The substation capacity may also be supplying additional load for another network and/or radial load area. See Xcel Energys hosting capacity map for Minnesota below. . For example, Minnesotas community solar program is on track to reach one gigawatt of generation capacity as early as 2022 and ILSR predicts the development of an additional 475 megawatts of residential solar by 2034. Hold Ctrl or Cmd to select multiple editions. Tips & Tools for Lowering Your Energy Bill, Savings for Multifamily Building Managers, Savings for Small-Medium Business Customers. Beyond the pending integration into interconnection, California utilities have additional features on their hosting capacity maps that ILSR believes should be implemented in Minnesota. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. Please turn on JavaScript and try again. As part of changes to Rule 21, the California Public Utilities Commission is requiring utilities to use their Integration Capacity Analysis (equivalent to hosting capacity analysis) as part of the interconnection process. "The hosting capacity map will be stale soon after it's published," he said. Hosting capacity analysis provides an opportunity to accommodate significant potential growth in distributed solar resources and ILSRs solar adoption model forecasts suggest that theres an urgency to action: within five years, distributed solar deployment could push the margins of Xcels hosting capacity. The library zone below is used to load resources. Developer Resources | Ameren Illinois - Ameren Illinois Hold Ctrl or Cmd to select multiple editions. From schools, local government buildings and fire and police stations to offices, medical facilities and more, each facility has a room storing networking equipment or at least a small server stack. Email us at BusinessEE@ComEd.com or PublicSectorEE@ComEd.com. ArcGIS Web Application Each circuit's hosting capacity is determined by evaluating impacts of DER along the three phase distribution mainline. endobj Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy. In summary, there are 5 things we ask of the Commission: Thank you for the opportunity to comment and for taking up this important conversation; we appreciate that there has not been any legislative preemption of this regulatory process. LSRV areas will display a status of "Eligible" on the Hosting Capacity map under "LSRV Area Information.". Your completed pre-application and associated fees (in the form of a check or money order, only; do not send cash) should be sent to the following address: ComEdAttn: Interconnection Services Department2Lincoln Center, 9th FloorOakbrook Terrace, IL 60181Email our Interconnection Team. If you have more to contribute, please comment with a link. For timely updates, followJohn Farrellon Twitter, our energy work onFacebook, or sign up to get theEnergy Democracy weekly update. 2. Whether youre a customer, contractor, or developer, our interactive maps can help you identify potential sites for private generation. Also, the map is taken from data as of a point in time and updated as of the date indicated in the pop-up display on the map, and therefore may not reflect current conditions in a given area. If specific system impact studies are required, and ComEd system modifications are found to be necessary, the study results will include an indicative cost estimate for the system modifications to accommodate the DER. For example, a recent 200 kWac project in Rhode Island learned when the interconnection application was submitted that no additional solar power was on either the local circuit or at the substation. Each section is further subdivided into quarter-sections (1/2 mile X 1/2 mile). Ameren Illinois has created a one-stop shop for Renewable Energy Developers to obtain all of the information they need to begin and complete a project. Only 3 URL's can be saved at a time. This data is being provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for the established interconnection application process. As for load capacity, it is important to understand that load capacity varies hourly throughout the year, depending on demand; if load capacity shows up as zero at one location and time, that doesnt mean that it is zero year-round. Please enable scripts and reload this page. We publish electrical technical handbooks and associated digital magazine advertising supplements. Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. It does not appear on display pages. 742 Pre Emption Road A PG&E spokesperson commented that To date, PG&E has connected more than475,000 solar customers to the electric grid and supports customers with resources before, during and after they go solar.. SDG&Es HCA tool allows users to see hourly changes in load capacity., IRECs recommendations apply to both solar hosting capacity and load hosting capacity. Hosting capacity maps: A gold mine for solar developers PG&Es initial solar hosting capacity map showed lots of red for Monterey, California, and was later corrected to show lots of green, says IREC. In Hawaii, the solar community helped Hawaiian Electricafter the utility cut off interconnection requests for a period of timeto develop a better understanding of hosting capacity on its lines. Geneva, NY Control systems Monitor your operations and set temperature points and fan speeds to optimize savings. New York City Coverage by the Numbers 750,000+ buildings in the city 5 billion square feet of floor space 3 million housing units 30 percent one- and two-family residences Xcel has stated in the HCA report that the Company is committed to make the interconnection process work better. ILSR asks that the Commission hold them to that with specific, time-bound deadlines. California grid data is live - solar developers take note Here are links to several Hosting Capacity Maps intended for solar developers. As the Virginia Clean Economy Act passed last year, Dominion has a similar map now. ComEd service territory covers over 11,000 square miles in northern Illinois including the . Utility National Grid operates in Rhode Island and illustrates local line capacities with its HCA map. Updated grid maps will offer Minnesota developers more detail on 12 of the July 2020 Order, the Commission directed the Company, to the extent practicable, show the actual locations of distribution system lines instead of broad blocks of color on the HCA map. However, printable, mailable forms are available: Ifmailing in your forms,the completed application and associated fees (in the form of a check or money order, only; do not send cash) should be sent to the following address: ComEdAttn: Interconnection Services Department2Lincoln Center, 9th FloorOakbrook Terrace, IL 60181Email our Interconnection Team1-630-576-8158, This document provides guidance and technical standards applicable to Interconnection Customers planning to install and operate a generator interconnected to the ComEd distribution system. 