20VAC5-315 Regulations Governing Net Energy Metering

REGULATIONS

Vol. 32 Iss. 9 - December 28, 2015

TITLE 20. PUBLIC UTILITIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION

Chapter 315

Final Regulation

REGISTRAR'S NOTICE: The State Corporation Commission is claiming an exemption from the Administrative Process Act in accordance with § 2.2-4002 A 2 of the Code of Virginia, which exempts courts, any agency of the Supreme Court, and any agency that by the Constitution is expressly granted any of the powers of a court of record.

Title of Regulation: 20VAC5-315. Regulations Governing Net Energy Metering (amending 20VAC5-315-20, 20VAC5-315-30, 20VAC5-315-40, 20VAC5-315-70).

Statutory Authority: §§ 12.1-13 and 56-594 of the Code of Virginia.

Effective Date: December 28, 2015.

Agency Contact: Armando J. deLeón, Utilities Engineer, Division of Energy Regulation, State Corporation Commission, P.O. Box 1197, Richmond, VA 23218, telephone [phone], FAX [phone], or email [e-mail].

Summary:

Pursuant to Chapters 431 and 432 of the 2015 Acts of Assembly, § 56-594 of the Code of Virginia was amended to, among other things, increase the maximum generating capacity of an electrical generating facility owned or operated by an electric utility's nonresidential customer that may be eligible for participation in the utility's net energy metering program and specify that new net metering facilities may not exceed the customer's expected annual energy consumption based on 12 months of billing history. The amendments to the rules (i) increase the capacity limit for participation by nonresidential customers in the net energy metering program; (ii) eliminate the authorization for electric utilities to allow a higher capacity limit for nonresidential customers than that set forth in the statute; (iii) require that new net metering facilities may not exceed the customer's expected annual energy consumption based on 12 months of billing history; (iv) require any eligible customer-generator seeking to participate in net energy metering to notify its supplier and receive approval to interconnect prior to installation of an electrical generating facility; and (v) clarify requirements regarding the customer-generator's obligation to bear the costs of equipment required for the interconnection to the supplier's electric distribution system.

Changes from the proposed regulation include new language to make clear that a customer seeking to add capacity to a generator must file a new application with the distribution company; a modification to the Interconnection Form to be provided by customer-generators to their electric distribution company to properly align with the process set forth in the statute; and several changes to the rules to ensure consistency in language and verb tense.

AT RICHMOND, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, ex rel.

STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION

CASE NO. PUE-2015-00057

Ex Parte: In the matter of amending regulations
governing net energy metering

ORDER ADOPTING REGULATIONS

The Regulations Governing Net Energy Metering, 20 VAC 5-315-10 et seq. ("Existing Rules"), adopted by the State Corporation Commission ("Commission") pursuant to § 56-594 of the Code of Virginia, establish the requirements for participation by an eligible customer-generator in net energy metering in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Net Energy Metering Rules include conditions for interconnection and metering, billing, and contract requirements between net metering customers, electric distribution companies, and energy service providers.

On June 5, 2015, the Commission entered an Order Establishing Proceeding ("Order") to consider revisions to the Existing Rules to reflect statutory changes enacted by Chapters 431 and 432 of the 2015 Acts of Assembly, which amended § 56-594 of the Code of Virginia to: (1) increase the capacity limit for participation by nonresidential customers in the net energy metering program from 500 kilowatts to one megawatt, for facilities placed into service after July 1, 2015; (2) eliminate the authorization for electric utilities to allow a higher capacity limit for nonresidential customers than that set forth in the statute; (3) require that the capacity of any generating facility installed after July 1, 2015, shall not exceed the expected annual energy consumption based on the previous twelve months of billing history or an annualized calculation of billing history if twelve months of billing history is not available; (4) require any eligible customer-generator seeking to participate in net energy metering to notify its supplier and receive approval to interconnect prior to installation of an electrical generating facility; and (5) clarify requirements regarding the customer-generator's obligation to bear the costs of equipment required for the interconnection to the supplier's electric distribution system.

The Commission appended to its Order proposed amendments ("Proposed Rules") revising the Existing Rules, which were prepared by the Staff of the Commission to reflect the revisions mandated by Chapters 431 and 432.

Notice of the proceeding and the Proposed Rules were published in the Virginia Register of Regulations on June 29, 2015. Additionally, each Virginia electric distribution company was directed to serve a copy of the Order upon each of their respective net metering customers. Interested persons were directed to file any comments and requests for hearing on the Proposed Rules on or before July 31, 2015.

