PORTLAND (AP) - The Oregon House has approved a bill to promote the generation of solar power in Oregon.

House Bill 3039 creates two programs, one of them is a pilot program to study a feed-in tariff for projects under 500 kilowatts.

The feed-in tariff would allow consumers to sell power generated from solar panels to the utilities at a wholesale rate set by the Public Utility Commission for 15 years. After the 15-year period, the energy producer would receive payments from the utility at market value.

Oregon would be the second state to implement a feed-in tariff behind Vermont.