MS HB138

Establishes a Mississippi Distributed Energy Resource (DER) program allowing electrical utilities serving over 100,000 customer accounts to invest in renewable energy facilities and recover costs through a separate fuel cost component, with a 2% nameplate capacity target by 2024.

Creates a net energy metering program enabling customer-generators with renewable facilities up to 20 kW (residential) or 1,000 kW (non-residential) to offset energy consumption, with excess generation credited at the utility's avoided cost rate and paid annually.

Allows third-party lessors to lease renewable energy facilities to customers under certification from the Public Utilities Staff, with total leased capacity capped at 2% of the utility's peak demand (or 0.01% for utilities already generating over 50% from renewables).

Imposes cost caps on DER programs: residential customers limited to $12 annually per account, commercial to $120, and industrial to $1,200, with authorization for new DER components sunsetted January 1, 2022.

Requires the Public Utilities Staff and electric cooperatives to investigate cost-shifting and rate impacts from distributed energy resources and report findings to the Public Service Commission by December 31, 2018-2020.