Appalachian Power Company, Kentucky Utilities ("KU"), Virginia Electric and Power Company ("Virginia Power"), the Virginia Electric Cooperatives ("Cooperatives"),¹ Maryland DC Virginia Solar Energy Industries Association ("MDV-SEIA"), Solar Services, Inc., the Sierra Club ("Sierra Club"), Joy Loving, Timothy Carr, Thomas Crockett, Joseph Schill, Carollyn Ogelsby, Charles Bier, Timothy Dolan, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Craun, Mark Hanson, Mark Howard, Sue Krantz, Richard Good, William Marsh, Monica Rokicki, J. Daryl Byler, Jeanne Kirby, Walter Barry, Douglass McCallum, John M. Roberts, Odile Heisel, Brendan Breen, John Wray, Douglass Jones, Bryan Hantman and Mark Laity-Snyder filed comments. No one requested a hearing on the Proposed Rules.

NOW THE COMMISSION, upon consideration of this matter, is of the opinion and finds that the regulations attached hereto as Appendix A ("Revised Rules") should be adopted as final rules. To the extent parties have requested changes to the Proposed Rules that go beyond the scope of the modifications required by Chapters 431 and 432, we will not expand the scope of this proceeding to consider issues beyond those required to implement the amendments to § 56-594 of the Code of Virginia. In addition, some commenters have objected to the requirements set forth in Chapters 431 and 432 or the language used in the statute. These matters are beyond the Commission's jurisdiction to remedy and will not be addressed herein.

Virginia Power notes that the Proposed Rules limit the capacity of a customer-owned generation facility, but do so in terms of kilowatt hours rather than kilowatts. While we recognize the concern of Virginia Power, the Proposed Rules correspond with the express direction of the General Assembly in Chapters 431 and 432. Similarly, we will decline to make the modification requested by Joy Loving, Timothy Carr, Thomas Crockett, and Joseph Schill, who note that the rated capacity of a generator is not necessarily the same as the output of the generator. The statute specifically directs the Commission to limit participation based on the capacity of the generator.

KU requests additional clarification regarding the Proposed Rules' applicability to customers adding capacity to an existing generator. We have revised the rules to make clear that a customer seeking to add capacity to a generator must file a new application with the distribution company. KU also requests that the rules require an additional application if the customer replaces a significant portion of the generator. If this replacement results in an increase in capacity, the rules will require a new application; if the capacity is not increased, no new application is required.

Carollyn Ogelsby, Joy Loving, Timothy Carr, Thomas Crockett, Charles Bier, Timothy Dolan, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Craun, Mark Hanson, and Mark Howard all request that the capacity calculated by the distribution company allow for accommodation of future needs or future conversion of non-renewable customer-owned generation to renewable. Under the Revised Rules, any such conversion or modification would result in an increase in capacity, and thus a new application.

The Sierra Club, MDV-SEIA, Joy Loving and Thomas Schill request additional clarification regarding calculation of capacity based on a customer's previous twelve months of usage. We do not believe that additional clarification is necessary. The statute describes the requirement discussed by the Sierra Club as "based on usage during the previous 12 month period," which will be determined by the distribution company using existing methodologies for estimating usage. If a customer disagrees with the calculation, they can pursue an informal complaint with the Commission.

Several commenters request changes in the approval process and application form to be submitted to the distribution company by the customer. The Cooperatives note that there is a problem in the order of approval in 20 VAC 5-315-30 (A)(1) and (A)(2). There are two steps to the approval process, but only one form is provided in the rules. We agree that there are two steps in the process under the rules. First, the customer must notify the utility of the generation to be interconnected, including the proposed unit's generating capacity. Second, the customer must verify that all requirements for interconnection have been met. The Revised Rules modify the form to properly align with the process set forth in the statute.

MDV-SEIA requests that the rules be modified to make clear that a distribution company may only reject the application if the customer fails to meet the requirements set forth in the statute. We do not believe this clarification is necessary. If a customer believes an application has been denied improperly, the customer may pursue an informal complaint with the Commission.

We will deny additional requests for changes to the rules regarding notification and approval. The Revised Rules clearly define a two-step process for interconnection of new customer-owned generation, and clearly delineate the notification required by each party, all consistent with the requirements set forth in the statute.