4 0 obj o Customer/Utility information sharing portal w/maps showing DER hosting capacity & locations where EV . But after the utility corrected its hosting capacity analysis, the map showed lots of green, the paper says, indicating lots of room for solarfor example for Monterey, California, shown at right, compared to lots of red in the initial version shown above. As a result, the smaller 200 kWac project was told that the substation was full, and that it would have to share a roughly $650,000 upgrade cost, potentially delaying the project until the upgrades were complete. The three utilities, PG&E, SCE and SDG&E, agreed that the questionable load results warrant investigation and refinement of their methodology, the paper says. Your email address will not be published. Owner signs deal, $2,5000 payment made for PE-stamped one line & interconnection application 3. Roundtable on Solar Energy | Crain's Chicago Business New CRAC units are energy efficient, so youll not only effectively cool your IT closet, youll save on energy and maintenance costs, too. The Company continues to question the Commissions intentions and displays a general lack of urgency in this matter. The next step beyond ensuring accuracy and actionability is automating interconnection applications based on specific map grid circuits and line sections, with click and claim capabilities that link these maps with automated interconnection portals. Why Minnesotas Community Solar Program is the Best, Feds Should Collect Better Data for Fairer Markets and Energy Justice. It does not appear on display pages. Locational System Relief Value, or LSRV, is one component of the Value Stack that makes up compensation for Distributed Energy Resources (DER) under the Value of DER structure (pdf). The Commission then fined the Company one million dollars (about 0.0007 of their annual 2020 revenue). These values are representative of the total amount of DG that is installed on the feeders and networks associated with the area substation. Read the report, and find all of our resources and reporting on chain dollar stores here. Voices of 100%: Youth Propel a Climate Action Plan, Community Solar Collective Gives Member-Owners Pow, 475 megawatts of residential solar by 2034, as a tool for economic stimulus and increased energy justice, comments to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Why Utilities in Minnesota and Other States Need to Plan for More Competition, committed to make the interconnection process work better, approving the November 2, 2020 Petition To Publish Certain Information about Applications in the Interconnection Queue, map that includes criteria violation values, Mainstreaming Electric Homes Episode 178 of Local Energy Rules. The provision of this data would support using hosting capacity analysis in the place of initial review screens for interconnection processing, which the Commission adopted as a long-term goal in the July 2020 order. Its also clear that hosting capacity could play an important role in addressing timeliness in processing the interconnection of distributed energy resources. Synchronous Generation and System Fault Current Limitations. Contact: IMAP@nationalgrid.com The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) respectfully submits the following comments on Xcel Energys 2020 Hosting Capacity Report. We adjust the load shapes to the individual network peak demand and energy send-out forecasts, including the projected DER impacts, such that the forecast includes the impact of load modifiers. Given the proper policies and incentives, like robust hosting capacity analyses, distributed solar development can serve as a tool for economic stimulus and increased energy justice nationwide. Have questions about how to utilize and navigate the platform? Commercial Solar Guy is a commercial solar developer, general contractor, and consultant. A decade ago, resources for scouting viable locations for new distributed energy resources (DER) simply did not exist. Solar developers take on module manufacturing risk. This site uses cookies. You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. This hosting capacity data is provided for informational purposes only and is nota substitute for the established interconnection application process. A complete copy of Part 466 is available on the link provided below. Please turn on JavaScript and try again. The Commissions July 2020 order, in response to Xcel Energys 2019 Hosting Capacity Analysis (HCA) Report, found that improved and additional information will be necessary in future reports and provided the Commissions direction for future HCA reports. In this order, the Commission determined that Xcel should publish the actual locations of distribution system lines because giving customers and developers access to more precise data would allow them to make informed decisions about whether to pursue a project before investing significant time or resources into the planning process. Order Point 12 required Xcel Energy to do so in its 2020 Hosting Capacity Report. Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) When was the last time you replaced your IT closets UPS? Inaccurate results were also found in a different type of hosting capacity map produced by PG&E and two other California utilities, the IREC paper says: maps showing the capacity for added load on a circuit, such as electric vehicles. Interconnection is the process of connecting a distributed generation system to the electric grid. