Interconnection Tariff Work Group

What's New Since 2006 Report:

• October 2008 -- State of the States 2008: Renewable Energy Development and the Role of Policy, by Elizabeth Brown et. al., NREL Technical Report (NREL/TP-670-43021)
• October 2008 -- Freeing the Grid: Best and worst practices in state net metering policies and interconnection standards, by James Rose et. al.
  • website: Network for New Energy Choices
• September 2008 -- Utility External Disconnect Switch: Practical, Legal, and Technical Reasons to Eliminate the Requirement, by Michael Sheehan, IREC
  • website: Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Connecting to the Grid Program
• January 2008 -- Utility-Interconnected Photovoltaic Systems: Evaluating the Rationale for the Utility-Accessible External Disconnect Switch, by M.H. Coddington et.al., NREL Technical Report (NREL/TP-581-42675)
• March 2007 -- Distributed Energy Interconnection Procedures: Best Practices for Consideration, 2 pages, U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE)
  • website: Renewable Energy Integration - Interconnection Standards Development and Testing, DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
• November 2006 -- AC Disconnect Switches for Inverter-Based Generation, PG&E (web)
• October, 2006 -- Oregon Workshop: interconnection and testing requirements, NREL

Followup to June 2006 Report :

• February 16, 2007 -- D.T.E. 02-38-D: ORDER ON REVISED MODEL DISTRIBUTED GENERATION INTERCONNECTION
  STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES TARIFF
  • 3/2/07 -- New rules filed by utilities -- see:

  masstech.org/cleanenergy/howto/interconnection/tariffs.htm

  • Further information will be available at the DTE Enhanced Fileroom:

    http://db.state.ma.us/dpu/qorders/frmDocketList.asp

    by entering the following docket number: "02-38" for the DTE's generic investigation into DG.

• The uniform Interconnection Tariff was introduced in April of 2004 and revised in February of 2005 (prior to the June 2006 Report).  The currently effective Tariff is available for each investor-owned Massachusetts distribution company at:

  masstech.org/cleanenergy/howto/interconnection/tariffs.htm

• The DG Collaborative plans the following future activities related to the Interconnection Tariff (with references to sections of the 2006 Report):
  • Continue voluntary Work Group discussions about ongoing concerns and opportunities for further improvement in insurance arrangements, on which the parties have varied views.   (See section 3.1 and on this web page below.)
  • Work with DTE, ISO-NE and interested parties to clarify the process that will apply to a customer under state or FERC interconnection jurisdiction (see section 3.3.), and participate in, or coordinate with, relevant stakeholder activities at the regional level (New England and, where appropriate, the Northeast), including the development of ways for renewable and demand resources to participate in the ISO-NE Forward Capacity Market (see section 5.3 and on this web page below).
  • Implement an RFP for Relaying and Control Technology Development (in Attachment F) with available state and federal support of MTC and with the cooperation of Massachusetts utilities and other signatories to this Report.  (See section 3.2 and Network/Technical Work Group Page.)

Insurance Work Group (including issues for state and public facilities):

• Selected Memoranda Regarding Insurance and Indemnification, Attachent J to 2006 Report (October 2005 through May 2006, pdf)
• Other memoranda and reference material:
  • May 25, 2006 -- May 22 meeting notes
  • May 16, 2006 -- changes to Section 11 of Tariff proposed by utility personnel, but not adopted by the DG Collaborative in its 2006 Report, to allow the pooling of multiple units under one policy and to make multiple other changes to insurance requirements for DG in the public and private sectors (pdf)
  • January 24, 2006 -- Memo from utilities with proposal to handle insurance issues for DG interconnection at state facilities
  • April 20, 1989 -- Ayala vs. Boston Housing Authority

 

New ISO-NE Interconnection Process (under FERC 2006):

• Web Page: ISO-NE Interconnection Process
• October 2006 -- Final ISO-NE Small Gen Interconnection Rules (Schedule 23)
  • November 6, 2005 -- Small gen interconnection rules proposed by ISO-NE for FERC approval (see provisions related to 2 MW threshold)
• FERC Order of April 14, 2006 on SMALL GENERATOR INTERCONNECTION COMPLIANCE FILING AND MODIFICATIONS TO LARGE GENERATOR INTERCONNECTION PROCEDURES AND AGREEMENT, Docket Nos. ER06-191-000, ER06-191-001, ER06-193-000 and ER06-193-001 (word file)
  
• FERC Order of Feb. 22, 2006 clarifying limited FERC jurisdiction, including for "a QF sell[ing] its total electric output to the host utility ... at the point of interconnection....", based in part on a 1992 case in which WMECo was involved (Dockets ER06-407 and ER06-408).
• January 18, 2006 -- NE rules for interconnection of large WIND generation, proposed by ISO-NE for FERC approval (pusuant to FERC Order 661)
• November 22, 2005 -- FERC Order on Rehearing: Small Generator Interconnection

Other Tariff-Related Issues & Information:

• June 2006 -- Survey of Interconnection Rules, Prepared for the Oregon Public Service Commission, Workshop on Interconnection of DG, W. Shirley, RAP
• May 2006 -- Utility Wind Integration State of the Art, by Utility Wind Integration Group (www.uwig.org)
• Wind Powering America activities in Massachusetts (web)

• Information on the treatment of Distributed Resources for new capacity payments under ISO-New England market rules is available at the ISO Market Rules page.

• August 25, 2005 -- CA PUC INTERIM OPINION ADOPTING CHANGES IN INTERCONNECTION RULES (Decision 05-08-013)
  • See also: March 30, 2006 -- Rule 21 Working Group Report to the CEC and the CPUC (including guidelines for network interconnection)

• New Data on DG Installations in Massachusetts
• DG Interconnection Guide -- see process maps:
  • Simplified Process
  • Simplified Spot Network Process
  • Expedited Process
  • Standard Process
• Map of Massachusetts Gas LDC Service Territories (3 MB pdf)

Meeting Info:

• Other Meetings

Relevant sections of May 2005 Report

• Chapter 1 of 2005 Annual Report
• Process Maps from 2005 Report
• Work Plan for Tariff Work Group

Other Posted Materials from Previous Meetings:

• May 2005 -- Change Requests Page (Web)

• January 19, 2005 Meeting:
  • Tariff Working Group Report to Plenary (PowerPoint)
  • Massachusetts Electric Presentation (PowerPoint)
  • ISO-New England Follow Up to 11/17 Questions (Word)

Performance Data on Operating DG Equipment:

• Massachusetts Project (Williams Building):

  • Generation Monitoring May 2003 - March 2005, W.E. Feero, May 2005
  • Generation Monitoring May 2003 - May 2004, W.E. Feero, May 2004
  • Generation Monitoring Sample Report, R. Piaskoski, Sept. 2003
• Other States:
  • California: FOCUS monitoring -- CEC DG Interconnection Monitoring Program
  • California: DUIT (Distributed Utility Integration Test) Results Page
  • NYSERDA: operating data on NY CHP projects (under development)

Other materials

• IEEE 1547 Series of Standards

• CA: Rule 21
• NY PSC: DG Information (see SIR, Standardized Interconnection Requirements)
• Con Ed Handbook (March 05 version)
• MADRI Model Small Generator Interconnection Procedures (Aug 18, 2005)

 

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Other Working Groups of the DG Collaborative:

• Technical/Network Working Group
• Distribution Planning Working Group