Amend the bill, as and if amended, Part IB, Section 72, PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, page 419, after line 26, by adding an appropriately numbered new proviso to read:
/ (PSC: Electric Consumers) (A) From the funds appropriated, in the current fiscal year, in order to address the challenges identified within current utility cost of service ratemaking methodologies, cost allocations, and rate designs in the report published pursuant to Section 58-27-1050, the Office of Regulatory Staff, with guidance and feedback from electrical utilities and other interested parties, shall investigate and recommend to the commission revised ratemaking methodologies, cost allocations, and rate designs for all retail customers by the end of the fiscal year. The recommendations should include a proposed timeline for implementation, including a pilot period to study the impact of new rate designs on customer behaviors and on customer satisfaction. The commission shall issue an order adopting, modifying, or rejecting the Office of Regulatory Staff recommendations on revised ratemaking methodologies, cost allocations, and rate designs, in whole or in part, by the end of the fiscal year. The proposed revisions should seek to ensure a fair allocation of system costs and benefits between consumers, including customers who utilize distributed energy resources and consumers who do not utilize distributed energy resources, with a focus on achieving the following rate design goals:
(1) provide accurate pricing for electricity consumed and electricity generated by utility customers;
(2) use cost-causation principles with the need to encourage customers to utilize privately-funded distributed energy resources in a manner that furthers the long-term goal of lowering overall utility costs;
(3) provide a structure that can accommodate a variety of utility customer choices while ensuring that utilities are adequately compensated for the services they provide;
(4) provide a meaningful opportunity for customers to achieve bill savings by altering behavior or making investments in technologies or products that reduce electricity consumption from the grid;
(5) provide that utility customers retain flexibility to use differing technologies as they become available;
(6) provide that the structure is durable enough to apply to all utility customers of a given class, including those customers within the class utilizing distributed energy resources to reduce their consumption of electricity from the grid;
(7) provide that the structure is sufficiently understandable by the utility customers to whom it will apply;
(8) provide that, using a long-term view of quantifiable costs and benefits associated with customer-utilized distributed energy resources, cost-shifting between utility customers with distributed energy resources and utility customers without distributed energy resources is minimized to the extent possible;
(9) account for the impacts of distributed energy resources in utility load forecasting for purposes of distribution system and generation resource planning to ensure that allocated costs reflect the costs and benefits of customer-sited distributed energy resources on the grid; and
(10) manage the introduction of new customer loads that are capable of automation, including electric vehicle charging, battery storage, and smart appliances, in a manner that helps reduce customer contribution to system peaks and improve customer load factors.
(B) A party in interest may seek judicial review through Section 58-27-2310 of a commission order establishing mandatory ratemaking or rate design requirements for electrical utilities pursuant to Section 58-27-1060.
(C)(1) It is the intent of the General Assembly to build upon the successful deployment of solar generating capacity through the South Carolina Distributed Resource Act to continue enabling market-driven, private investment in distributed energy resources across the State by reducing regulatory and administrative burdens to customer installation and utilization of onsite distributed energy resources. It is the further intent of the General Assembly to avoid disruption to the growing market for customer-scale distributed energy resources.
(2) The General Assembly finds that:
(a) the South Carolina Distributed Energy Resource Act has resulted in the rapid deployment of solar generating capacity in the service territories of investor-owned utilities and has proven the ability of these programs to support significant job creation and private investment in the State; and
(b) electrical utilities that are not subject to the South Carolina Distributed Energy Resource Act have not experienced the same rapid deployment of solar generating capacity since enactment of the South Carolina Distributed Energy Resource Act.
(3) This subsection applies to all electrical utilities providing retail service to electric customers in the State.
(D)(1) Each electrical utility shall adopt the interconnection standards approved by the commission for interconnection of electric generation facilities and onsite distributed energy resources to the distribution grid.
(2) An electrical utility may set cost-based interconnection application fees, but may not establish a charge of more than two hundred fifty dollars per interconnection request for electric generation facilities with a nameplate capacity of twenty kilowatts (20 kW AC) or less.
(3) By January 1, 2019, the commission shall modify the interconnection standards for generator interconnections to the distribution system to provide an expedited procedure for interconnection of onsite distributed energy resources, including configurations that utilize battery storage as a component of the distributed energy resource facility.
(4) If an electrical utility fails to deny or approve an application for interconnection of an onsite distributed energy resource within thirty calendar days of receipt of a completed application, the application is deemed approved and the electrical utility will provide notice of permission to operate to the applicant within five calendar days.
(5) An electrical utility shall not require a customer-generator to purchase additional liability insurance as a condition of interconnection for an inverter-based onsite distributed energy resource facility.
(6) Each electrical utility shall maintain a list of distribution circuits where the nameplate capacity of interconnected aggregate electric generation exceeds fifteen percent of circuit peak demand. Each electrical utility with over one-hundred thousand customers shall publish a map or maps reflecting available circuit capacity under the fifteen percent threshold on the electrical utility's website and shall update these maps at least on a quarterly basis.
