Senate File 422 - Introduced
SENATE FILE
BY BOLKCOM
Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act providing for the establishment of interconnection
2 standards for customer=generator facilities by the utilities
3 board.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 2529XS 82
6 rn/je/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 476.26A INTERCONNECTION
1 2 STANDARDS.
1 3 1. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise
1 4 requires:
1 5 a. "Customer=generator" means a residential, commercial,
1 6 or industrial customer that generates electricity.
1 7 b. "Customer=generator facility" means the equipment used
1 8 by a customer=generator to generate, manage, and monitor
1 9 electricity.
1 10 c. "Electric utility" means any entity that furnishes
1 11 electricity to the public for compensation, whether or not
1 12 subject to the rate regulation authority of the board.
1 13 d. "Interconnection" means the physical connection of a
1 14 customer=generator facility with the electric distribution
1 15 lines of an electric utility's transmission and distribution
1 16 facilities.
1 17 2. The board shall establish standards by rule by July 1,
1 18 2008, for the interconnection of customer=generator facilities
1 19 to electric distribution lines of electric utility
1 20 transmission and distribution facilities. The standards shall
1 21 be designed to minimize the procedural barriers, delays, and
1 22 administrative costs associated with the interconnection while
1 23 ensuring the safety and reliability of customer=generator
1 24 facilities, electric distribution lines, and electric utility
1 25 transmission and distribution facilities.
1 26 3. The standards established in this section shall apply
1 27 to interconnections between customer=generator facilities of
1 28 up to ten thousand kilowatts capacity and all electric utility
1 29 transmission and distribution facilities, unless the
1 30 transaction is subject to interconnection procedures
1 31 established by the federal energy regulatory commission. The
1 32 standards shall involve three separate expedited sets of
1 33 procedures, to be developed by the board based on a review of
1 34 similar interconnection procedures established in other
1 35 states. The procedures shall be applicable to
2 1 customer=generator facilities of up to ten kilowatts, up to
2 2 two thousand kilowatts, and up to ten thousand kilowatts,
2 3 respectively, that do not export power beyond the point of
2 4 interconnection. The standards developed shall be consistent
2 5 with applicable model rules established by the interstate
2 6 renewable energy council, United States department of energy.
2 7 4. Safety and reliability measures shall be established in
2 8 the standards as determined necessary and appropriate by the
2 9 board. The board shall ensure that the measures are
2 10 consistent with applicable safety and performance standards
2 11 established by the national electrical code, the institute of
2 12 electrical and electronics engineers, underwriters
2 13 laboratories, and the American national standards institute
2 14 while constituting a minimum cost and level of technical
2 15 difficulty to customer=generators.
2 16 5. The standards shall prohibit the imposition of
2 17 additional charges by electric utilities for equipment or
2 18 services for interconnection beyond those necessary to meet
2 19 the standards if those charges would exceed similar charges in
2 20 other states with interconnection standards as identified by
2 21 the board. The standards shall incorporate simplified
2 22 interconnection contracts for interconnections involving
2 23 customer=generator facilities of two thousand kilowatts or
2 24 less, and shall not require liability or other insurance in
2 25 excess of that typically obtained by customer=generators for
2 26 general liability insurance purposes.
2 27 EXPLANATION
2 28 This bill provides for the adoption of rules establishing
2 29 interconnection standards by the utilities board by July 1,
2 30 2008. The standards would apply to the interconnection of
2 31 customer=generator facilities of up to 10,000 kilowatts
2 32 capacity to electric distribution lines of electric utility
2 33 transmission and distribution facilities, and be designed to
2 34 minimize the procedural barriers, delays, and administrative
2 35 costs associated with the interconnection.
3 1 The bill defines a "customer=generator" as a residential,
3 2 commercial, or industrial customer that generates electricity;
3 3 an "electric utility" as any entity that furnishes electricity
3 4 to the public for compensation, whether or not subject to the
3 5 rate regulation authority of the board; and "interconnection"
3 6 as the physical connection of a customer=generator facility
3 7 with the electric distribution lines of an electric utility's
3 8 transmission and distribution facilities.
3 9 The bill provides that the standards shall involve three
3 10 separate expedited sets of procedures, to be developed by the
3 11 board based on a review of similar interconnection procedures
3 12 established in other states. The procedures shall apply to
3 13 customer=generator facilities of up to 10 kilowatts, up to
3 14 2,000 kilowatts, and up to 10,000 kilowatts that do not export
3 15 power beyond the point of interconnection, and shall be
3 16 consistent with applicable model rules established by the
3 17 interstate renewable energy council, United States department
3 18 of energy. The bill states that safety and reliability
3 19 measures shall be established in the standards as determined
3 20 necessary and appropriate by the board, and that the board
3 21 shall ensure they are consistent with applicable safety and
3 22 performance standards established by several specified
3 23 sources. The bill provides that the standards shall prohibit
3 24 the imposition of additional charges by electric utilities for
3 25 equipment or services for interconnection beyond those
3 26 necessary to meet the standards, or that exceed similar
3 27 charges in other states, and that simplified interconnection
3 28 contracts shall be included for customer=generator facilities
3 29 of 2,000 kilowatts or less. The standards shall also not
3 30 require liability or other insurance in excess of that
3 31 typically obtained by customer=generators for general
3 32 liability insurance purposes.
3 33 LSB 2529XS 82
3 34 rn:rj/je/5.1