San Miguel Power Association, Inc.

Net Metering Service Requirements:

In order to qualify for a net metering rate as a member-generator of SMPA, the following safety and performance requirements are mandatory for interconnection.

Application and Compliance Form: The SMPA interconnection application and compliance form must be completed, returned to SMPA and approved by SMPA.
Maximum Capacity: A customer-generator must have a rated capacity of 10 kW or less for residential installations or 25 kW or less for commercial installations to qualify for Net Metering.
Safety and Performance Standards: SMPA requires that a generating system used by a customer-generator meet all applicable safety and performance standards established by the National Electric Code (NEC), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Underwriters Laboratory (UL), the National Electric Safety Code (NESC) and any other applicable regulations or standards.
Photovoltaic and Inverters: When an inverter is used the customer-generator will use a â€œnon-islandingâ€� inverter that is listed with and in compliance with Underwriters Laboratory (UL) 1741 Standard. Photovoltaic systems must be installed in compliance with IEEE Standard 929-2000 and in compliance with the relevant NEC articles for Solar Photovoltaic Systems. An approved State inspection of the new service and/or PV system is required before SMPA will allow interconnection of the system.
Liability Insurance: The customer-generator shall carry no less than three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) of liability insurance for systems of 10kW or smaller; or $2,000,000 for systems between 11 - 25 kW, in accordance with Colorado Public Utility rules, that provides for coverage of all risk liability for personal injuries (including death) and damage to property arising out of or caused by the customer-generators system. Insurance may be in the form of an existing insurance policy or an endorsement on an existing insurance policy
Interconnection Costs: The Consumer shall reimburse the Association for costs resulting from interconnecting with the customer-generator. The interconnection cost shall include all costs of connection, switching, metering, transmission, distribution, safety provisions and administrative costs incurred by the Association directly related to the installation and maintenance of the physical facilities necessary to permit interconnected operations with the customer generator.
Interconnection is permitted only after all of the requirements of the Association are met, and only after written approval of the Application and Compliance form by the Association. This authorization cannot be issued until all interconnection costs are paid, and does not relieve the Consumer from the responsibility of installing, operating and maintaining the facilities in a responsible and safe manner. If in the opinion of the Association, the Consumer fails to meet the requirements of the Association including subsequent operation of the generating facilities in a non-qualifying manner, the Association will no longer be obligated to operate in parallel and purchase any capacity and energy made available and may notify the Consumer to disconnect the generating facilities from the Association's system. In the event the Consumer fails to immediately comply with a disconnect notice, the Association reserves the right to make such disconnection including the termination of electric service if necessary.
Association Access: Employees and authorized representatives of the Association have the right to enter the Consumer's property at any reasonable time to insure continued compliance with the Association's safety and operating standards and the accuracy of its meters. Such inspection by the Association shall not relieve the Consumer from the responsibility of installing, operating and maintaining the facilities in a responsible and safe manner.
Disconnect Requirements: In order to provide adequate safety to the Association's employees when performing certain operation and maintenance on the Association's system, the following two requirements will be met:

The customer generator shall be designed and operated to automatically disconnect or shut down during scheduled or unscheduled outages to insure that it will not back feed on to any part of the Association's distribution system.
That a means be available to positively disconnect the customer generator from the system such that there is no possibility that the generator could back feed through the service transformer and energize the primary system. This requirement shall be met with a Consumer furnished and installed Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) listed manual disconnect switch which shall be located between the Consumer's customer-generator and the Association's system. The location of the switch shall meet all code requirements and be approved by the Association and shall be housed in an approved enclosure which can be secured with a padlock or locking device.

Emergency Isolation of Qualifying Facility: The Association reserves the right to open the disconnect switch (i.e., isolating the customer-generator) without prior notice for any of the following reasons:

System emergency and/or maintenance operations require such action.
A potentially hazardous condition relating to the customer-generator is discovered.

