Not Your Mothers Net Metering: Recent Policy Evolution in U'S' States

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Not Your Mothers Net Metering Recent Policy
Evolution in U.S. States

• Rusty Haynes
• N.C. Solar Center / IREC
• N.C. State University
• rusty_haynes_at_ncsu.edu
• Solar Power 2007
• Long Beach, CA
• September 25, 2007

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Net Metering Policy Variables

• Customer eligibility?
• Which utilities must participate?
• Eligible system types?
• Individual system capacity limit?
• Aggregate system capacity limit?
• Treatment of customer net excess?
• REC ownership?
• Mandatory tariff switch?

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Net Metering Best Practices

• Maximum system capacity 2 MW
• All renewables eligible ( CHP)

• All utilities must participate
• All customer classes eligible
• Limit on aggregate capacity 5
• Annual reconciliation of NEG, or no expiration
• Interconnection standards
• No application fee
• No special charges, fees or tariff change
• Customer owns RECs

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Net Metering New Programs(Since fall 2006)

• WV 25-kW limit annual NEG reconciliation
• 0.1 aggregate capacity limit
• MO 100-kW limit, monthly NEG reconciliation
  all costs may be recovered in utilitys rate
  structure
• 5 aggregate capacity limit
• USVI 10-kW limit annual NEG reconciliation

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Net Metering Revised Laws/Rules(Since fall 2006)

• Individual capacity raised AR, CT, DE, MD,
• NH, NM, NV, OR, PA, RI
• Aggregate capacity raised CT, DE, MD, NH,
• OR, RI, VA
• More renewables eligible DE, OR, NH, OH, VA
• NEG treatment clarified/improved AR, CT,
• DE, MD, NH, NV, OH, OR, PA
• REC ownership clarified/improved AR, CA,
• DE, MD, NV

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Highlights

• NJ 2-MW system limit
• no aggregate limit

CA 1-MW system limit 2.5 aggregate limit
CO 2-MW system limit no aggregate limit
PA Up to 5-MW limit no aggregate limit
MD 2-MW system limit 1,500-MW aggregate limit
OR Up to 2-MW limit no aggregate limit
CT 2-MW system limit no aggregate limit
DE Up to 2-MW limit 1 aggregate limit
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1-MW Up Net Metering Club
CA CO CT DE MD NJ NM NV OH OR PA RI (IL?
NC? TX?)

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Net Metering
www.dsireusa.org

August 2007
NH 100 MA 60 RI 1,000/1,650 CT 2,000
100
VT 15/150
100


100
50

40

25/2,000
10/400
20


25/100
30

25


no limit

500
PA 50/3,000/5,000 NJ 2,000 DE
25/500/2,000 MD 2,000 DC 100 VA 10/500


1,000



25
40
10


25

2,000
1,000
100
15

20/100


80,000
100
25/300
varies

10/100

50
25/100
50
varies
Net metering is available in 42 states D.C.
State-wide net metering for all utility types
State-wide net metering for certain utility
types (e.g., investor-owned utilities only)

Net metering offered by one or more individual
utilities
(Numbers indicate individual system size limit
in kilowatts. Some states limits vary by
customer type, as shown)
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(No Transcript)
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Energy Policy Act of 2005

• Section 1251 Net Metering.
  PUCs and
  nonregulated utilities must consider a
  net-metering standard. Must begin consideration
  by 8/8/07 complete determination by 8/8/08.
• Section 1254 Interconnection.
  PUCs and
  nonregulated utilities must consider an
  interconnection standard. Must begin
  consideration by 8/8/06 complete determination
  by 8/8/07.

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Consideration of Net-Metering Standard
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
rejected
under consideration
X
adopted
(Source IREC, September 2007)
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Net-Metered Energy Systems, United States
Source U.S. DOE/EIA
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Net-Metered Energy Systems, United States
Source U.S. DOE/EIA
This chart excludes CA.
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IREC Resources Activities

• Connecting to the Grid e-newsletter (published
  monthly)
• Model interconnection net-metering standards
• State-by-state tables (updated 8/07)
• EPAct 2005 status table (updated 9/07)
• Connecting to the Grid guide (5th edition
  published 7/07)
• Library of legal documents
• DSIRE www.dsireusa.org
• Solar ABCs www.solarabcs.org

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Thanks.
Rusty Haynes N.C. Solar Center / IREC N.C. State
University rusty_haynes_at_ncsu.edu 919.513.0445