Solar Thermal Electric

Mandatory Utility Green Power Option

Note: El Paso Electric previously offered a Renewable Energy Tariff Program, but it is no longer available.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the state renewable portfolio standard, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission may require IOUs to offer customers a voluntary program for purchasing renewable energy. The voluntary renewable energy tariff may also allow consumers to purchase renewable energy within certain energy blocks and by source of renewable energy. IOUs are also required to develop an educational program communicating the benefits and availability of the green power option. 

The three IOUs that serve New Mexico customers offer the

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Refundable Payroll Tax Credit

Note: Public Act 38 of 2011 repealed the Michigan Business Tax (MBT) and implemented the Corporate Income Tax (CIT). Public Act 39 was passed in conjunction with the CIT and allows for certain credits awarded under the MBT to be retained for the duration of the agreements. Businesses receiving certain credits, including Renaissance Zone credits, may choose to either continue to file under the MBT to continue claiming their credits, or file under the CIT. No additional Renaissance Zone credits will be awarded after 2011.

Businesses certified by the NextEnergy Authority that locate in the NextEnergy Zone to research, develop

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Renewables Portfolio Standard

California’s Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) was originally established by legislation enacted in 2002. Subsequent amendments to the law have resulted in a requirement for California’s electric utilities to have 60% of their retail sales derived from eligible renewable energy resources in 2030 and all subsequent years. The law established interim targets for the utilities as shown below. Publicly Owned Municipal Utilities (POUs) are not regulated by the CPUC but are affected by the law nonetheless, and their governing boards are charged with establishing procurement requirements based on the interim goals below:

  • 20% of retail sales by December 31, 2013
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Interconnection Standards

New Hampshire requires all utilities selling electricity in the state to offer net metering to customers who own or operate systems up to one megawatt (MW) in capacity that generate electricity using solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, tidal, wave, biomass, landfill gas, bio-oil, or biodiesel; the capacity for group net-metered systems with a municipal host only is 5 MW. Combined heat and power (CHP) systems that use natural gas, wood pellets, hydrogen, propane, or heating oil are also eligible.*

The PUC's rules for net metering, which distinguish between small customer-generators (up to 100 kilowatts) and large customer-generators (greater than 100 kW

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Interconnection Standards

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) adopted interconnection standards for distributed generation (DG) systems up to 20 megawatts (MW) in capacity in 2007, and revised these standards in July 2013. The rules apply to the state's investor-owned utilities (Avista, PacifiCorp, and Puget Sound Energy), but not municipal utilities, public utility districts, or cooperative electric utilities. 

The revised standards provide for three separate levels of interconnection based on system capacity and other requirements. The first level, Tier 1 systems, applies generally to systems up to 25 kilowatts (kW) using inverter-based interconnection equipment. The second tier applies generally to systems sized

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Interconnection Standards

Virginia has two interconnection standards: one for net-metered systems and one for systems that are not net-metered.

Interconnection for Net-Metered Systems

Customer-generators that net meter must comply with the interconnection rules within the regulations governing net metering (20 VAC 5-315-40). These rules apply to residential customers with generation facilities up to 20 kW in capacity and non-residential systems up to 1,000 kW in capacity. Utilities that have already enrolled 1% of their peak load for the previous year are not required to allow additional customers to net meter. More information is available under DSIRE Virginia net metering post. 

Customer-generators with

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Interconnection Standards

Utah requires the state's only investor-owned utility, Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), and most electric cooperatives* to offer net metering to customers who generate electricity using solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, hydrogen, biomass, landfill gas, geothermal energy, waste gas, or waste heat capture and recovery. The bill that established net metering also established some basic rules for interconnection. In April 2010, the Utah Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted final rules for interconnection. The rules described below took effect April 30, 2010.

Utah’s interconnection rules are based on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) interconnection standards for small generators, adopted in May

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Interconnection Standards

Note: Texas has an ongoing docket, Docket No. 54233, that is considering reforms to interconnection processes.

The Texas Public Utility Regulatory Act (PURA) of 1999 included a provision that "a customer is entitled to have access… to on-site distributed generation," leading the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to subsequently adopt interconnection standards. 

System Capacity Requirements

Interconnection rules apply to electrical generating facilities (consisting of one or more on-site distributed-generation units) located at a customer's point of delivery, with a maximum capacity of 10 megawatts (MW) of capacity interconnected at any point in time at the point of common

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Interconnection Standards

Note: In March 2024, Oregon adopted new interconnection rules that address, among other changes, incorporation of energy storage with small generators. The rules move to use export capacity rather than nameplate capacity to evaluate system effects. Starting on June 1, 2024, all interconnecting systems will be required to use smart inverters in compliance with IEEE 1547-2018.

Oregon has three separate interconnection standards: one for net-metered systems; one for small generator facilities (non-net metered systems); and one for large generator facilities (non-net metered systems). Oregon has also established separate net metering requirements and interconnection standards for the state's primary investor-owned utilities

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Interconnection Standards

Ohio most recently revised its interconnection rules in 2014.

Ohio's interconnection standards provide for three levels of review for the interconnection of DG systems up to 20 megawatts (MW) in capacity. 

All applicants are eligible but not required to request pre-application report that provides site-specific information. Interested applicants can choose to obtain this pre-application report at a cost (request procedure, timeline and cost are detailed in 4901:1-22-04(B)(2)).

Level 1 simplified review procedure allows eligible inverter-based distributed generators to have their interconnection request reviewed within 15 business days and a standard interconnection agreement within 5 business days of determination. Key

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