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91_HB4628
LRB9111392JSpc
1 AN ACT to amend the Public Utilities Act by adding
2 Section 16-107.5.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding
6 Section 16-107.5 as follows:
7 (220 ILCS 5/16-107.5 new)
8 Sec. 16-107-5. Net electricity metering.
9 (a) The Legislature finds and declares that a program to
10 provide net energy metering, as defined in this Section, for
11 eligible customers can encourage private investment in
12 renewable energy resources, stimulate economic growth,
13 enhance the continued diversification of Illinois' energy
14 resource mix, and protect the Illinois environment.
15 (b) As used in this Section, (i) "eligible customer"
16 means a retail customer that owns and operates a solar or
17 wind electrical generating facility with a capacity of not
18 more than 40 kilowatts that is located on the customer's
19 premises and is intended primarily to offset part or all of
20 the customer's own electrical requirements and (ii) "net
21 energy metering" means the measurement, during the billing
22 period applicable to an eligible customer, of the net amount
23 of electricity delivered by an electric utility to the
24 customer's premises or provided to the electric utility by
25 the customer.
26 (c) An electric utility shall provide for, and bear the
27 costs of, meters, meter fittings and associated wiring in
28 excess of standard metering, and any other equipment on the
29 utility side of the meter required by the utility in order to
30 effect net energy metering.
31 (d) An electric utility and an alternative retail
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1 electric supplier shall measure and charge or credit for the
2 net electricity supplied to eligible customers or provided by
3 eligible customers in the following manner:
4 (1) If the amount of electricity used by the
5 customer during the billing period exceeds the amount of
6 electricity produced by the customer, the electric
7 utility or alternative retail electric supplier shall
8 charge the customer for the net electricity supplied to
9 and used by the customer at the same rates applicable to
10 electricity provided by the electric utility or
11 alternative retail electric supplier to other residential
12 customers and small commercial retail customers of
13 similar end-use consumption characteristics.
14 (2) If the amount of electricity produced by a
15 customer during the billing period exceeds the amount of
16 electricity used by the customer during that billing
17 period, the electric utility or alternative electric
18 supplier supplying that customer shall apply a credit to
19 the next bill for service to the customer for the net
20 electricity supplied to the utility at the same rate,
21 including delivery charges, applicable to electricity
22 provided to other residential customers and small
23 commercial retail customers of similar end-use
24 consumption characteristics. The number of kilowatt-hours
25 credited to the customer on the bill in any given billing
26 period shall not exceed the amount of kilowatt-hours
27 delivered to the customer by the utility in that billing
28 period. The balance of kilowatt-hours uncredited shall be
29 carried forward and applied to kilowatt-hours delivered
30 to the customer by the utility in future billing periods.
31 (3) At the end of the year or annualized over the
32 period that service is supplied by means of net energy
33 metering, the electric utility or alternative retail
34 electric supplier supplying a customer shall promptly
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1 issue payment at its avoided cost to the customer for the
2 value of the balance of any remaining uncredited
3 kilowatt-hours provided by the customer during the year
4 or annualized period.
5 (e) An electric utility may use separate meters to
6 measure the gross amount of electricity delivered by the
7 utility to the customer and the electricity supplied to the
8 utility by the customer and may bill customers for taxes,
9 franchise charges, or infrastructure maintenance fees,
10 instrument funding charges, and decommissioning charges
11 applicable to the gross amount of electricity delivered to
12 the customer, if the electric utility does not charge the
13 customer for the installation or use of the separate meters
14 in excess of standard metering.
15 (f) An electric utility may, instead of using separate
16 meters, use a single meter to measure the net amount of
17 electricity delivered to or from a customer during the
18 billing period.
19 (g) Within 3 months after the effective date of this
20 amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly, the Illinois
21 Commerce Commission shall establish standards for net energy
22 metering and the interconnection of solar and wind electric
23 generating equipment to the utility system if the Commission
24 determines that such standards are necessary for safe and
25 adequate service and further the public policy set forth in
26 this Section. The standards shall conform to the "Recommended
27 Practice for Utility Interface, of Photo-voltaic Systems" set
28 forth by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic
29 Engineers). If a utility desires equipment or standards in
30 excess of these standards, the utility shall bear the costs
31 of those additional standards.
32 (h) Before February 1, 2001, the Illinois Commerce
33 Commission shall determine how alternative retail electric
34 suppliers will be required to credit delivery service
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1 charges.
2 (i) All electric utilities shall begin to offer net
3 energy metering no later than April 1, 2001.
4 (j) All alternative retail electric suppliers shall
5 begin to offer net energy metering no later than April 1,
6 2001.
7 (k) An electric utility and an alternative retail
8 electric supplier must offer net energy metering to eligible
9 customers until the load of its net energy metering customers
10 equals 0.1% of the total peak demand supplied by that
11 electric utility or alternative retail electric supplier
12 during the previous year. Electric utilities and alternative
13 retail electric suppliers are authorized to offer net energy
14 metering beyond the 0.1% level if they so choose.
15 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
16 becoming law.
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