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1 | AN ACT concerning regulation.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | Section 16-107.5 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||
6 | (220 ILCS 5/16-107.5)
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7 | Sec. 16-107.5. Net electricity metering. | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | (a) The Legislature finds and declares that a program to | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | provide net electricity
metering, as defined in this Section,
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10 | for eligible customers can encourage private investment in | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | renewable energy
resources, stimulate
economic growth, enhance | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | the continued diversification of Illinois' energy
resource | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | mix, and protect
the Illinois environment.
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14 | (b) As used in this Section, (i) "eligible customer" means | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | a retail
customer that owns or operates a
solar, wind, or other | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | eligible renewable electrical generating facility or | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | cogeneration facility with a rated capacity of not more than
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18 | 2,000 kilowatts that is
located on the customer's premises and | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | is intended primarily to offset the customer's
own electrical | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | requirements; (ii) "electricity provider" means an electric | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | utility or alternative retail electric supplier; (iii) | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | "eligible renewable electrical generating facility" means a | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | generator powered by solar electric energy, wind, dedicated |
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1 | crops grown for electricity generation, anaerobic digestion of | ||||||
2 | livestock or food processing waste, fuel cells or microturbines | ||||||
3 | powered by renewable fuels, or hydroelectric energy; and (iv) | ||||||
4 | "net electricity metering" (or "net metering") means the
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5 | measurement, during the
billing period applicable to an | ||||||
6 | eligible customer, of the net amount of
electricity supplied by | ||||||
7 | an
electricity provider to the customer's premises or provided | ||||||
8 | to the electricity provider by the customer ; and (v) | ||||||
9 | "cogeneration facility" means equipment used to produce | ||||||
10 | electric energy and forms of useful thermal energy, such as | ||||||
11 | heat or steam, used for industrial, commercial, heating, or | ||||||
12 | cooling purposes, through the sequential use of energy .
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13 | (c) A net metering facility shall be equipped with metering | ||||||
14 | equipment that can measure the flow of electricity in both | ||||||
15 | directions at the same rate. For eligible residential | ||||||
16 | customers, this shall typically be accomplished through use of | ||||||
17 | a single, bi-directional meter. If the eligible customer's | ||||||
18 | existing electric revenue meter does not meet this requirement, | ||||||
19 | the electricity provider shall arrange for the local electric | ||||||
20 | utility or a meter service provider to install and maintain a | ||||||
21 | new revenue meter at the electricity provider's expense. For | ||||||
22 | non-residential customers, the electricity provider may | ||||||
23 | arrange for the local electric utility or a meter service | ||||||
24 | provider to install and maintain metering equipment capable of | ||||||
25 | measuring the flow of electricity both into and out of the | ||||||
26 | customer's facility at the same rate and ratio, typically |
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1 | through the use of a dual channel meter. For generators with a | ||||||
2 | nameplate rating of 40 kilowatts and below, the costs of | ||||||
3 | installing such equipment shall be paid for by the electricity | ||||||
4 | provider. For generators with a nameplate rating over 40 | ||||||
5 | kilowatts and up to 2,000 kilowatts capacity, the costs of | ||||||
6 | installing such equipment shall be paid for by the customer. | ||||||
7 | Any subsequent revenue meter change necessitated by any | ||||||
8 | eligible customer shall be paid for by the customer.
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9 | (d) An electricity provider shall
measure and charge or | ||||||
10 | credit for the net
electricity supplied to eligible customers | ||||||
11 | or provided by eligible customers in
the following manner:
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12 | (1) If the amount of electricity used by the customer | ||||||
13 | during the billing
period exceeds the
amount of electricity | ||||||
14 | produced by the customer, the electricity provider shall | ||||||
15 | charge the customer for the net electricity supplied to and | ||||||
16 | used
by the customer as provided in subsection (e) of this | ||||||
17 | Section.
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18 | (2) If the amount of electricity produced by a customer | ||||||
19 | during the billing period exceeds the amount of electricity | ||||||
20 | used by the customer during that billing period, the | ||||||
21 | electricity provider supplying that customer shall apply a | ||||||
22 | 1:1 kilowatt-hour credit to a subsequent bill for service | ||||||
23 | to the customer for the net electricity supplied to the | ||||||
24 | electricity provider. The electricity provider shall | ||||||
25 | continue to carry over any excess kilowatt-hour credits | ||||||
26 | earned and apply those credits to subsequent billing |
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1 | periods to offset any customer-generator consumption in | ||||||
2 | those billing periods until all credits are used or until | ||||||
3 | the end of the annualized period.
