HB0195 - Net metering-renewable energy systems.
2001 |
State of Wyoming |
01LSO‑0467.E1 ENGROSSED |
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0195
Net metering-renewable energy systems.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) McGraw, Illoway, Law,
Morgan, Samuelson and Warren and Senator(s)
Cathcart, Mockler and Scott
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to net
metering programs; requiring an
2
electric utility to utilize a net metering program;
3
determining appropriate billing amounts; and providing for
4
an effective date.
5
6 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
7
8 Section
1. W.S.
37-16-101 through 37-16-104 are
9
created to read:
10
11 37-16-101. Definitions.
12
13 (a) As used in
this article unless the context
14 otherwise requires:
15
Page 1
1 (i) "Commission"
means public service commission
2
of Wyoming;
3
4 (ii) "Customer-generator"
means a user of a net
5
metering system;
6
7 (iii) "Electrical
company" means any person,
8
corporation or governmental subdivision, excluding
9
municipalities, authorized and operating under the
10 constitution and laws of the state
of Wyoming which is
11 primarily engaged in the generation
or sale of electric
12 energy;
13
14 (iv) "Electric
cooperative" means any nonprofit,
15 member-owned cooperative organized
under the laws of the
16 state of Wyoming and engaged in the
business of
17 distributing electric energy in the
state of Wyoming;
18
19 (v) "Electric
utility" means any electrical
20 company, irrigation district or
electric cooperative that
21 is engaged in the business of
distributing electricity to
22 retail electric customers in the
state;
23
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1 (vi) "Irrigation
district" means an irrigation
2
district under W.S. 41-7-201;
3
4 (vii) "Net
metering" means measuring the
5
difference between the electricity supplied by an electric
6
utility and the electricity generated by a
7
customer-generator that is fed back to the electric utility
8
over the applicable billing period;
9
10 (viii) "Net
metering system" means a facility
11 for the production of electrical
energy that:
12
13 (A) Uses as its
fuel either solar, wind or
14 hydropower;
15
16 (B) Has a
generating capacity of not more
17 than twenty-five (25) kilowatts;
18
19 (C) Is located
on the customer-generator's
20 premises;
21
22 (D) Operates in
parallel with the electric
23 utility's transmission and
distribution facilities; and
24
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1 (E) Is intended
primarily to offset part or
2
all of the customer-generator's requirements for
3
electricity.
4
5 (b) A person
acting as a customer-generator under
6
this act shall not be considered a "public utility" as
7
defined by W.S. 37-1-101.
8
9 37-16-102. Electric utility requirements.
10
11 (a) An electric utility:
12
13 (i) Shall offer
to make available to each of its
14 eligible customer-generators that
has installed a net
15 metering system an energy meter that
is capable of
16 registering the flow of electricity
in two (2) directions;
17
18 (ii) May, at its
own expense and with the
19 written consent of the customer-generator,
install one (1)
20 or more additional meters to monitor
the flow of
21 electricity in each direction;
22
23 (iii) Shall not
charge a customer-generator any
24 fee or charge that would increase the customer-generator's
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1 minimum
monthly charge to an amount greater than that of
2
other customers of the electric utility in the same rate
3
class as the customer-generator.
4
5 37-16-103. Calculation requirements.
6
7 (a) Consistent
with other provisions of this chapter,
8
the net energy measurement shall be calculated in the
9
following manner:
10
11 (i) The
electric utility shall measure the net
12 electricity produced or consumed
during the billing period,
13 in accordance with normal metering
practices;
14
15 (ii) If the
electricity supplied by the electric
16 utility exceeds the electricity
generated by the customer
17 generator, the customer-generator
shall be billed for the
18 appropriate customer charges for
that month, in accordance
19 with W.S. 37-16-102;
20
21 (iii) If the
electricity supplied by the
22 customer-generator exceeds that
supplied by the electric
23 utility, the customer-generator
shall be credited for the
24 excess kilowatt-hours generated
during the month with the
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1 kilowatt-hour
credit appearing on the bill for the
2
following month.
3
4 (b) At the
beginning of each calendar year, any
5
remaining unused kilowatt-hour credit accumulated during
6
the previous year shall be sold to the electric utility, at
7
the electric utility's filed nonfirm avoided cost.
8
9 37-16-104. Safety and performance requirements.
10
11 (a) A net
metering system used by a
12 customer-generator shall meet all
applicable safety and
13 performance standards established by
the national
14 electrical code, the institute of
electrical and
15 electronics engineers and
underwriters laboratories.
16
17 (b) The
customer-generator shall at its expense
18 provide lockable, switching
equipment capable of isolating
19 the net metering facility from the electric
utility's
20 system. Such equipment shall be
approved by the electric
21 utility and shall be accessible by
the electric utility at
22 all times.
23
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1 (c) The
electric utility shall not be liable directly
2
or indirectly for permitting or continuing to allow an
3
attachment of a net metering facility, or for acts or
4
omissions of the customer-generator that cause loss or
5
injury, including death, to any third party.
6
7 (d) The
customer-generator is responsible for all
8
costs associated with its facility and is also responsible
9
for all costs related to any modifications to the facility
10 that may be required by the electric
utility for purposes
11 of safety and reliability.
12
13 (e) The
commission, after appropriate notice and
14 opportunity for comment, may adopt
by regulation additional
15 control and testing requirements for
customer-generators
16 that the commission determines are
necessary to protect
17 public safety and system
reliability.
18
19 Section 2. This act is effective July 1, 2001.
20
21 (END)
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