Bill Text: NH SB262 | 2022 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relative to customer generators of electric energy.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 6-2)
Status: (Enrolled - Dead) 2022-05-27 - Enrolled (in recess of) 05/26/2022 House Journal 14 [SB262 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2022-SB262-Amended.html
SB 262 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
03/24/2022 1109s
03/24/2022 1148s
4May2022... 1631h
2022 SESSION
22-2970
10/08
SENATE BILL 262
AN ACT relative to customer generators of electric energy.
SPONSORS: Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Gray, Dist 6; Sen. Giuda, Dist 2; Rep. McGhee, Hills. 27; Rep. Lang, Belk. 4; Rep. Pearl, Merr. 26
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill allows net metering group host customers to include political subdivision and hydroelectric customer-generators, requires electric utilities to publish on their websites a hosting capacity map, and requires the department of energy to investigate and report on customer-generator interconnection procedures.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/24/2022 1109s
03/24/2022 1148s
4May2022... 1631h 22-2970
10/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Two
AN ACT relative to customer generators of electric energy.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Net Energy Metering; Group Host Requirements. Amend RSA 362-A:9, XIV(a) to read as follows:
XIV.(a) A customer-generator may elect to become a group host for the purpose of reducing or otherwise controlling the energy costs of a group of customers who are not customer-generators, except that a political subdivision, as defined in RSA 362-A:1-a, II-c, or the owner of a facility described in RSA 362-A:9, XX, that is a customer-generator, may participate as a group member. The group of customers shall be located within the service territory of the same electric distribution utility as the host. The host shall provide a list of the group members to the commission and the electric distribution utility and shall certify that all members of the group have executed an agreement with the host regarding the utilization of kilowatt hours produced by the eligible facility and that the total historic annual load of the group members together with the host exceeds the projected annual output of the host's facility. The department shall verify that these group requirements have been met and shall register the group host. The department shall establish the process for registering hosts, including periodic re-registration, and the process by which changes in membership are allowed and administered. Net metering tariffs under this section shall not be made available to a customer-generator group host until such host is registered by the department.
2 Findings; Distributed Energy Resources. Customer-owned distributed energy resources (DERs) that connect to the distribution grid can provide a beneficial hedge against volatile electricity prices and stimulate investment and employment in the state economy. Because DERs frequently utilize clean, renewable energy sources, they can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions to benefit public health and environmental quality. For these reasons, the general court finds it is in the public interest to stimulate the deployment of DERs in New Hampshire and eliminate unreasonable barriers thereto.
3 New Paragraph; Distributed Energy Resources; Hosting Capacity Maps. Amend RSA 362-A:9 by inserting after paragraph XXI the following new paragraph:
XXII. No later than January 1, 2023, the electric distribution utilities shall publish on their websites a hosting capacity map showing the estimated maximum amount of distributed generation that can be accommodated on the distribution system at a given location under existing grid conditions and operations, without adversely impacting safety, power quality, reliability, or other operational criteria, and without requiring significant infrastructure upgrades. The maps shall provide relevant electrical information regarding the circuit and affiliated substation for each location, including interconnected and queued distributed generation, and shall be updated regularly.
4 Department of Energy; Customer-generator Interconnection; Department Investigation; Report.
I. Within 90 days of the effective date of this section, the department of energy shall initiate a proceeding to investigate modification of the rules of the public utilities commission in PUC 903.01(e) to ensure cost-effective, predictable, and timely interconnection procedures for customer generators to the state’s electric distribution system. In so doing, the department shall consult with electric distribution utilities, distributed generation project developers, and any person or entity the department deems relevant to its study.
II. The department’s investigative proceeding shall examine and make specific recommendations concerning the following:
(a) How to create transparent, consistent and reasonable engineering standards for interconnection, with special consideration given to established best practices used by other states as set forth in the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s (IREC) 2019 Model Interconnection Procedures.
(b) How to ensure timely, consistent, and reasonably-priced interconnection studies.
(c) How to ensure just and reasonable pricing of grid modernization upgrades mandated by the distribution utility for interconnection of distributed energy resources, including transparency and consistency in pricing guidelines and appropriate cost-sharing among parties benefitting from such upgrades.
(d) How to ensure distribution system upgrades paid for by customer-generators are not claimed as part of the utility rate-base.
(e) Whether it is appropriate to establish an “Interconnection Working Group” convened at the department of energy to regularly assess if interconnection standards need modification.
(f) Any other topic the department reasonably believes it should consider in order to diligently conduct the proceeding.
III. The department shall report its findings and recommendations to the standing committees of the house of representatives and senate with jurisdiction over energy and utility matters no later than one year after initiating the proceeding. The report shall identify ways any recommended statutory changes can reduce barriers to cost-effective, predictable, and timely interconnection of distributed energy resources to the state’s electric distribution system.
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
