes in the technology and costs of small renewable generation, particularly solar photovoltaic, we felt that opening a rulemaking process to consider changes to the [current] rule was the prudent course of action to ensure that all ratepayers are treated fairly," PUC Chairman Mark Vannoy said when the rule was proposed. Advocates: Legislature, not PUC, should decide In written testimony fi led with the PUC, the Natural Resources Council of Maine said the state's solar policies would be better addressed by the Legislature and encouraged com- missioners to set aside their proposed rule. NRCM was among numerous stakeholders involved in crafting a compromise solar policy that was approved by the Legislature earlier this year but vetoed by Gov. LePage. Those advocates plan to pursue a similar course when the new Legislature convenes in January. "By changing net metering rules in a major way right as the next legislative session is beginning, the commission is impeding the Legislature's ongoing effort to adopt a compre- hensive distributed solar policy," Dylan Voorhees, NRCM's clean energy director, wrote. Stephen Hinchman, attorney for the Portland-based solar company ReVision Energy LLC, criticized the PUC for arriving at its rule without following t he usual process of seeking input from all stakeholders in a regulatory procedure involving "dis- covery, cross-examination … [and] the fi ling of legal briefs." Ashley Brown, executive director of the Cambridge, Mass.- based Harvard Electricity Policy Group, testifi ed in support of Central Maine Power's position that net metering has done its job. In an interview with Mainebiz prior to heading up to the Augusta hearing, Brown characterized "net metering" as a "relic of yesteryear." "The question to start off with for the Maine PUC, or any commission for that matter, is: As the cost of solar power declines, why in the world would we keep a system in place that requires customers to pay retail prices for what is essen- tially a wholesale product?" Brown said. — J a m e s M c C a r t h y F I L E P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R A solar array atop the Village Center in Brewer. The 100-panel photovoltaic array is capable of generating 26 kilowatts of electricity

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