Virginia Power requests that the Commission eliminate the requirement in 20 VAC 5-315-40 for multiple signatures, requiring only one signature for certification and allowing the form to be automated electronically. We disagree with Virginia Power. The rules currently require multiple signatures for the safety of the customer and distribution company before the facility is interconnected. The Commission is unaware of any customer seeking a more streamlined process. Virginia Power also requests that the rules require that all equipment must meet Underwriters Laboratories and The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers standards. This is already provided for in 20 VAC 5-315-70, and thus no further modification of the rules is necessary.

The Cooperatives and KU each request several changes to 20 VAC 5-315-40 (A)(7) to ensure consistency in language and verb tense. We agree, and have modified the Revised Rules to address these concerns.

Timothy Carr, Richard Good, and the Sierra Club each request additional clarification regarding the costs the generator must pay the utility for installation. We clarify that the costs in question are equipment and labor costs for work needed to interconnect with the distribution company. These costs are already addressed in the rules, and thus no modification is needed at this time.

Virginia Power requests that the Commission modify 20 VAC 5-315-70 to make clear that in addition to other costs noted in the rules, the customer-generator will be responsible for: (1) additional tests related to the interconnection; and (2) the costs of interconnection. We do not believe that additional clarification is necessary, as the costs to be paid by the customer are already defined by the rules.

Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED THAT:

(1) The Regulations Governing Net Energy Metering, as shown in Appendix A to this Order, are hereby adopted and are effective as of December 28, 2015.

(2) A copy of this Order with Appendix A including the Regulations Governing Net Energy Metering shall be forwarded to the Registrar of Regulations for publication in the Virginia Register of Regulations.

(3) On or before January 12, 2016, each utility in the Commonwealth subject to Chapter 10 (§ 56-232 et seq.) of Title 56 of the Code of Virginia shall file with the Clerk of the Commission, in this docket, one (1) original document containing any revised tariff provisions necessary to implement the regulations adopted herein, and shall also file a copy of the document containing the revised tariff provisions with the Commission's Division of Energy Regulation. The Clerk of the Commission need not distribute copies but shall make such filings available for public inspection in the Clerk's Office and post them on the Commission's website at: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case.

(4) This docket shall remain open to receive the filings from electric utilities pursuant to Ordering Paragraph (3).

AN ATTESTED COPY hereof shall be sent by the Clerk of the Commission to all electric distribution companies licensed in Virginia as shown on Appendix B, hereto; and a copy shall be sent to the Commission's Office of General Counsel and Division of Energy Regulation.

________________________________________________

¹ The filing entitled "Comments of the Virginia Electric Cooperatives" was submitted jointly on behalf of: A&N Electric Cooperative, BARC Electric Cooperative, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, Community Electric Cooperative, Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, Northern Neck Electric Cooperative, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, Powell Valley Electric Cooperative, Prince George Electric Cooperative, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative, and Southside Electric Cooperative, as well as the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives.

20VAC5-315-20. Definitions.

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Agricultural business" means any sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership, electing small business (Subchapter S) corporation, or limited liability company engaged primarily in the production and sale of plants and animals, products collected from plants and animals, or plant and animal services that are useful to the public.

"Agricultural net metering customer" means a customer that operates an electrical generating facility consisting of one or more agricultural renewable fuel generators having an aggregate generation capacity of not more than 500 kilowatts as part of an agricultural business under a net metering service arrangement. An agricultural net metering customer may be served by multiple meters of one utility that are located at separate but contiguous sites and that may be aggregated into one account. This account shall be served under the appropriate tariff.

"Agricultural renewable fuel generator" or "agricultural renewable fuel generating facility" means one or more electrical generators that:

1. Use as their sole energy source solar power, wind power, or aerobic or anaerobic digester gas;

2. The agricultural net metering customer owns and operates, or has contracted with other persons to own or operate, or both;

3. Are located on land owned or controlled by the agricultural business;

4. Are connected to the agricultural net metering customer's wiring on the agricultural net metering customer's side of the agricultural net metering customer's interconnection with the distributor;

5. Are interconnected and operated in parallel with an electric company's distribution facilities; and

6. Are used primarily to provide energy to metered accounts of the agricultural business.

"Billing period" means, as to a particular agricultural net metering customer or a net metering customer, the time period between the two meter readings upon which the electric distribution company and the energy service provider calculate the agricultural net metering customer's or net metering customer's bills.

"Billing period credit" means, for a nontime-of-use agricultural net metering customer or a nontime-of-use net metering customer, the quantity of electricity generated and fed back into the electric grid by the agricultural net metering customer's agricultural renewable fuel generator or generators or by the net metering customer's renewable fuel generator or generators in excess of the electricity supplied to the customer over the billing period. For time-of-use agricultural net metering customers or time-of-use net metering customers, billing period credits are determined separately for each time-of-use tier.

