Bill Text: IA HF346 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to solar energy storage capacity and ownership or purchase requirements applicable to certain electric utilities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-29 - Sponsors added, Donahue, Anderson, Bennett and Williams. H.J. 689. [HF346 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2019-HF346-Introduced.html
House File 346 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 346 BY ISENHART , WINCKLER , FORBES , and STAED A BILL FOR An Act relating to solar energy storage capacity and ownership 1 or purchase requirements applicable to certain electric 2 utilities. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2210YH (6) 88 gh/rn
H.F. 346 Section 1. Section 476.6, Code 2019, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 22. Solar energy storage capacity. A 3 rate-regulated electric utility may provide for solar 4 energy storage capacity paired with solar energy facility 5 installations in the state. Solar energy storage capacity 6 based on electrical output may be credited to the electric 7 utility’s solar energy ownership or purchase requirements as 8 provided in section 476.44, subsection 2. For purposes of this 9 subsection, the economic development authority shall define by 10 rule adopted pursuant to chapter 17A the meaning of the term 11 “storage” , consistent with the Iowa energy plan adopted by the 12 authority. 13 Sec. 2. Section 476.44, subsection 2, Code 2019, is amended 14 to read as follows: 15 2. a. (1) An electric utility subject to this subchapter , 16 except a utility that elects rate regulation pursuant to 17 section 476.1A , shall not be required to own or purchase, at 18 any one time, more than from solar energy facilities located in 19 this state, its share of one hundred five megawatts of power 20 from alternate energy production facilities or small hydro 21 facilities by January 1, 2021, and two thousand five hundred 22 megawatts of power by January 1, 2025, at the rates established 23 pursuant to section 476.43 . The board shall allocate the one 24 hundred five megawatts solar energy ownership or purchase 25 requirements based upon each utility’s percentage of the total 26 Iowa retail peak demand, for the year beginning January 1, 27 1990 2019 , of all utilities subject to this section . If a 28 utility undergoes reorganization as defined in section 476.76 , 29 the board shall combine the allocated purchases of power solar 30 energy for each utility involved in the reorganization. 31 (2) In satisfying the solar energy ownership or purchase 32 requirements pursuant to subparagraph (1), a minimum of ten 33 percent of the energy produced or purchased shall be produced 34 or purchased from solar energy facilities with a nameplate 35 -1- LSB 2210YH (6) 88 gh/rn 1/ 3
H.F. 346 generating capacity of twenty kilowatts or less. 1 b. Notwithstanding the one hundred five megawatt maximum 2 solar energy ownership or purchase requirements established 3 in paragraph “a” , the board may increase the amount of power 4 solar energy that a utility is required to own or purchase at 5 the rates established pursuant to section 476.43 if the board 6 finds that a utility, including a reorganized utility, exceeds 7 its 1990 2019 Iowa retail peak demand by twenty percent and 8 the additional power solar energy the utility is required to 9 purchase will encourage the development of alternate energy 10 production facilities and small hydro solar energy facilities. 11 The increase shall not exceed the utility’s increase in peak 12 demand multiplied by the ratio of the utility’s share of the 13 one hundred five megawatt maximum solar energy ownership or 14 purchase requirements to its 1990 2019 Iowa retail peak demand. 15 EXPLANATION 16 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 17 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 18 This bill provides for solar energy storage capacity 19 and specifies certain solar energy ownership or purchase 20 requirements applicable to electric utilities. 21 The bill allows a rate-regulated electric utility to provide 22 for solar energy storage capacity paired with solar energy 23 facility installations in Iowa. Storage capacity based on 24 electrical output may be credited to the utility’s solar energy 25 ownership or purchase requirements as provided in the bill. 26 The Iowa economic development authority shall define by rule 27 the meaning of the term “storage”, consistent with the Iowa 28 energy plan adopted by the authority. 29 Current law requires electric utilities to own alternate 30 energy production facilities or small hydro facilities located 31 in Iowa, or to enter into long-term contracts to purchase 32 electricity from such facilities. An electric utility is not 33 required to own or purchase, at any one time, more than its 34 share of 105 megawatts of power from such facilities. 35 -2- LSB 2210YH (6) 88 gh/rn 2/ 3
H.F. 346 The bill modifies the alternate energy ownership or purchase 1 requirement to make it applicable strictly to solar energy 2 derived from solar energy facilities located in Iowa, and 3 requires an electric utility to own or purchase its share of 4 105 megawatts of power by January 1, 2021, and 2,500 megawatts 5 of power by January 1, 2025. Of these amounts, a minimum of 6 10 percent of the energy produced or purchased shall be from 7 solar energy facilities with a nameplate generating capacity 8 of 20 kilowatts or less. The bill makes conforming changes to 9 related provisions. 10 -3- LSB 2210YH (6) 88 gh/rn 3/ 3
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