Missouri SB 369: Modifies certain provisions relating to solar energy systems

Bill Text

EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
and is intended to be omitted in the law.
FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 369
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR BRATTIN.
1428S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To repeal sections 386.890 and 442.404, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections
relating to solar energy systems.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 386.890 and 442.404, RSMo, are 1
repealed and two new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be 2
known as sections 386.890 and 442.404, to read as follows:3
386.890. 1. This section shall be known and may be 1
cited as the "Net Metering and Easy Connection Act". 2
2. As used in this section, the following terms shall 3
mean: 4
(1) ["Avoided fuel cost", the current average cost of 5
fuel for the entity generating electricity, as defined by 6
the governing body with jurisdiction over any municipal 7
electric utility, rural electric cooperative as provided in 8
chapter 394, or electrical corporation as provided in this 9
chapter; 10
(2)] "Commission", the public service commission of 11
the state of Missouri; 12
[(3)] (2) "Customer-generator", the owner or operator 13
of a qualified electric energy generation unit which: 14
(a) Is powered by a renewable energy resource; 15
(b) Has an electrical generating system with a 16
capacity of not more than one [hundred] thousand kilowatts; 17

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(c) Is located on a premises owned, operated, leased, 18
or otherwise controlled by the customer-generator or utility 19
service territory through virtual net metering; 20
(d) Is interconnected and operates in parallel phase 21
and synchronization with a retail electric supplier and has 22
been approved by said retail electric supplier or public 23
service commission regulation; 24
(e) Is intended primarily to offset part or all of the 25
customer-generator's [own] current or future electrical 26
energy requirements; 27
(f) Meets [all applicable safety, performance, 28
interconnection, and reliability standards established by 29
the National Electrical Code, the National Electrical Safety 30
Code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 31
Underwriters Laboratories, the Federal Energy Regulatory 32
Commission, and any local governing authorities] the 33
requirements of the uniformed solar permit and inspection 34
form promulgated by the commission; and 35
(g) Contains a mechanism that automatically disables 36
the unit and interrupts the flow of electricity back onto 37
the supplier's electricity lines in the event that service 38
to the customer-generator is interrupted; 39
[(4)] (3) "Department", the department of natural 40
resources; 41
[(5)] (4) "Net metering", using metering equipment 42
sufficient to measure the difference between the electrical 43
energy supplied to a customer-generator by a retail electric 44
supplier and the electrical energy supplied by the customer- 45
generator to the retail electric supplier over the 46
applicable billing period; 47
[(6)] (5) "Renewable energy resources", electrical 48
energy produced from wind, solar thermal sources, 49

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hydroelectric sources, photovoltaic cells and panels, fuel 50
cells using hydrogen produced by one of the above-named 51
electrical energy sources, and other sources of energy that 52
become available after August 28, 2007, and are certified as 53
renewable by the department; 54
(6) "Retail electric rate", the tariff that the 55
customer would be assigned if the customer were not an 56
eligible customer-generator; 57
(7) "Retail electric supplier" or "supplier", any 58
municipally owned electric utility operating under chapter 59
91, electrical corporation regulated by the commission under 60
this chapter, or rural electric cooperative operating under 61
chapter 394 that provides retail electric service in this 62
state. An electrical corporation that operates under a 63
cooperative business plan as described in subsection 2 of 64
section 393.110 shall be deemed to be a rural electric 65
cooperative for purposes of this section. 66
3. A retail electric supplier shall: 67
(1) Make net metering available to customer-generators 68
on a first-come, first-served basis until the total rated 69
generating capacity of net metering systems equals [five] 70
fifteen percent of the retail electric supplier's single- 71
hour peak load during the previous year, after which the 72
commission for an electrical corporation or the respective 73
governing body of other retail electric suppliers may 74
increase the total rated generating capacity of net metering 75
systems to an amount above [five] fifteen percent. However, 76
in a given calendar year, no retail electric supplier shall 77
be required to approve any application for interconnection 78
if the total rated generating capacity of all applications 79
for interconnection already approved to date by said 80
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