Normal Isolation of Qualifying Facility: Upon 24 hours notice by the Association, the customer agrees to disconnect the Facility from the Association's system for maintenance, or normal operations.
Single-Phase Limitations: The rated capacity of the customer-generator to be connected in parallel with a low voltage service shall be no greater than 10 kW for single-phase installations unless, in the sole determination of the Association, a larger single-phase installation is acceptable.
Quality of Service: Operation of the customer-generator must not cause any reduction in the quality of service to other consumers nor interfere with the operation of the Association's system. The Consumer shall be responsible for taking whatever corrective action may be required and/or reimbursing the Association for the cost of corrective action which it deems necessary to restore service to prescribed limits.
Electrical Characteristics: The electrical characteristics of the customer-generator shall conform with standards established by the Association. The standards include voltage, current, frequency, harmonics, and automatic synchronization, etc. Wherever possible the Association will base its standards on industry wide standards.
Power Factor: The Consumer shall endeavor to operate the customer-generator as near unity power factor as possible. For customer-generators with rated capacity above 10 kW, the Association reserves the right to require the Consumer to install power factor correction equipment or reimburse the Association for its cost of installing power factor correction equipment.
Metering: The Association will meter the customer-generator to obtain billing data as well as the energy purchased by the Consumer and sold by the Consumer to the Association. The metering installation will be determined by the Association as appropriate for the Net Metering Rate Schedule and the associated Electric Service Rate Schedule. Those costs associated with metering of the customer-generator may be required to be paid by the Consumer.

Download Net Metering Application

Rates Net Metering Schedule NM:

APPLICABILITY: Applicable to all eligible Customer-Generators whose electric service is supplied by the Association and whose Net Metering and Compliance Form is approved by the Association.

AVAILABILITY: Net Metering is available to San Miguel Power customers located within the Association's service territory who own, operate, lease or otherwise control an Eligible Renewable Energy Generation System.

DEFINITIONS: Customer-Generator: A customer of the Association who generates electricity on the customer's side of the meter using eligible energy sources.

Eligible Generation System: An electric generating system which:

has a total aggregate nameplate generating capacity, from a single or multiple generators, of 10 kilowatts (kW) or less for residential installations; or has a total aggregate nameplate generating capacity, from single or multiple generators, of 25 kW or less for commercial installations; and
uses as its energy source solar, wind, biomass, hydropower, geothermal or other qualifying renewable resources; and
is intended primarily to only offset part or all of the Customer-Generator's electric energy requirements at the same location; and
is located on the premises that are owned or leased by the Customer-Generator; and
operates in parallel with the Associations electric distribution system; and
shall not be used to offset or provide credits for electric consumption at another location of the Customer-Generator or for any other customer; and
meets all safety and performance requirements of the Association and applicable regulations and standards.

Net Generation: The measured difference, in kilowatt hours (kWh) between the electricity supplied to a Customer-Generator by the Association and the electricity generated by the Customer-Generator and delivered to the Association at the same point of interconnection that is in excess of the electricity used at the same location.

Net Purchaser: The measured difference, in kilowatt hours (kWh) between the electricity supplied to a Customer-Generator by the Association and the electricity generated by the Customer-Generator and delivered by the Association at the same point of interconnection that is in excess of the electricity produced by the Customer-Generator's system.

RATES AND CHARGES: The rates and charges for retail electric service to Customer-Generators shall be based on the Association's applicable rate tariff for the customer's premises.

In those months where the Customer-Generator is a net purchaser of electric energy from the Association, the Customer-Generator will be billed by the Association based on the net metered kWh usage for the month and the terms of the rate schedule.

In those months where the Customer-Generator is a net generator of electric energy to the Association, a kWh credit balance for the net energy received by the Association will be carried forward to the next month. The Customer-Generator will be billed by the Association for the customer service charge and other applicable charges of the rate schedule but with zero kWh usage for the month.

For purposes of this Net Metering tariff only, the annual period for which net generator and/or net purchaser status shall be determined shall be July 1st to June 30th of the following year.

At the end of the each annual period, the Association shall pay the Customer-Generator for any remaining unused credited kWh balance accumulated during the previous twelve months. The rate for payment shall be the Association's most recent Average Cost of Energy. The Average Cost of Energy shall be calculated annually using the previous 12 month's wholesale power bill. The calculation shall be the total cost of purchased energy only, divided by the total kWh's purchased by the Association.

The Association shall issue a check for any credited kWh balance within 60 days after the end of each annual period.

RULES AND REGULATIONS

Billing: The billing period to be used under this schedule shall be the customary billing period for ordinary residential or other service rate schedules. Meters will be read on the same schedule as other meters falling in the same meter reading cycle.

Metering Equipment: Net metering under this schedule shall be accomplished using a single meter capable of registering the flow of electricity in each direction. If the Association's electrical meter at the Customer-Generator's site is not capable of measuring the flow of electricity in both directions, the Customer-Generator may be responsible for the expense of purchasing and installing an appropriate meter. If that should occur, the meter will remain the property of the Association.

Safety: The design and installation of the Customer-Generator's system shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and shall meet all current and future safety and performance standards established by the Association, the National Electric Code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Underwriters Laboratories, Incorporated and shall be approved by the Association.

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