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4 | (3) At the end of the year or annualized over the | ||||||
5 | period that service is supplied by means of net metering, | ||||||
6 | or in the event that the retail customer terminates service | ||||||
7 | with the electricity provider prior to the end of the year | ||||||
8 | or the annualized period, any remaining credits in the | ||||||
9 | customer's account shall expire.
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10 | (e) An electricity provider shall provide to net metering | ||||||
11 | customers electric service at non-discriminatory rates that | ||||||
12 | are identical, with respect to rate structure, retail rate | ||||||
13 | components, and any monthly charges, to the rates that the | ||||||
14 | customer would be charged if not a net metering customer. An | ||||||
15 | electricity provider shall not charge net metering customers | ||||||
16 | any fee or charge or require additional equipment, insurance, | ||||||
17 | or any other requirements not specifically authorized by | ||||||
18 | interconnection standards authorized by the Commission, unless | ||||||
19 | the fee, charge, or other requirement would apply to other | ||||||
20 | similarly situated customers who are not net metering | ||||||
21 | customers. The customer will remain responsible for all taxes, | ||||||
22 | fees, and utility delivery charges that would otherwise be | ||||||
23 | applicable to the net amount of electricity used by the | ||||||
24 | customer. Subsections (c) through (e) of this Section shall not | ||||||
25 | be construed to prevent an arms-length agreement between an | ||||||
26 | electricity provider and an eligible customer that sets forth |
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1 | different prices, terms, and conditions for the provision of | ||||||
2 | net metering service, including, but not limited to, the | ||||||
3 | provision of the appropriate metering equipment for | ||||||
4 | non-residential customers.
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5 | (f) Notwithstanding the requirements of subsections (c) | ||||||
6 | through (e) of this Section, an electricity provider must | ||||||
7 | require dual-channel metering for non-residential customers | ||||||
8 | operating eligible renewable electrical generating facilities | ||||||
9 | with a nameplate rating over 40 kilowatts and up to 2,000 | ||||||
10 | kilowatts. In such cases, electricity charges and credits shall | ||||||
11 | be determined as follows:
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12 | (1) The electricity provider shall assess and the | ||||||
13 | customer remains responsible for all taxes, fees, and | ||||||
14 | utility delivery charges that would otherwise be | ||||||
15 | applicable to the gross amount of kilowatt-hours supplied | ||||||
16 | to the eligible customer by the electricity provider. | ||||||
17 | (2) Each month that service is supplied by means of | ||||||
18 | dual-channel metering, the electricity provider shall | ||||||
19 | compensate the eligible customer for any excess | ||||||
20 | kilowatt-hour credits at the electricity provider's | ||||||
21 | avoided cost of electricity supply over the monthly period | ||||||
22 | or as otherwise specified by the terms of a power-purchase | ||||||
23 | agreement negotiated between the customer and electricity | ||||||
24 | provider. | ||||||
25 | (3) For all eligible net metering customers taking | ||||||
26 | service from an electricity provider under contracts or |
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1 | tariffs employing time of use rates, any monthly | ||||||
2 | consumption of electricity shall be calculated according | ||||||
3 | to the terms of the contract or tariff to which the same | ||||||
4 | customer would be assigned to or be eligible for if the | ||||||
5 | customer was not a net metering customer. When those same | ||||||
6 | customer-generators are net generators during any discrete | ||||||
7 | time of use period, the net kilowatt-hours produced shall | ||||||
8 | be valued at the same price per kilowatt-hour as the | ||||||
9 | electric service provider would charge for retail | ||||||
10 | kilowatt-hour sales during that same time of use period.
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11 | (g) For purposes of federal and State laws providing | ||||||
12 | renewable energy credits or greenhouse gas credits, the | ||||||
13 | eligible customer shall be treated as owning and having title | ||||||
14 | to the renewable energy attributes, renewable energy credits, | ||||||
15 | and greenhouse gas emission credits related to any electricity | ||||||
16 | produced by the qualified generating unit. The electricity | ||||||
17 | provider may not condition participation in a net metering | ||||||
18 | program on the signing over of a customer's renewable energy | ||||||
19 | credits; provided, however, this subsection (g) shall not be | ||||||
20 | construed to prevent an arms-length agreement between an | ||||||
21 | electricity provider and an eligible customer that sets forth | ||||||
22 | the ownership or title of the credits.
