relative to the renewable energy fund.

SB 599-FN - VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES

06/04/2026 1990CofC
2026 SESSION
26-2270
12/06

SENATE BILL
599-FN

AN ACT
relative to the renewable energy fund.

SPONSORS: Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Sen. Lang, Dist 2; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Rep. Mooney, Hills. 12; Rep. Erf, Hills. 28

COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill requires that remaining moneys from certain electricity provider payments made to the renewable energy fund shall first be used by the department of energy for administrative costs up to $1,000,000, with the remainder to be used to support thermal and electrical renewable energy initiatives. The bill also prohibits any remaining moneys from being used to support individual residential solar initiatives.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in
bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [
in brackets and struckthrough.
]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
06/04/2026 1990CofC 26-2270
12/06

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT
relative to the renewable energy fund.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Renewable Energy Fund; Priority of Use of Funds; Administrative Costs. Amend RSA 362-F:10, I, as amended by 2025, 286:6 to read as follows:
I. There is hereby established a renewable energy fund. This nonlapsing special fund shall be continually appropriated to the department of energy to be expended in accordance with this section; provided that at the start of the period in which there is no adopted state operating budget, the department of energy shall in a timely manner seek the approval of the fiscal committee of the general court to continue using moneys from the renewable energy fund to support renewable energy rebate and grant programs in order to ensure there are no interruptions to the programs. The state treasurer shall invest the moneys deposited therein as provided by law. Income received on investments made by the state treasurer shall also be credited to the fund. All payments to be made under this section shall be deposited in the fund. Any remaining moneys paid into the fund under paragraph II of this section, excluding class II moneys, shall
first
be used by the department of energy [
to support thermal and electrical renewable energy initiatives
]
for administrative costs
, including the office of energy innovation.
After funding of the administrative costs, up to $1,000,000 annually shall support thermal and electrical renewable energy initiatives, pursuant to RSA 362-F:10, VIII, and shall not be used to support individual residential solar initiatives. Any monies remaining shall be transferred to the general fund.
Class II moneys shall primarily be used to support solar energy technologies in New Hampshire. All initiatives supported out of these funds shall be subject to audit by the department of energy as deemed necessary. All fund moneys including those from class II may be used to administer this chapter, but all new employee positions shall be approved by the fiscal committee of the general court. No new employees shall be hired by the department of energy due to the inclusion of useful thermal energy in class I production.

2 Applicability. This act shall apply to funds collected on and after July 1, 2025 until June 30, 2027.

3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.

LBA
26-2270
11/17/25

SB 599-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT
relative to the renewable energy fund.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The Office of Legislative Budget Assistant states this bill has no fiscal impact on state, county and local expenditures or revenue.
This bill will have no fiscal impact because the state budget for FY 2026 and FY 2027 already assumed the same allocation structure. The enacted budget projected that, after administrative costs and the $1,000,000 retained annually in the Renewable Energy Fund to support thermal and electrical renewable energy initiatives, approximately $4,000,000 per year would be deposited into the General Fund. As this legislation restores the statutory language to align with what was assumed in the budget and corrects an inadvertent change made through policy legislation, there is no additional fiscal impact.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:
None