(a)  Before entering a solar agreement, a solar retailer shall provide to a potential customer the standard disclosure form established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. This requirement shall apply to contracts entered into beginning forty-five (45) days from the date that the standard disclosure form is published by the office of energy resources.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 39-26.8-4

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Customer: means a person who, for primarily personal, family, or household purposes:

    (i)  Purchases a residential solar energy system under a system purchase agreement;

    (ii)  Leases a residential solar energy system under a system lease agreement; or

    (iii)  Purchases electricity under a power purchase agreement. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-26.8-2

  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
  • Solar agreement: means a system purchase agreement, a system lease agreement, or a power purchase agreement. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-26.8-2
  • Solar retailer: means a person who:

    (i)  Sells or proposes to sell a residential solar energy system to a customer under a system purchase agreement;

    (ii)  Owns the residential solar energy system that is the subject of a system lease agreement or proposed system lease agreement; or

    (iii)  Sells or proposes to sell electricity to a customer under a power purchase agreement. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-26.8-2

(b)  The office of energy resources shall develop a standard disclosure form. Use of and compliance with the standard disclosure form will satisfy the solar retailer’s obligation under this chapter. The standard disclosure form shall be published on the website of the office of energy resources. In developing the standard disclosure form, the office of energy resources may use as a model the renewable energy fund small scale participant consumer disclosure form developed by the Rhode Island commerce corporation. The office of energy resources shall also consult with industry and other stakeholders in the development of the content and format of the form and in regard to any changes to the form. At a minimum, the disclosure form shall:

(1)  Be in at least twelve (12) point font;

(2)  Contain fields that require providing the following information:

(i)  The name, address, telephone number, and any email address of the potential customer;

(ii)  The name, address, telephone number, and email address of the solar retailer; and

(iii)(A)  The name, address, telephone number, email address, and state contractor license number of the person who is expected to install the system that is the subject of the solar agreement; and

(B)  If the solar retailer selected the person who is expected to provide operations or maintenance support to the potential customer or introduced that person to the potential customer, the name, address, telephone number, email address, and state contractor license of the operations or maintenance support person; and

(3)  Include applicable information and disclosures as provided in §§ 39-26.8-5, 39-26.8-6, 38-26.8-7, and 39-26.8-8.

History of Section.
P.L. 2022, ch. 255, § 1, effective June 28, 2022; P.L. 2022, ch. 256, § 1, effective June 28, 2022.