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23 | (h) Within 120 days after the effective date of this
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24 | amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, the Commission | ||||||
25 | shall establish standards for net metering and, if the | ||||||
26 | Commission has not already acted on its own initiative, |
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1 | standards for the interconnection of eligible renewable | ||||||
2 | generating equipment to the utility system. The | ||||||
3 | interconnection standards shall address any procedural | ||||||
4 | barriers, delays, and administrative costs associated with the | ||||||
5 | interconnection of customer-generation while ensuring the | ||||||
6 | safety and reliability of the units and the electric utility | ||||||
7 | system. The Commission shall consider the Institute of | ||||||
8 | Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard 1547 and | ||||||
9 | the issues of (i) reasonable and fair fees and costs, (ii) | ||||||
10 | clear timelines for major milestones in the interconnection | ||||||
11 | process, (iii) nondiscriminatory terms of agreement, and (iv) | ||||||
12 | any best practices for interconnection of distributed | ||||||
13 | generation.
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14 | (i) All electricity providers shall begin to offer net | ||||||
15 | metering
no later than April 1,
2008.
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16 | (j) An electricity provider shall provide net metering to | ||||||
17 | eligible
customers until the load of its net metering customers | ||||||
18 | equals 1% of
the total peak demand supplied by
that electricity | ||||||
19 | provider during the
previous year. Electricity providers are | ||||||
20 | authorized to offer net metering beyond
the 1% level if they so | ||||||
21 | choose. The number of new eligible customers with generators | ||||||
22 | that have a nameplate rating of 40 kilowatts and below will be | ||||||
23 | limited to 200 total new billing accounts for the utilities | ||||||
24 | (Ameren Companies, ComEd, and MidAmerican) for the period of | ||||||
25 | April 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009.
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26 | (k) Each electricity provider shall maintain records and |
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1 | report annually to the Commission the total number of net | ||||||
2 | metering customers served by the provider, as well as the type, | ||||||
3 | capacity, and energy sources of the generating systems used by | ||||||
4 | the net metering customers. Nothing in this Section shall limit | ||||||
5 | the ability of an electricity provider to request the redaction | ||||||
6 | of information deemed by the Commission to be confidential | ||||||
7 | business information. Each electricity provider shall notify | ||||||
8 | the Commission when the total generating capacity of its net | ||||||
9 | metering customers is equal to or in excess of the 1% cap | ||||||
10 | specified in subsection (j) of this Section. | ||||||
11 | (l) Notwithstanding the definition of "eligible customer" | ||||||
12 | in item (i) of subsection (b) of this Section, each electricity | ||||||
13 | provider shall consider whether to allow meter aggregation for | ||||||
14 | the purposes of net metering on:
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15 | (1) properties owned or leased by multiple customers | ||||||
16 | that contribute to the operation of an eligible renewable | ||||||
17 | electrical generating facility, such as a community-owned | ||||||
18 | wind project or a community methane digester processing | ||||||
19 | livestock waste from multiple sources; and
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20 | (2) individual units, apartments, or properties owned | ||||||
21 | or leased by multiple customers and collectively served by | ||||||
22 | a common eligible renewable electrical generating | ||||||
23 | facility, such as an apartment building served by | ||||||
24 | photovoltaic panels on the roof.
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25 | For the purposes of this subsection (l), "meter | ||||||
26 | aggregation" means the combination of reading and billing on a |
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1 | pro rata basis for the types of eligible customers described in | ||||||
2 | this Section.
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3 | (m) Nothing in this Section shall affect the right of an | ||||||
4 | electricity provider to continue to provide, or the right of a | ||||||
5 | retail customer to continue to receive service pursuant to a | ||||||
6 | contract for electric service between the electricity provider | ||||||
7 | and the retail customer in accordance with the prices, terms, | ||||||
8 | and conditions provided for in that contract. Either the | ||||||
9 | electricity provider or the customer may require compliance | ||||||
10 | with the prices, terms, and conditions of the contract.
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11 | (Source: P.A. 95-420, eff. 8-24-07.)
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