Climate and energy

IREC, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, just released the 2009 updates for its rules and procedures for interconnecting and net metering distributed generation.

From their press release:

IREC has been a participant in more than thirty state utility commission rulemakings regarding interconnection and net metering of distributed generation.

“As states have adopted procedures, both good and bad, IREC has witnessed the effects of those procedures on the development of the renewable energy markets within those states. In response, IREC has synthesized the best practices developed at the state and federal levels within these updated model rules,” says Jason Keyes with Keyes and Fox LLP, legal counsel to IREC for regulatory issues.

Among the important advances in interconnection procedures incorporated within the new IREC model IREC rules are:

* clarifying that third party ownership of facilities is permissible;
* raising the size of eligibility for the simplest of installations from 10kW to 25kW;
* allowing online applications;
* addressing state jurisdictional facilities over 10MW; and
* updating provisions related to network interconnections

Among the important advances in net metering rules incorporated within the model IREC rule are:

* increase the size of systems eligible for net metering;
* expansion of program capacity caps;
* meter aggregation; and
* accommodation of third-party ownership and net metered systems.

Download the 2009 Model Interconnection Procedures

Download the 2009 Model Net Metering Rules

-posted by Eileen Horn, climateandenergy.org