(7) The owner or user of an onsite distributed energy resource may proceed with construction and installation of the facility after receiving approval from the local or county authority with appropriate permitting jurisdiction. An electrical utility shall not delay or prohibit commencement of construction or installation beyond the date of permitting approval.
(E)(1) By August 1, 2018, each electrical utility shall file with the commission a net metering tariff consistent with this section and begin offering net metering service to customers with onsite distributed energy resources.
(2) For net metering service, the net electrical energy measurement must be calculated in the following manner:
(a) For a customer-generator, an electrical utility shall measure the net electrical energy produced or consumed during the billing period in accordance with normal metering practices for customers in the same rate class, either by employing a single, bidirectional meter that measures the amount of electrical energy produced and consumed, or by employing multiple meters that separately measure the customer-generator's consumption and export of electricity.
(b) If the electricity supplied by the electrical utility exceeds the electricity generated and exported to the electrical utility by the customer-generator during a billing period, the customer-generator must be billed for the net electricity supplied by the electrical utility in accordance with normal practices for customers in the same rate class.
(c) Any energy generated by the customer-generator and exported to the electrical utility's grid that exceeds the energy supplied by the electrical utility during a monthly billing period must be recorded as a net excess generation credit.
(d) Net excess generation credits may not be used to offset the nonvolumetric electricity charges.
(e) The utility shall maintain an account of any net excess generation credits accruing from the customer-generator's excess generation and allow those credits to be used to offset the customer-generator's volumetric energy charges during future billing periods.
(3) Customer-generators utilizing an energy storage device as part of the onsite distributed energy resource may participate in net metering so long as the storage device is configured to charge solely from a renewable energy resource, as that term is defined in Section 58-40-10(F).
(4) Any renewable or environmental attributes associated with a customer-generator's onsite distributed energy resource are the sole property of the customer-generator or the customer-generator's assignee and may not be claimed by the interconnected electrical utility except through a written agreement with the customer-generator or the customer-generator's assignee that is supported by appropriate consideration for the transfer of those attributes.
(5) Each electrical utility shall develop a standardized net metering agreement, substantially similar to the agreement approved by the commission pursuant to this subsection. The standardized net metering agreement shall:
(a) guarantee the right of the customer-generator to continue to receive net metering service for the associated onsite distributed energy resource facility under the terms of this subsection in effect on the date of execution for the current fiscal year;
(b) allow for the assignment of the net metering agreement by the customer-generator to subsequent owners or users of the onsite distributed energy resource facility at the premises where it was originally installed;
(c) allow for reasonable capacity increases or modifications to the distributed energy resource, including the addition of an energy storage device, routine component complacent, and addition of generation capacity that does not exceed one-quarter of one percent of the original capacity;
(d) provide that the customer-generator will have access to the same electrical rate options that the customer would have had if they had not installed and utilized onsite distributed energy resources; and
(e) allow the electrical utility to terminate the agreement if the onsite distributed energy resource is inactive for a consecutive period of twelve months or if the customer-generator is operating the facility in violation of laws or regulations related to safety and reliability of the grid.
(6) By August 1, 2018, the commission shall issue a notice to request comments and proposals for a standardized net metering agreement from all interested persons. By January 1, 2019, the commission shall issue an order approving a standardized net metering agreement.
(7) Customers engaged in a prior net metering program may opt out and apply for net metering service as soon as the net metering tariff and standardized net metering agreement is available. Customers enrolling in net metering under this chapter prior to the availability of the net metering agreement may begin receiving net metering service under the terms of this section and may subsequently execute the commission-approved net metering agreement. For customer-generators opting out of a legacy net metering service that is included in a commission-approved distributed energy resource program, nothing in this subsection prohibits an electrical utility from continuing to recover distributed energy resource program costs for the duration and in the manner approved by the commission prior to the enactment of this act.
(8) Electrical utilities may charge a one-time, cost-based interconnection application fee for a net metering facility. The one-time interconnection application fee shall not exceed two hundred fifty dollars for customers applying to interconnect a distributed energy resource with a total nameplate generating capacity of twenty kilowatts or less.
(9) An electrical utility that has customer-generators taking net metering service under a legacy net metering program pursuant to Section 58-40-10, et seq. shall provide these customer-generators the opportunity to transition to new net metering service under this proviso and shall automatically transition these customer-generators to new net metering service upon the termination of the customer-generator's rights to receive net metering service pursuant to a commission-approved distributed energy resource program.
(10) Electrical utilities shall provide service to customers that install and utilize onsite distributed energy resources at nondiscriminatory rates that are identical, with respect to rate structure, retail rate components, and any monthly charges to the rates that the customer would be charged for electricity supplied by the electrical utility if they did not utilize onsite distributed energy resources and shall not require a separately allocated class of service for these customers.
(11) Nothing in this subsection prohibits a customer utilizing onsite distributed energy resources from taking optional service under an alternate structure that is specifically developed for and available to customers using onsite distributed energy resources.
(12) An industrial account utilizing an onsite distributed energy resource facility with a nameplate capacity of at least one-hundred kilowatts is exempt from paying the incremental distributed energy resource program costs that are subject to the cost cap in Section 58-39-150.
