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TRANSCRIPT
STREAMLINED INTERCONNECTION FOR SOLAR PV
December 4, 2012 | Webinar
Evergreen State Solar Partnership
During the Webinar:
For technical assistance, call
206-625-1300
To ask questions, expand the
“Questions” section of the webinar
toolbar, type in your question, and click “Send.”
After the Webinar:
Materials at http://nwseed.org/ESSP.asp
Email to: [email protected]
Welcome & Introductions
Interconnection Best Practices – Process!
Seattle City Light Action Plan
Snohomish PUD Action Plan
Puget Sound Energy Action Plan
Q&A
Linda Irvine Northwest SEED
Leslie Moynihan Snohomish PUD
Jake Wade Puget Sound Energy
Tim Stearns WA Dept of Commerce
Jack Brautigam Seattle City Light
DOE SunShot Goal: make solar cost-competitive with conventional electricity by 2020
ESSP received a 1-year grant, 22 projects across the country
Focus on “soft costs” – permitting and interconnection
Solar = Simpler,
faster, more cost effective
Commerce
NWSEED
Solar WA
Sustainable
Connections
Edmonds/Snohomish PUD
Seattle/Municipal Utility Ellensburg/Municipal Utility
Bellevue/Puget Sound Energy
An update to the Washington Utility and Transportation Commission Interconnection Rule is out for comment through 12/21/2012
http://www.utc.wa.gov/docs/Pages/InterconnectionRulemaking.aspx
Questions about this rulemaking UE 112133 Al Wright [email protected] or (360) 664-1209
Report on Distributed Generation UL110667 http://www.utc.wa.gov/docs/Pages/DocketLookup.aspx?Fil ingID=110667
EZ Interconnection Application
IC, NM, PM
Incentive Certification?
Electrical permit?
Online submittal
Single point of contact
Streamlined inspections
Within each utility
Standard Application
- same terms
- same form
Standard 1-line diagram
Standard Process – for customer
Across all utilities
Utility-Specific Cover Sheet
Standard Application & 1 Line - Electrical permit - interconnection
Utility-Specific Agreements – “Legalese”
Combine production incentive certification with application?
Allow installers to inspect on behalf of utility?
Minimal screens for inverter-based systems 10 - 25 kW?
Standard equipment – training – procedures
For more ideas, read the ESSP Interconnection Report
http://tinyurl.com/esspintercon
650 PV installations in the SCL Service Area:
Customer demand is driving process
improvements
Interconnection Standards – 4 Levels <20 MW
Level 1
<100 kW
inverters only
No application fee
1 page application
5 page agreement (includes net and production metering)
6 technical screens (3 days to review completeness; 7 days to approve for screens)
Site inspection
Billing meter - swapped for net meter
Production meter – verify location
Production meter installation
Application for Service/$62 fee
5 day installation goal
Multiple and duplicative applications (electrical, interconnection, production meter, DOR certification)
No online application submittal
Communication with customer or installer or both? (welcome/approval letter could be sent to both)
Production metering (especially larger services); deployment of smart meters
Increasing need for improved customer installation tracking and system mapping
ACTION PLAN
Near Term
Long Term
• Enhance communication to customer and installer (points of contact, on-bill, email, online)
• Improve coordination (SCL, DPD, SPU Call Center)
• Reduce timelines to process interconnections, production meters, WA incentives
• Adopt standard “EZ” IC application and 1-line diagram
• Implement online application submittal
• Combine applications for IC, PM, electrical, DOR?
• Develop and implement new customer data management system to include generator data
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jack Brautigam, Seattle City Light:
206-684-3954
Seattle City Light website:
www.seattle.gov/light/Conserve/cgen/
Thank you!
Evergreen State Solar Partnership: Interconnection Webinar
Leslie Moynihan, Customer Renewables Program Manager
December 4, 2012
WHO ARE OUR CUSTOMERS?
WHY RENEWABLE POWER?
PUD Commitment
I-937 requirements
Mutually Beneficial
Right Thing to
Do!
HOW IS CUSTOMER RE AT SNOPUD UNIQUE?
Solar Express:
Cash Incentive or Loan
PUD counts the kWh savings.
WA State Production Incentives applied to customer’s account as earned.
SOLAR EXPRESS RESULTS: 2009-2012
Num
ber
of P
roje
cts
Cum
ula
tive I
nsta
lled C
apacity (
kW
)
APPLICATION PROCESSING: NET METERING
Application Received
Application Verified and
Entered in SAP PM Review
System Protection
Review
PM Issues Permission to
Construct
Notice of Completion
Customer Engineering
Review Meters Installed
Accounting sets up production
incentive
BEST PRACTICES
• Documents easy to find: snopud.com/solarexpress
• Communication through single point: [email protected], 425-783-1700
• Trade Ally network creates easy-to-reach audience, consistency.
• A/C Disconnect not required for systems < 10 kW.
• WA State Production Incentives applied to customer’s account as earned.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
• Many touches internally adds time ― 7-10 days from receipt of application to Approval to
Construct
― 7-10 days from Notice of Completion to meters installed.
• Getting consistent information on applications will help everyone — Providing sample one-line diagram
— Standardizing application with other utilities
— Ongoing updates to trade allies, website, etc.
Thanks!
Leslie Moynihan
Program Manager,
Customer Renewables
425-783-8289
More than 1 million
electric customers
More than 750,000
natural gas customers
6,000+ square mile
service area across 11
counties
2,800 employees
140 employees in
energy efficiency
Jake Wade
Net Metering Program Manager
2
7
12
18
23
41
54
109
219
334 5
40
793
1062
1392
Solar PV
1337 Systems
7069 kW Total
Wind Turbine
37 Systems
109 kW Total
Micro-Hydro
5 Systems
21 kW Total
Hybrid: Solar & Wind
13 Systems
91 kW Total
PSE Total (13 Nov 2012): 1392 Systems, 7.29 MW Total Nameplate Capacity
Forms
Schematics
Contacts
Process
Checklists
Meter Installation
Billing
CMS / Databases
Questions?
Jake Wade
425-462-3459
New “EZ”Form
New Billing System
Online Application
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?
Please take our survey!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/esspintercon
Send additional comments to: [email protected]