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled. Grid security is a vital issue, but we fear it may serve as an excuse to further delay the interconnection of distributed generation. Prior to connecting, the distributed generation system owner must obtain written approval from the local utility in the form of an Interconnection Service Agreement and subsequent Authorization to Connect. Southern California Edison provides one such example of a more thorough hosting capacity map that includes criteria violation values. Solar hosting capacity is the gold to be found in these utility treasure maps. Con Edison Hosting Capacity Maps | Con Edison Developers can look at the map and predict where they might install a solar garden. The Illinois Commerce Commission established Title 83 Illinois Administrative Code Part 466 (Electric Interconnection of Distributed Generation Facilities) to establish standardized applications and review procedures and agreements for customers wanting to connect generators of equal to or Less than 10 MVA in parallel to a utility's electric distribution system. The IREC paper advises utilities to be pro-active in ensuring the accuracy of the mapsto save time for utility customers siting and designing new solar installations, and also for utility engineers performing interconnection studies. Minnesota is one of seven states that require utilities to conduct hosting capacity analysis and present their results in a map resource. By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment. Here's where these maps live: Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E) Grid Needs Assessment (GNA) maps 216B.2425, subdivision 8, to support the continued development of distributed generation resources.. Additional displays with tabulated data have been included in the form of data pop-up displays to indicate that the hosting capacity may be lower at any given location. As a solar developer and individual cheering for a strong power grid, few pieces of data are as useful as site data sorted by grid demand. Ultimately, a published set of best practices for validating hosting capacity maps is needed, the paper says, so that stakeholders and regulators know if utilities are performing a comprehensive data validation effort.. As of today, that big solar power plant is still pending, but the small one is complete. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Your email address will not be published. ComEd Delivery Customer Class Peak Load Contributions Customer Delivery Classifications Delivery Class Code Network Peak Load Contribution (NSPL) kW Capacity Peak Load Contribution (PLC) kW Capacity Peak Load Contribution (PLC) kW. For these reasons, the installed and queued DG values in the data pop-ups have been included and will be updated on a monthly basis. Applications received by ComEd without payment of the application fee will not be entered into the interconnection process for review by ComEd. We install Massachusetts residential solar via Whaling City Solar. As documented in the Star Tribune, interconnection delays have frustrated Minnesotas solar developers. 1 0 obj More recently, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and the Clean Coalition of California have made large contributions to the maps. However, ILSR feels there are three issues worth addressing in this docket: 1) Xcel slows the adoption of cost-effective distributed generation, 2) Xcel has not fulfilled the requirements outlined in the Public Utility Commissions July 2020 Order, and 3) Xcel could do more to advance toward the ultimate goal: delivering its customers more cost-effective clean energy by integrating hosting capacity analysis with the interconnection process. Each substation and feeder where an interconnection will be made will be identified in the reported data by a unique index number assigned for the purpose of reporting interconnection queue information hereunder, and not by any geographic or operational designation or description. www.tdworld.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. Get information on current projects and opportunities. The IREC paper is titled Validation is critical to making hosting capacity analysis a clean energy game-changer.. In at least five more states, regulators are considering requiring utilities to produce such maps, or to improve the maps they are already publishing, Zakai said: Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. For the Stage 2 displays, each circuit's hosting capacity is determined by evaluating the potential power system criteria violations as a result of large PV solar systems with an AC nameplate rating starting at and gradually increasing from 300 kW interconnecting to three phase distribution lines. Really hope utilities and leaders are thoughtful about more consistent updates to these portals (live data, in an ideal world) to improve results across the board. Without offering an explanation, when the final interconnection for the 200 kW project was approved, the utility assessed no new fees. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled. DER hosting capacity is a function of resistance on any circuit Fact: DER hosting capacity increases w/nominal voltage . Why is Connecting Clean Energy to the Grid So Hard? The Interconnection Queue Report provides the following minimum information for all Distributed Generation (Excluding Level 1 Applications) or Distributed Storage Resource Projects for which a queue position has been assigned: Each substation and feeder where an interconnection will be made is identified in the reported data by a unique index number assigned for the purpose of reporting interconnection queue information and not by any geographic or operational designation or description. Each Township, Section, Quarter-Section, Sixteenth-Section, or circuit is color coded based on its maximum hosting capacity value. The watchword is actionable. If the maps arent actionable (b/c theyre not accurate) they re actually worse than useless. This map does not restrict applications from being submitted for a particular circuit, but rather is