"Contiguous sites" means a group of land parcels in which each parcel shares at least one boundary point with at least one other parcel in the group. Property whose surface is divided only by public right-of-way is considered contiguous.

"Customer" means a net metering customer or an agricultural net metering customer.

"Demand charge-based time-of-use tariff" means a retail tariff for electric supply service that has two or more time-of-use tiers for energy-based charges and an electricity supply demand (kilowatt) charge.

"Electric distribution company" means the entity that owns and/or operates the distribution facilities delivering electricity to the premises of an agricultural net metering customer or a net metering customer.

"Energy service provider (supplier)" means the entity providing electricity supply service, either tariffed or competitive service, to an agricultural net metering customer or a net metering customer.

"Excess generation" means the amount of electrical energy generated in excess of the electrical energy consumed by the agricultural net metering customer or net metering customer over the course of the net metering period. For time-of-use agricultural net metering customers or net metering customers, excess generation is determined separately for each time-of-use tier.

"Generator" or "generating facility" means an electrical generating facility consisting of one or more renewable fuel generators or one or more agricultural renewable fuel generators that meet the criteria under the definition of "net metering customer" and "agricultural net metering customer," respectively.

"Net metering customer" means a customer owning and operating, or contracting with other persons to own or operate, or both, an electrical generating facility consisting of one or more renewable fuel generators having an aggregate generation capacity of not more than 20 kilowatts for residential customers and not more than 500 kilowatts one megawatt for nonresidential customers unless the electric distribution company has chosen a higher capacity limit for nonresidential customers in its net metering tariff. The generating facility shall be operated under a net metering service arrangement.

"Net metering period" means each successive 12-month period beginning with the first meter reading date following the final interconnection of an agricultural net metering customer or a net metering customer's generating facility consisting of one or more agricultural renewable fuel generators or one or more renewable fuel generators, respectively, with the electric distribution company's distribution facilities.

"Net metering service" means providing retail electric service to an agricultural net metering customer operating an agricultural renewable fuel generating facility or a net metering customer operating a renewable fuel generating facility and measuring the difference, over the net metering period, between the electricity supplied to the customer from the electric grid and the electricity generated and fed back to the electric grid by the customer.

"Person" means any individual, sole proprietorship, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, company, business, trust, joint venture, or other private legal entity, the Commonwealth, or any city, county, town, authority, or other political subdivision of the Commonwealth.

"Renewable Energy Certificate" or "REC" represents the renewable energy attributes associated with the production of one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electrical energy by a generator.

"Renewable fuel generator" or "renewable fuel generating facility" means one or more electrical generators that:

1. Use renewable energy, as defined by § 56-576 of the Code of Virginia, as their total fuel source;

2. The net metering customer owns and operates, or has contracted with other persons to own or operate, or both;

3. Are located on the net metering customer's premises and connected to the net metering customer's wiring on the net metering customer's side of its interconnection with the distributor;

4. Are interconnected pursuant to a net metering arrangement and operated in parallel with the electric distribution company's distribution facilities; and

5. Are intended primarily to offset all or part of the net metering customer's own electricity requirements. The capacity of any generating facility installed [ on or ] after July 1, 2015, shall not exceed the expected annual energy consumption based on the previous 12 months of billing history or an annualized calculation of billing history if 12 months of billing history is not available.

"Time-of-use customer" means an agricultural net metering customer or net metering customer receiving retail electricity supply service under a demand charge-based time-of-use tariff.

"Time-of-use period" means an interval of time over which the energy (kilowatt-hour) rate charged to a time-of-use customer does not change.

"Time-of-use tier" or "tier" means all time-of-use periods given the same name (e.g., on-peak, off-peak, critical peak, etc.) for the purpose of time-differentiating energy (kilowatt-hour)-based charges. The rates associated with a particular tier may vary by day and by season.

20VAC5-315-30. Company notification.

A. A prospective agricultural net metering customer or a prospective net metering customer (hereinafter referred to as "customer") shall submit a completed commission-approved notification form to the electric distribution company and, if different from the electric distribution company, to the energy service provider, according to the time limits in this subsection. If the prospective customer has contracted with another person to own or operate, or both, the generator or generators, then the notice will include detailed, current, and accurate contract information for the owner or operator, or both, including without limitation, the name and title of one or more individuals responsible for the interconnection and operation of the generator or generators, a telephone number, a physical street address other than a post office box, a fax number, and an email address for each such person.

