Bill Text: NJ S713 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs BPU to establish microgrid program for State agencies and local government units.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [S713 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-S713-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Senator CHRISTOPHER "KIP" BATEMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Directs BPU to establish microgrid program for State agencies and local government units.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning microgrids and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"Board" means the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities or any successor agency.
"Critical facility" means any facility that is designated as critical by the State Office of Emergency Management or the State Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, or that could serve as a shelter during a power outage including, but not limited to, any hospital, police station, water or wastewater treatment facility, school, or multifamily dwelling.
"Local government unit" means any county or municipality, or any agency, authority, corporation, or other instrumentality of any county or municipality.
"Microgrid" means a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid, which can connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate both connected to, or independent of, the grid.
"State agency" means any department, division, agency, commission, authority, or other instrumentality of State government.
b. (1) The board shall establish a microgrid program for State agencies and local government units. The purpose of the microgrid program shall be to equip critical facilities with microgrids in order to allow these facilities to continue to operate during a disaster or emergency.
(2) The board shall establish an application and approval process for State agencies and local government units to participate in the microgrid program. The board, in its discretion, may limit the number of microgrid program applications it approves.
c. Electric power shall be delivered within an approved microgrid under a cost recovery mechanism to be determined by the board.
d. Within two years after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the board shall issue a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), containing an evaluation of the microgrid program. The report shall also provide the board's opinion as to whether the microgrid program should be continued and, if so, recommendations for further improvement and implementation.
e. The board may adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), such rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement this act.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to establish a microgrid program for State agencies and local government units. The purpose of the program would be to equip critical facilities with microgrids in order to allow these facilities to continue to operate during a disaster or emergency.
Under the bill, "critical facility" means any facility that has been designated as critical by the State Office of Emergency Management or the State Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, or that could serve as a shelter during a power outage including, but not limited to, any hospital, police station, water or wastewater treatment facility, school, or multifamily dwelling. "Microgrid" means a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid, which can connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate both connected to, or independent of, the grid.
The bill would require the BPU to establish an application and approval process for State agencies and local government units to participate in the microgrid program. The BPU, in its discretion, could limit the number of microgrid program applications it approves. The bill would require that electric power be delivered within an approved microgrid under a cost recovery mechanism to be determined by the BPU. Finally, the bill requires the BPU, within 2 years after the bill's effective date, to issue a report to the Governor and the Legislature containing an evaluation of the microgrid program.
