Relating to energy; authorizing the commissioner of administration to extend the term of a guaranteed energy savings agreement; providing an annual appropriation from the renewable development fund to the University of Minnesota initiative for renewable energy and the environment; exempting from the definition of public utility a person who
furnishes consumers with electricity or heat generated from wind or solar
equipment located on the consumer property; requiring the solar energy
production incentive to be included by the public utility commission (PUC) in determining just and reasonable rates; allowing a utility cost recovery
outside a general rate case for transmission costs for facilities not located in Minnesota but determined by the midwest independent systems operator to benefit state consumers; allowing for utility cost recovery outside of a general rate case for replacing and updating natural gas distribution
pipelines and other infrastructure; increasing the maximum capacity of
distributed generation facilities interconnected with a public utility
that are eligible for reimbursement for excess electricity generation under
the net metering provisions; requiring a utility to accommodate a
customer who requests the installation of multiple meters; prohibiting the
commission from limiting the aggregate level of net metering capacity
on a public utility system; requiring the commission to establish a statewide uniform contract for a facility having less than 1,000 kilowatt
capacity; providing for the value of solar rate, defining solar photovoltaic device, specifying applicability, allowing a customer to elect to be compensated for excess electricity purchased by a utility; prohibiting a utility from applying a standby charge to a solar photovoltaic device; requiring the commission to establish a statewide uniform contract
with at least a 20 year term to be used by a utility purchasing energy from a solar photovoltaic device; requiring the commerce department to develop a value of solar rate (VSR) guidance document; requiring utilities to file a VSR tariff with the commission; requiring the owners of solar photovoltaic
devices receiving the VSR to receive their regular electric bill based on their
consumption and are to be credited the VSR for all their electricity production; requiring the commission to review the VSR tariff submitted by utilities, approve or modify it, and issue an order to all electric utilities to begin crediting the VSR to owners of solar photovoltaic, prohibiting the commission from approving a VSR lower than the retail rate of the utility;
defining a community solar generating facility as a solar photovoltaic device with a capacity under two megawatts that sells subscriptions for portions of its generation to subscribers that live within the electric service area of the public utility to which the facility is interconnected; prohibiting the construction of a community solar generating facility until contracts have been executed that represent at least 80 percent of the capacity solar facility; requiring a subscription to be capped at 120 percent of the
annual average electricity consumption at the site; providing for disputes between the facility and the utility be resolved under the mechanism available under the net metering statute; providing for the billing procedure for subscribers and requiring the department of commerce to establish a uniform administrative system to credit the utility accounts of subscribers; requiring the commission to examine whether the rate paid by a utility to a facility should be adjusted to reflect the actual fixed costs of the utility; requiring each public utility generate or procure 40 percent of its retail electricity sales from renewable sources by 2030; requiring the commission to develop a uniform reporting system for utilities analyzing the rate impact
of compliance with the renewable energy standard; establishing a separate solar energy standard for public utilities; specifying that a utility air emissions control project may be approved by the commission to obtain cost recovery outside of a rate case if the facilities on which the controls are to be installed are located outside the state and are needed to comply with federal or state air regulations and the project has received an
advance determination of prudence by the commission; exempting a project from provisions that are satisfied by the requirement that the project receive an advance determination of prudence from the commission; extending the sunset provision; allowing recovery of costs of an emissions reduction project; allowing the commission to allow a rate of
return on an emissions reduction project at a rate determined to be in the public interest; requiring the commissioner of commerce to annually assess utilities $500,000 for a grant to the clean energy resource teams; specifying
that an electric utility has an exclusive right to service customers in its service territory by electric line; authorizing and providing for a made in Minnesota production incentive account; specifying qualification for a made in Minnesota solar energy production incentive; extending the sunset provision; requiring the commissioner of commerce to contract for a study to estimate the space available on public buildings for solar installations; requiring the public utilities commission (PUC) to order all electric utilities
and transmission companies to develop plans for transmission enhancements necessary to support the increase in the renewable energy
standard to 40 percent by 2030; requiring the commissioner of commerce to
contract for a study to analyze the costs and benefits of installing utility
managed energy storage devices in residential and commercial properties and existing barriers to their installation; requiring the commissioner of commerce to contract for a study to analyze the costs and benefits of installing solar thermal devices in residential and commercial properties; regulating the assessment of certificate of need and routing of certain high-voltage transmission lines; providing that if any provision of this act is found to be unconstitutional the remaining provisions are valid; appropriating money from the general fund that was deposited from the commerce department assessment on utilities to the commissioner of commerce to carry out required activities; repealing the provisions relating to the recovery of certain greenhouse gas infrastructure costs
(ra)