Renewable Generation Rider

SCHEDULE “RG”
SMALL POWER PRODUCTION RIDER 

Availability

This Rider shall be available upon request on a first come first served basis and is only available to Consumers taking service under Rate Schedules R, GSND, and LPS. This Rider shall be available for qualified Customer’s Generating facilities with a completed Application and Interconnection Agreement approved by the Cooperative after November 11, 2015. The name plate rating of Consumer’s generator must not exceed 50 kW. Total participation under this rider is limited to a total name plate rating of all Consumers’ generators of one percent (1%) of the Cooperative’s most recent summer peak load. Customer generator interconnection is limited to one service location per Consumer.

Applicability

This rider is applicable to Consumers hereunder who have installed photovoltaic, wind, or hydroelectric generator systems on their premises. Consumers must meet the Generator System Requirements and Interconnection Requirements specified below.

Monthly Rate

Deliveries from the Cooperative to the Consumer shall be billed in accordance with the standard Rate schedule of the Cooperative which would otherwise be applicable if the customer was not generating electricity.

Flow of energy from the Consumer’s generating facilities into the electrical system of the Cooperative shall be permitted. The Cooperative shall purchase electricity flowing from the Consumer’s generating facilities into the Cooperative’s electric system by way of a Generation Credit to be applied to Consumer’s electric bill.

Generation Credit $.0388 per kWh

Should the Generation Credit exceed the electric bill for electricity delivered to the Consumer, the Customer’s account shall show such credit which will be applied to future bills. Actual issuance of a check payable to the Consumer shall not occur until the amount due the customer exceeds $100.

Metering

Consumer’s standard electrical meter shall be modified, or a new meter installed, so that it will measure only electricity flowing from the Cooperative to the Consumer on one of the meter registers and shall measure separately electricity flowing from the Consumer’s generator onto the Cooperative’s electrical system on a second meter register. In addition, the Cooperative may require the installation of a second meter to measure the output of the Customer’s generator, if deemed necessary.

Generator System Requirements

Customer’s generator system must meet the following requirements:

1. The nameplate rating of Customer’s generator system must not exceed 50 kW;
2. The generator system must be owned and operated by Customer and must be located on Customer’s premises;
3. Customer’s generator system must be intended primarily to offset part or all of Customer’s requirement for electricity;
4. The Generator must operate in parallel with the Cooperative’s distribution facilities, and;
5. The generator system must satisfy the Interconnection Requirements specified below.

Interconnection Requirements

1. Customer shall comply with Cooperative’s interconnection requirements. A generator system shall be deemed in compliance with Cooperative’s interconnection requirements if such generator system conforms to the most current Indiana Electrical Code, IEEE Standard 929, has UL certification that it has satisfied the testing requirements of UL 1741 dated May 7, 1999, as revised January 17, 2001 or any IEEE or UL Standards that supersede these. The generating facility shall comply with the applicable requirements of 170 IAC 4-4.3.
2. Customer shall provide proof of homeowners, commercial or other insurance providing coverage in the amount of at least two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for the liability of the insured against loss arising out of the use of Customer’s generating facility. This coverage must be maintained as long as Customer is interconnected with Cooperative’s distribution system.
3. Conformance with these requirements does not convey any liability to Cooperative for injuries or damages arising from the installation or operation of the generator system.
4. Customer shall execute Cooperative’s standard Interconnection Application form and provide other information reasonably requested by the Cooperative for service under this Rider. The Cooperative shall require proof of qualified installation prior to acceptance and completion of the interconnection agreement. Certification by a licensed electrician shall constitute acceptable proof.

Terms and Conditions of Service

1. Any characteristic of Customer’s generator that degrades or otherwise compromises the quality of service provided to other Cooperative Customers will not be permitted.
2. Customer shall agree that Cooperative shall at all times have immediate access to Customer’s metering, control, and protective equipment.
3. Customer shall install, operate and maintain the generating facility in accordance with the manufacturer’s suggested practices for safe, efficient and reliable operation in parallel with the Cooperative’s system.
4. The Cooperative may, at its own discretion, isolate any customer generating facility if the Cooperative has reason to believe that continued interconnection with the generating facility creates or contributes to a system emergency.
5. A disconnecting device must be located at the point of common coupling for all interconnections. For three-phase interconnections, the disconnecting device must be gang operated. The disconnecting device must be accessible to Cooperative personnel at all times and be suitable for use by Cooperative as a protective tagging location. The disconnecting device shall have a visible open gap when in the open position and be capable of being locked in the open position. The cost and ownership of the main disconnect switch shall reside with Customer.
6. Customer is responsible for operating the proposed generating facility such that voltage unbalance attributable to the generating facility shall not exceed 2.5% at the point of common coupling. Voltage unbalance is the maximum phase deviation from average as specified in ANSI C84.1.
7. The Cooperative reserves the right to witness compliance testing at the time of installation and maintenance testing of the interconnection system for compliance with these conditions of service.
8. Customer is responsible for establishing a program for and performing periodic scheduled maintenance on the generating facility’s interconnection system (relays, interrupting devices, control schemes and batteries that involve the protection of Cooperative’s distribution system). A periodic maintenance program is to be established in accordance with the requirements of IEEE 1547. The Cooperative may examine copies of the periodic test reports or inspection logs associated with the periodic maintenance program. Upon the Cooperative’s request, the Cooperative shall be informed of the next scheduled maintenance and be able to witness the maintenance performed and any associated testing.
9. The interconnection system hardware and software design requirements in the conditions of service are intended to assure protection of the Cooperative’s distribution system. Any additional hardware and software necessary to protect equipment at the generating facility is solely the responsibility of Customer to determine, design and apply.
10. Customer agrees that Cooperative shall not be liable for any damage to or breakdown of Customer’s equipment operated in parallel with Cooperative’s electric system.
11. Customer shall agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless the cooperative from any and all claims for injury to persons or damage to property due to or in any way connected with the operation of Customer- owned equipment and/or generators.

Effective: Feb. 16, 2022