1. A prospective residential customer proposing to install an electrical generating facility with an alternating current capacity of 25 kilowatts or less shall submit the notification form at least 30 days prior to the date the prospective customer intends to interconnect the generating facility to the electric distribution company's distribution facilities. All equipment necessary to complete the interconnection of the generating facility shall have been installed prior to submitting the notification form shall notify its supplier and receive approval to interconnect prior to installation [ of or adding capacity to ] an electrical generating facility. The electric distribution company shall have 30 days from the date of notification to determine whether the requirements contained in 20VAC5-315-40 have been met. The date of notification shall be considered to be the third day following the mailing of the notification form by the prospective customer.

2. A prospective nonresidential customer proposing to install an electrical generating facility with an alternating current capacity greater than 25 kilowatts shall submit the notification form at least 60 days prior to the date the prospective customer intends to interconnect the generating facility to the electric distribution company's distribution facilities. All equipment necessary to complete the interconnection of the generating facility shall have been installed prior to submitting the notification form. The prospective customer should contact its electric distribution company prior to making financial commitments shall notify its supplier and receive approval to interconnect prior to installation [ of or adding capacity to ] an electrical generating facility. The electric distribution company shall have 60 days from the date of notification to determine whether the requirements contained in 20VAC5-315-40 have been met. The date of notification shall be considered to be the third day following the mailing of the notification form by the prospective customer.

B. Thirty-one days after the date of notification for a generating facility with an alternating current capacity of 25 kilowatts or less residential customer, and 61 days after the date of notification for a generating facility with an alternating current capacity greater than 25 kilowatts nonresidential customer, the prospective customer may interconnect and begin operation of the generating facility unless the electric distribution company or the energy service provider requests a waiver of this requirement under the provisions of 20VAC5-315-80 prior to the 31st or 61st day, respectively. In cases where the electric distribution company or energy service provider requests a waiver, a copy of the request for waiver must be mailed simultaneously by the requesting party to the prospective customer and to the commission's Division of Energy Regulation.

C. The electric distribution company shall file with the commission's Division of Energy Regulation a copy of each completed notification form within 30 days of final interconnection.

20VAC5-315-40. Conditions of interconnection.

A. A prospective customer may begin operation of the generating facility on an interconnected basis when:

1. The customer has properly notified both the electric distribution company and energy service provider (in accordance with 20VAC5-315-30) of the customer's intent to interconnect.

2. If required by the electric distribution company's tariff, the customer has installed a lockable, electric distribution company accessible, load breaking manual disconnect switch at each of the facility's generators.

3. [ In cases where a The ] licensed electrician [ who ] installs the customer's generator or generators [ , the licensed electrician has certified certifies ], by signing the commission-approved notification form, that any required manual disconnect switch or switches [ have been are being ] installed properly and that the generator or generators have been installed in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications as well as all applicable provisions of the National Electrical Code. If the customer or licensed Virginia Class A or B general contractor installs the customer's generator or generators, the signed final electrical inspection can be used in lieu of the licensed electrician's certification.

4. The vendor [ has certified certifies ], by signing the commission-approved notification form, that the generator or generators being installed are in compliance with the requirements established by Underwriters Laboratories or other national testing laboratories in accordance with IEEE Standard 1547, Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems, July 2003.

5. In the case of static inverter-connected generators with an alternating current capacity in excess of 10 kilowatts, the customer has had the inverter settings inspected by the electric distribution company. The electric distribution company may impose a fee on the customer of no more than $50 for each generator that requires this inspection.

6. In the case of nonstatic inverter-connected generators, the customer has interconnected according to the electric distribution company's interconnection guidelines and the electric distribution company has inspected all protective equipment settings. The electric distribution company may impose a fee on the customer of no more than $50 for each generator that requires this inspection.

7. In the case of a customer's electrical generating facility having an alternating current capacity greater than 25 kilowatts, the The following requirements shall be met before interconnection may occur:

a. Electric distribution facilities and customer impact limitations. A customer's generator shall not be permitted to interconnect to distribution facilities if the interconnection would reasonably lead to damage to any of the electric distribution company's facilities or would reasonably lead to voltage regulation or power quality problems at other customer revenue meters due to the incremental effect of the generator on the performance of the electric distribution system, unless the customer reimburses the electric distribution company for its cost [ to modify any facilities needed ] to accommodate the interconnection, including [ any the ] reasonable [ costs cost ] of equipment required for the interconnection.