(13) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, no electrical utility shall seek to recover through a general rate case or another proceeding the lost revenues associated with customer energy-saving measures. For purposes of this subsection, 'consumer energy-saving measure' means any equipment, technology, or practice employed by a customer to reduce the customer's consumption of grid-delivered electricity. Nothing in this subsection prevents an electrical utility from recovering the reasonable and prudent costs, as determined by the commission or the electrical utility's governing board or authority, of any direct incentive or rebate program that encourages customers of the electrical utility to invest in or employ customer energy-saving measures.
(F)(1) The owner of an onsite distributed energy resource facility contracting with the customer-generator using that facility through a power purchase agreement or other agreement providing for the ongoing operation and maintenance of the facility is not considered an electrical utility pursuant to Section 58-27-10(7).
(2) Prior to offering a power purchase or other agreement for the operation and maintenance of an onsite distributed energy resource facility to a prospective customer-generator, the owner of the facility must obtain and maintain a certificate pursuant to Section 58-27-2620 that permits the owner to market and lease renewable electric generation facilities to customer-generator lessees.
(G) Notwithstanding another provision of law, customers of the utility who are not customer-generators are not required to subsidize the costs of customer-generators.
(H) In the tax year ending in the current fiscal year, a taxpayer who constructs, purchases, or leases solar energy property located on property owned by the Pinewood Site Custodial Trust, located in the State of South Carolina, and places it in service in this State, is allowed an income tax credit equal to five percent of the cost, including the cost of installation of the property. A lessor shall give a taxpayer who leases solar energy property from him a statement that describes the solar energy property and states the cost of the property upon request. A credit is not allowed pursuant to this subsection to the extent the cost of the solar energy property is provided by public funds. For purposes of this subsection, 'public funds' does not include federal grants or tax credits.
(I) As used in this proviso:
(1) 'Customer-generator' means the user of an onsite distributed energy resource that is enrolled in net energy metering service.
(2) 'Electrical utility' means an electrical utility as defined in Section 58-27-10.
(3) 'Net electrical energy measurement' means the measurement occurring at the end of the monthly billing period where the electrical utility determines the volume of electricity to be charged or credited based on the net of the total imports from the grid to the customer-generator and total exports to the grid from the customer-generator during that billing period.
(4) 'Net metering' means using metering equipment sufficient to measure the difference between the electrical energy supplied to a customer-generator by an electrical utility and the electrical energy exported by the customer-generator to the electricity provider over the applicable billing period.
(5) 'Net excess generation credit' means a bill credit representing the value of net excess generation determined in the net electrical energy measurement according to the valuation methodology approved by the commission in Docket No. 2014-246-E.
(6) 'Onsite distributed energy resource' means a facility that is a 'distributed energy resource', as defined in Section 58-39-120(C), that:
(a) generates electricity from a renewable energy resource, as defined in Section 58-40-10(F);
(b) has an electric generating system with a capacity of:
(i) not more than the lesser of one thousand kilowatts (1,000 kW AC) or one hundred percent of contract demand if a nonresidential customer, provided the electric generating capacity of an onsite distributed energy resource that includes an energy storage device paired with a renewable energy resource will be determined as the lesser of the total inverter capacity or the sum of the direct current power components that comprise the onsite distributed energy resource facility; or
(ii) not more than twenty kilowatts (20 kW AC) if a residential customer, provided the electric generating capacity of an onsite distributed energy resource that includes an energy storage device paired with a renewable energy resource will be determined as the lesser of the total inverter capacity or the sum of the direct current power components that comprise the onsite distributed energy resource facility;
(c) is located on a single premises owned, operated, leased, or otherwise controlled by the customer;
(d) is configured to serve load on the customer's side of the electrical utility's revenue meter;
(e) is interconnected and operates in parallel phase and synchronization with an electrical utility and complies with the applicable interconnection standards;
(f) is intended primarily to offset part or all of the customer-generator's own electrical energy requirements; and
(g) meets all applicable safety, performance, interconnection, and reliability standards established by the commission, the National Electrical Code, the National Electrical Safety Code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Underwriters Laboratories, the federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and any local governing authorities.
(1) 'First responder' means a law enforcement officer, a fire department worker, or a paramedic with a primary place of residence in this State who is employed by or volunteers for a state, county, or municipal agency that ordinarily provides emergency services to citizens of this State during a natural disaster or state of emergency as declared by state or federal authorities.
(2) 'Designated emergency shelter' means a building owned by a state, county, or municipal government agency which has been designated by appropriate authorities as a place of community refuge made available to provide temporary shelter and housing to citizens during a natural disaster or state of emergency as declared by the governor or other authorized official.
(3) 'Onsite solar-storage facility' means an onsite distributed energy resource facility paired with a battery storage device which:
(a) utilizes solar energy to generate electricity sufficient to meet at least fifty percent of the host customer's annual electrical requirements;
(b) is capable of isolating from the electric grid and operating independently during periods of electrical outages; and
(c) has sufficient battery storage capacity to supply a minimum of twenty-four hours of back-up power to the customer's critical loads or a minimum of five hours of the customer's average daily usage. /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend sections, totals and title to conform.