Local solar companies’ lobbying campaign at the Legislature to preserve what some are calling a tax loophole, is showing signs of success.

The Senate Energy and Environment Committee passed House Bill 2417 on Tuesday that originally set out to ban the practice of taking multiple credits for single rooftop arrays. However, the language has been amended in the bill to strike a compromise — instead there will be a gradual reduction in the tax credit during the next few years.

Testimony from solar companies warning that the original legislation would kill the solar industry has poured in to the Ledge. And Sen. Mike Gabbard, who chairs the Energy and Environment Committee, told Civil Beat that he’d gotten “an earful” from the solar guys. 

But at least one solar exec is breaking ranks, speaking out about what he views as unscrupulous practices.

Marco Mangelsdorf of ProVision solar submitted testimony that read in part:

The intent of the state’s renewable energy tax credit was NEVER to promote individual homeowners’ ability to double, triple and even sextuple dip as far as getting so many separate $5,000 tax credits per residence. 

Hysterical claims of likely catastrophe notwithstanding, the passage of this bill will not cause the sky to fall on the state’s PV industry. It will restore a balance and fairness to the renewable energy tax credit law.