SESA hails signing of law banning $300 fee on solar customers

Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico President PJ Wilson

By THE STAR STAFF

The Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico (SESA) thanked Gov. Jenniffer González Colón and legislators from all parties for approving House Joint Resolution 193 (HJR 193), a measure that the organization says protects consumers while promoting modern, reasonable regulatory practices aligned with Puerto Rico’s public energy policy.

By signing HJR 193, SESA said, the governor halted the illegal $300 fee imposed on solar customers and prevented the charge from being added to the bills and rates of all electrical system subscribers -- not just those with solar systems. The legislative action safeguards Puerto Rico residents from undue costs and ensures a responsible, equitable regulatory process, the organization said in a statement late Wednesday.

“The approval of RCC [HJR] 193 represents a responsible step toward serious energy planning -- future-focused and centered on the public interest,” SESA President PJ Wilson said. “This measure recognizes that the challenge is not to evaluate solar systems in isolation, but to study the electrical system as a whole and ensure it is designed to guarantee every consumer’s right to access solar energy.”

Javier Rúa Jovet, SESA’s director of public policy, added: “RCC 193 establishes an orderly framework for the Energy Bureau to determine, through a proper regulatory process, the resources needed to conduct all relevant technical studies and ensure they are carried out correctly, rigorously, and in compliance with the law.”

“This resolution creates the mechanism to facilitate the planning Puerto Rico has never had -- and that is now essential to protect consumers and secure a modern, resilient, and fair electrical system,” Rúa Jovet added. “It is a victory for the people of Puerto Rico and for best regulatory practices.”

Lawmakers: New law saves solar panel industry in PR

Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nunez, along with House Government Committee Chairman Víctor Parés Otero, issued a statement early Thursday echoing SESA’s praise of the new law and thanking Gov. Jenniffer González Colón for signing off on HJR 193 (HJR 5-2026), which was authored by the two legislators.

“We thank the governor for doing justice to consumers with photovoltaic systems, directly reducing the burden they would have to pay,” Parés said. “LUMA, as an agent of the Electric Power Authority, has issued tens of thousands of notifications to solar customers charging this $300 for supplementary studies, for systems installed many years ago, which is unacceptable. Joint Resolution 5-2026 corrects this and safeguards thousands of Puerto Rican consumers.”

“Imposing a $300 charge on solar system customers is a blow to their wallets that we have never endorsed, we have denounced it, and today it will no longer be a reality thanks to our governor,” he added.

In essence, HJR 5-2026, approved in the House last Sept. 4 (41-0) and in the Senate on Nov. 13 (25-0), eliminates charges to customers in cases of photovoltaic systems with less than 25 kilowatts of capacity and orders the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) to adopt modern standards when completing a new Interconnection Regulation. For this purpose, it is given one calendar year from the date of the measure’s signing. In these cases, any modifications or improvements that may be required will be corrected by the transmission and distribution system operator.

According to data from LUMA Energy, there are some 185,861 installed photovoltaic systems in Puerto Rico (as of Sept. 30, 2025). About 4,000 of the systems are installed each month. In 2024, the figure was 3,000 per month, and in 2022, it was around 2,600.

The House speaker and Parés were the first legislators to denounce the charge in 2023.

Members of the New Progressive Party joined as co-authors of the resolution, as did the delegations from the Popular Democratic Party, the Puerto Rican Independence Party and the Dignity Project party.

Regulation No. 8915 (Regulation for Interconnecting Generators with the Electric Power Authority’s Electric Distribution System and Participating in Net Metering Programs, dated Feb. 6, 2017) establishes the charge in Section V, Article B.