NOTE: Delaware law (26 Del. C. § 1014) requires the Delaware Public Service Commission (PSC), Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC), and municipal utilities to develop interconnection rules using as a guide the Interstate Renewable Energy Council's (IREC) model interconnection rules and the U.S. Department of Energy's best practices for interconnection. This entry largely addresses the rules used by Delmarva Power, the state's largest utility.

Delmarva, Delaware's only investor-owned electric utility, has four basic levels of interconnection based on system size and system type (inverter-based or non-inverter-based). In June 2011 the PSC issued Order No. 7984 approving final revised rules

Note: The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has an ongoing interconnection rule revision docket (Rulemaking (R.) 17-07-007) that has made many revisions to interconnection rules since July 13, 2017. Current interconnection rules for each utility are available at the CPUC website.

California's "Rule 21" generally applies to systems connecting to an investor-owned utility’s distribution grid, non-export generating facilities connecting to an investor-owned utility’s transmission grid and all net metered facilities in an investor-owned utility’s service territory. Systems connecting to an investor-owned utility’s distribution grid for the purpose of participating in a wholesale transaction must apply under the investor-owned utility’s Wholesale

Note: S.B. 295 was signed in March 2023, and changes related to interconnection were approved by the Public Service Commission in late September 2023 via Order No. 7 in Docket No. 23-021-R.

In April 2001, Arkansas enacted legislation directing the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) to establish net-metering rules for certain renewable-energy systems. The Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted net-metering rules in July 2002 (Docket No. 02-046-R, Order No. 4), which include interconnection requirements for net metering facilities interconnect to existing electric power systems (Section 3).* Systems that generate electricity using solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass

The Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program encourages customers to install alternative power generators such as solar panels and wind turbines and connect them to the Chelan County Public Utility District's (the PUD's) electrical distribution system by offering an incentive payment based on the system's production. The PUD distributes SNAP payments annually, on or around Earth Day. The amount paid per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to SNAP Producers is determined by dividing the total amount contributed by SNAP Purchasers through the utility's green pricing program, divided by the total electricity generated by all SNAP Producers. The greater the amount contributed by SNAP

Through the Renewable Incentive Program, Arizona Public Service (APS) offers customers who install solar water heating systems the opportunity to sell the renewable energy credits (RECs) associated with the energy generated to APS. APS uses the RECs to demonstrate compliance with the state's Renewable Energy Standard (RES). While there are no longer any up-front incentives or production-based incentives available for grid-tied PV systems, APS offers a streamlined process to interconnect renewable distributed generation. Please see www.aps.com/dg for applications and resources.

See website above for complete details. 

On June 18, 2003, the Maricopa Association of Governmetns (MAG) passed permit submission requirements for residential solar domestic water heating systems in an effort to promote uniformity. The MAG is a Council of Governments that serves as the regional agency for the metropolitan Phoenix area. These standards were most recently revised in May 2012.

Eligibility and Availability

Utah’s net metering policy, adopted in 2002, applies to all electric investor-owned utilities and electric cooperatives. Systems up to 25 kW in capacity for residential and up to 2 MW for non-residential that generate electricity using solar, wind, hydrogen, organic waste, hydroelectric, waste gas and waste heat capture/recovery, certain biomass and woody debris, agricultural residues, dedicated energy crops, landfill or biogas, or geothermal are eligible. Enrollment is limited to 0.1% of the corporation’s peak demand during 2007 (this limit may be increased by the corporation’s governing authority). 

Net Excess Generation

Net excess generation (NEG) is credited to

Focus on Energy offers rebates for residential solar electric (PV). Rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis while funds are available.

The solar electric (PV) rebate is $300 per system for residential customers. Residential rural customers will receive a $300 bonus for installing a system. See eligible rural ZIP code list at focusonenergy.com/rural-zip-codes to confirm eligibility.

The rebate is $50 per kW for business customers, with a maximum incentive of $25,000. Agricultural producers can qualify for an incentive match of up to $10,000.

Additional program information and application materials are available on the program web site.

Massachusetts Public Benefit Funds

Massachusetts's 1997 electric utility restructuring legislation created two separate public benefit funds to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency for all customer classes.

Funding and Administration

The Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Fund is supported by a non-bypassable systems benefits charge of $0.0005 per kilowatt-hour (0.5 mill/kWh), imposed on customers of all investor-owned electric utilities and competitive municipal utilities in Massachusetts. (Non-competitive municipal utilities generally may opt into the Fund by agreeing to the same provisions that apply to investor-owned utilities and competitive municipal utilities.) 

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, a quasi-public research and development entity, administers

Note: The tax credits are fully subscribed. As of July 2016, there were 973 MW (2,148,000 MWh) of projects in the waiting queue for the wind/biomass tax credit and 1,103 MW (2,369,000 MWh) of projects in the waiting queue for the solar tax credit.

Enacted in 2002, the New Mexico Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit provides a tax credit against personal or corporate income tax. To qualify, an energy generator must have a capacity of at least 1 megawatt and be installed before January 2018. 

Amount

The tax credit is $0.01 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for companies that generate electricity from