b. Secondary, service, and service entrance limitations. The capacity of the generators at any one service location shall be less than the capacity of the electric distribution company-owned secondary, service, and service entrance cable connected to the point of interconnection, unless the customer reimburses the electric distribution company for its cost to modify any facilities needed [ all the ] reasonable [ costs cost ] of equipment required [ to accommodate for ] the interconnection.

c. Transformer loading limitations. A customer's generator shall not have the ability to overload the electric distribution company's transformer, or any transformer winding, beyond manufacturer or nameplate ratings, unless the customer reimburses the electric distribution company for its cost to modify any facilities needed [ all the ] reasonable [ costs cost ] of equipment required [ to accommodate for ] the interconnection.

d. Integration with electric distribution company facilities grounding. The grounding scheme of each generator shall comply with IEEE 1547, Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems, July 2003, and shall be consistent with the grounding scheme used by the electric distribution company. If requested by a prospective customer, the electric distribution company shall assist the prospective customer in selecting a grounding scheme that coordinates with its distribution system.

e. Balance limitation. The generator or generators shall not create a voltage imbalance of more than 3.0% at any other customer's revenue meter if the electric distribution company transformer, with the secondary connected to the point of interconnection, is a three-phase transformer, unless the customer reimburses the electric distribution company for its cost to modify any facilities needed [ all the ] reasonable [ costs cost ] of equipment required [ to accommodate for ] the interconnection.

B. A prospective customer shall not be allowed to interconnect a generator if doing so will cause the total rated generating alternating current capacity of all interconnected net metered generators, as defined in 20VAC5-315-20, within that customer's electric distribution company's Virginia service territory to exceed 1.0% of that company's Virginia peak-load forecast for the previous year. In any case where a prospective customer has submitted a notification form required by 20VAC5-315-30 and that customer's interconnection would cause the total rated generating alternating current capacity of all interconnected net metered generators, as defined in 20VAC5-315-20, within that electric distribution company's service territory to exceed 1.0% of that company's Virginia peak-load forecast for the previous year, the electric distribution company shall, at the time it becomes aware of the fact, send written notification to the prospective customer and to the commission's Division of Energy Regulation that the interconnection is not allowed. In addition, upon request from any customer, the electric distribution company shall provide to the customer the amount of capacity still available for interconnection pursuant to § 56-594 D of the Code of Virginia.

C. Neither the electric distribution company nor the energy service provider shall impose any charges upon a customer for any interconnection requirements specified by this chapter, except as provided under subdivisions A 5, 6, and 7 of this section, [ and ] 20VAC5-315-50 [ , and 20VAC5-315-70 ] as related to additional metering.

D. A customer shall immediately notify the electric distribution company of any changes in the ownership of, operational responsibility for, or contact information for any of the customer's generators.

20VAC5-315-70. Additional controls and tests.

Except as provided in 20VAC5-315-40 A 5 and 6 and 20VAC5-315-50 as related to additional metering, no customer shall be required to pay for additional metering, testing or controls in order to interconnect with the electric distribution company or energy service provider. However, this chapter shall not preclude a customer, an electric distribution company or an energy service provider from installing additional controls or meters, or from conducting additional tests. The expenses associated with these additional meters, tests or equipment shall be borne by the party desiring the additional meters, tests or equipment. [ A net metering customer's An eligible customer-generator's ] electrical generating system, and each electrical generating system of an [ eligible ] agricultural [ net metering customer customer-generator ], shall meet all applicable safety and performance standards established by the National Electrical Code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and accredited testing laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratories. Beyond the requirements set forth in this chapter, and to insure public safety, power quality, and reliability of the supplier's electric distribution system, [ a net metering customer an eligible customer-generator ] or [ eligible ] agricultural [ net metering customer customer-generator ] whose electrical generating system meets those standards and rules shall bear all reasonable costs of equipment required for the interconnection to the supplier's electric distribution system, including costs, if any, to (i) install additional controls and (ii) perform additional tests.

NOTICE: The following forms used in administering the regulation were filed by the agency. The forms are not being published; however, online users of this issue of the Virginia Register of Regulations may click on the name of a form with a hyperlink to access it. The forms are also available from the agency contact or may be viewed at the Office of the Registrar of Regulations, General Assembly Building, 2nd Floor, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

FORMS (20VAC5-315)

Net Metering Interconnection Notification, Form NMIN (rev. 7/14)

Agricultural Net Metering or Net Metering Interconnection Notification, Form NMIN (eff. 12/2015)

VA.R. Doc. No. R15-4412; Filed December 4, 2015, 4:31 p.m.