Net Metering Victory Declared in West Virginia
As we mentioned a couple months ago, West Virginia has been in the process of signing on to net metering in a big way. On June 30, the West Virginia Public Service Commission issued a ruling that modifies the state’s net metering rules and adopts standard interconnection procedures. The West Virginia net metering rules are…
As we mentioned a couple months ago, West Virginia has been in the process of signing on to net metering in a big way. On June 30, the West Virginia Public Service Commission issued a ruling that modifies the state’s net metering rules and adopts standard interconnection procedures. The West Virginia net metering rules are customer-friendly and should move the state from a D to an A (!) range in Freeing the Grid. West Virginia previously had a N/A for interconnection, so this represents real progress for the state.
Notably, the state is also joining the elite club of states that allow a geographical expansion of net metering. Specifically the rules allowed for net metering “on property owned or leased by the customer and within two miles of the customer’s service location,” which is similar to language in the Pennsylvania net metering rules that provide for meter aggregation. Meter aggregation may be completed through physical or virtual meter aggregation. For virtual meter aggregation, credits are first applied to the meter through which the system supplies electricity to the grid, then prorated equally to the remaining meters for the account.
Here are the highlights:
Net Metering
- System size limits: 25 kW residential, 500 kW commercial, 2 MW industrial
- Program enrollment limit: up to 3% of utility peak load
- Rollover: full monthly rollover at retail with no annual true-up (perpetual rollover)
- Ability to net meter on TOU rates
- Ability to aggregate meters within 2 miles of generation
- Accommodation of third-party owned systems
- Rules apply to all utilities including municipal utilities and co-ops, although system size caps of 50 kW apply for utilities with less than 30,000 customers
Interconnection
- No disconnect switch requirements for inverter-based systems less than 25kW
- Reasonable insurance limits (systems up to 50 kW must have general liability insurance of $100,000; 50 kW – 500 kW must have $500,000; greater than 500 kW must have $1,000,000)
- Two levels of Review: Level 1 – Small Generator Facilities of 25 kW or less, which are inverter-based and certified; Level 2 – Small Generator Facilities of 2 MW or less that do not qualify for Level 1.
This order becomes effective August 30,2010.
