New York PSC Shared Renewables Order Summary

For those who want to diver deeper, here is a summary of the Shared Renewables portion of the New York Public Service Commission’s Order in Case 15-E-0082:

NY’s Shared Renewables Program (for the full Order, link here)

Projects

• Will generally fall under the state’s current net metering policy, and as such will be:
  • Limited to 2 MW-AC in size
  • Located behind-the-meter of a non-residential account, including demand or non-demand
  • Produce credits at full retail rate, based upon the project’s rate classification
  • Will be provided flexibility as offered through remote net metering provisions

• The project and its members must be located within the same NYISO load zone
• Projects will be eligible to participate in NY-Sun programs

Membership

• Must comprise a minimum of 10 members
• Any individual members demanding greater than 25 kW may not constitute greater than 40% of the facility output in aggregate, with the exception of master-metered multi-unit buildings
• Members can own or contract for their proportion in an amount that is at least 1,000 kWh annually and not more than their annual consumption
• Members may transfer or relinquish their membership

Project Sponsors

• Sponsors can be an ESCO, municipal entity, business, non-profit, LLC, partnership or other form of business or civic association
• Responsible for building, interconnecting, owning and operating
• Responsible for providing the utility with detailed information about members at least 60 days in advance of first billing, including the proportion of credits to be distributed to each member
• Allowed to make modifications to membership with one month notice to utility
• Offered flexibility to accumulate credits but must distribute within one year

Utility Responsibilities

• Tracking of credits from shared renewable projects
• Distribute shared renewable credits in accordance with Sponsor instructions
• Responsible for providing uniform formats and procedures for
  • Members to consent to release customer-specific data
  • Submitting membership information
• Directed to accept applications for shared renewables and traditional net metering above current net metering caps, until otherwise deliberating in conjunction with the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV)

Program Implementation

• Tariff filings
  • Within 45 days – utilities directed to file Community DG Opportunity Zones
  • Within 60 days – utilities file tariff leaves
  • Tariffs become effective October 19, 2015

• Phase 1 – October 19, 2015 through April 30, 2016
  • Prioritization of projects that advance goals of REV and meet one of the two stipulations:
    • Located in a Community DG Opportunity Zones – Identified by utilities, presented through an interactive mapping platform and comprising at least 40% of a utility’s service territory
    • Low-income participation – Membership include at least 20% low-income customers, defined as a customer participating in an Assistance Program, Home Energy Assistance Program, or a utility-administered low-income discount program

• Phase 2 – Beginning May 1, 2016
  • Entire utility service territory open to shared renewables projects
  • Phase 2 projects can file a preliminary interconnection application during Phase 1

The Low-Income Customer Collaborative

• Collaborative with NYSERDA and low-income community organizers, utilities, and other interested stakeholders
• Collaborative will create mechanisms to remove obstacles to participation and consider devising demonstration projects for maximum low-income participation
• Will commence within 60 days and issue report by January 15, 2016