a tool to inform applicants on the amount of generation a circuit has the potential to host without the need for significant system upgrades at the customer's cost. Hosting Capacity is an estimate of the amount of DER that may be accommodated under current configurations at the overall circuit level without significant systemupgradesto address adverse impacts to power quality or reliability. But by the time the projects interconnection was returned, a 5 MWac solar project had won approval at the substation. We also offer comprehensive global coverage of the most important solar markets worldwide. . View interconnection queue information for all Distributed Generation or Distributed Storage Resource Projects. The Commission should order Xcel Energy to publish all criteria violations on the HCA map. The following charts, taken from the joint comments of ILSR and partners, illustrate the gulf between Xcels distributed solar forecast and ILSRs adoption model that aligns with distributed solar deployment in several mature markets. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so. In fact, California regulators recently ruled to do just that utilize utility hosting capacity analyses to reduce the complexity of the interconnection process. As outlined in an earlier pv magazine USA article, these still-young hosting capacity maps havent always shown the most accurate information, meaning that solar developers might not have reached out to customers in these regions. The highest capacity locations are seen in dark blue. The Commission should accept Xcel Energys 2020 Hosting Capacity Analysis Report, but set more parameters around its implementation. endobj Error: Please call us at 1-800-752-6633 to complete this request. No matter the size of your IT room, the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program has incentives to keep your critical IT infrastructure running efficiently. Call us at 1-855-433-2700 during normal business hours to speak with a ComEd Energy Efficiency Program representative. Remaining an early indicator of possible locations for interconnection; Replacing or augmenting initial review screens and/or supplemental review in the interconnection process; and/or. However, the developers obligation to take on power grid risk slowed efficient markets from forming. Please note that this analysis was conducted under current configurations, without installed DER, and prior to infrastructure upgrades such as; installing a recloser or remote terminal unit at the Point of Common Coupling, replacing a voltage regulating device or controller to allow for reverse flow, substation-related upgrades including 3V0 protection, or other protection-related upgrades. An application fee is charged for each interconnection application submitted. E999/CI20-800. ComEd has created a hosting capacity map that developers can utilize that will help them locate areas in our service territory where the existing electrical infrastructure may be more cost. The procedures for interconnection are divided into four levels as follows: Generally speaking, DG facilities that are certified by nationally recognized testing laboratories and meet certain standards of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Underwriters' Laboratory, and the National Electrical Code, may qualify for interconnection under an expedited review process provided for in Levels 1 - 3. These network curves shows a representative load profile of the forecasted hourly peak (maximum) loads for 2018, and a representative load profile on light loads (minimum load) for the networks (based on 2017 data). Apply Now. Find a viable business owner interested in solar 2. John Farrell directs the Energy Democracy initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and he develops tools that allow communities to take charge of their energy future, and pursue the maximum economic benefits of the transition to 100% renewable power. The analyses represent the overall feeder level hosting capacity only, and do not account for all factors that could impact interconnection costs (including substation constraints). Share to Facebook. Legal Notice Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy pv magazine 2023, Welcome to pv magazine USA. ComEd anticipates that the Interconnection Queue data will typically be updated monthly. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. The hosting capacity map utilizes the United States Public Land Survey System (US PLSS) to present results. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. The ComEd Energy Efficiency Program is funded in compliance with state law. Here are a few upgrades you can implement to help you get started: Airflow management - Reduce energy use up to 20% by preventing cool supply air from mixing with the hot air released from IT equipment. The library zone below is used to load resources. I was involved in various CPUC regulatory proceedings on these maps and made the same kinds of comments frequently. That meant solar developers had zero access to critical power grid connection information, substation status, and other local solar plant connections. That meant solar developers had zero access to critical power grid connection information, substation status, and other local solar plant connections. The US PLSS is used to subdivide and describe land. Link leads to external site, Tips & Tools for Lowering Your Energy Bill, Savings for Multifamily Building Managers, Savings for Small-Medium Business Customers. Circuit configurations can change for various reasons. Xcel could do more to advance toward the ultimate goal: delivering its customers more cost-effective clean energy by integrating hosting capacity analysis with the interconnection process. This data can be accessed by selecting a feeder or network on the mapping display and advancing to the associated data pane. To similarly incorporate hosting capacity analysis into the Xcel interconnection processs fast track screens would support the development of distributed energy resources in Minnesota by reducing costs and time for project development, and would direct project development to locations with existing grid capacity.