98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB5720

 

Introduced , by Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 3855/1-56

    Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. In a provision concerning the price paid to procure renewable energy credits using monies from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund, directs the Agency to implement a market-based benchmark subject to approval by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Provides that the Agency shall recover all planning and procurement costs. Provides that the Agency may procure renewable energy resources independently as well as in conjunction with a procurement event for certain electric utilities. Effective immediately.


LRB098 20291 RPS 55725 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5720LRB098 20291 RPS 55725 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Power Agency Act is amended by
5changing Section 1-56 as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 3855/1-56)
7    Sec. 1-56. Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy
8Resources Fund.
9    (a) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources
10Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury.
11    (b) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources
12Fund shall be administered by the Agency to procure renewable
13energy resources. Prior to June 1, 2011, resources procured
14pursuant to this Section shall be procured from facilities
15located in Illinois, provided the resources are available from
16those facilities. If resources are not available in Illinois,
17then they shall be procured in states that adjoin Illinois. If
18resources are not available in Illinois or in states that
19adjoin Illinois, then they may be purchased elsewhere.
20Beginning June 1, 2011, resources procured pursuant to this
21Section shall be procured from facilities located in Illinois
22or states that adjoin Illinois. If resources are not available
23in Illinois or in states that adjoin Illinois, then they may be

 

 

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1procured elsewhere. To the extent available, at least 75% of
2these renewable energy resources shall come from wind
3generation. Of the renewable energy resources procured
4pursuant to this Section at least the following specified
5percentages shall come from photovoltaics on the following
6schedule: 0.5% by June 1, 2012; 1.5% by June 1, 2013; 3% by
7June 1, 2014; and 6% by June 1, 2015 and thereafter. Of the
8renewable energy resources procured pursuant to this Section,
9at least the following percentages shall come from distributed
10renewable energy generation devices: 0.5% by June 1, 2013,
110.75% by June 1, 2014, and 1% by June 1, 2015 and thereafter.
12To the extent available, half of the renewable energy resources
13procured from distributed renewable energy generation shall
14come from devices of less than 25 kilowatts in nameplate
15capacity. Renewable energy resources procured from distributed
16generation devices may also count towards the required
17percentages for wind and solar photovoltaics. Procurement of
18renewable energy resources from distributed renewable energy
19generation devices shall be done on an annual basis through
20multi-year contracts of no less than 5 years, and shall consist
21solely of renewable energy credits.
22    The Agency shall create credit requirements for suppliers
23of distributed renewable energy. In order to minimize the
24administrative burden on contracting entities, the Agency
25shall solicit the use of third-party organizations to aggregate
26distributed renewable energy into groups of no less than one

 

 

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1megawatt in installed capacity. These third-party
2organizations shall administer contracts with individual
3distributed renewable energy generation device owners. An
4individual distributed renewable energy generation device
5owner shall have the ability to measure the output of his or
6her distributed renewable energy generation device.
7    (c) The Agency shall procure renewable energy resources at
8least once each year, which may be done independently or in
9conjunction with a procurement event for electric utilities
10required to comply with Section 1-75 of this the Act, and
11shall, whenever possible, enter into long-term contracts on an
12annual basis for a portion of the incremental requirement for
13the given procurement year.
14    (d) The price paid to procure renewable energy credits
15using monies from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy
16Resources Fund shall not exceed the winning bid prices paid for
17like resources procured for electric utilities required to
18comply with Section 1-75 of this Act. For the purposes of this
19Section, the Agency shall implement a market-based benchmark
20subject to approval by the Commission and shall recover all
21planning and procurement costs.
22    (e) All renewable energy credits procured using monies from
23the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund shall
24be permanently retired.
25    (f) The procurement process described in this Section is
26exempt from the requirements of the Illinois Procurement Code,

 

 

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1pursuant to Section 20-10 of that Code.
2    (g) All disbursements from the Illinois Power Agency
3Renewable Energy Resources Fund shall be made only upon
4warrants of the Comptroller drawn upon the Treasurer as
5custodian of the Fund upon vouchers signed by the Director or
6by the person or persons designated by the Director for that
7purpose. The Comptroller is authorized to draw the warrant upon
8vouchers so signed. The Treasurer shall accept all warrants so
9signed and shall be released from liability for all payments
10made on those warrants.
11    (h) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources
12Fund shall not be subject to sweeps, administrative charges, or
13chargebacks, including, but not limited to, those authorized
14under Section 8h of the State Finance Act, that would in any
15way result in the transfer of any funds from this Fund to any
16other fund of this State or in having any such funds utilized
17for any purpose other than the express purposes set forth in
18this Section.
19(Source: P.A. 96-159, eff. 8-10-09; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10;
2096-1437, eff. 8-17-10; 97-616, eff. 10-26-11.)
 
21    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
22becoming law.