HF 3843

1st Engrossment - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to energy; requiring certain amount of solar-produced energy under
renewable energy standard; amending Minnesota Statutes 2007 Supplement,
section 216B.1691, subdivision 2a.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2007 Supplement, section 216B.1691, subdivision 2a,
is amended to read:

Subd. 2a.

Eligible energy technology standard.

(a) Except as provided in
paragraph (b), each electric utility shall generate or procure sufficient electricity generated
by an eligible energy technology to provide its retail customers in Minnesota, or the
retail customers of a distribution utility to which the electric utility provides wholesale
electric service, so that at least the following standard percentages of the electric utility's
total retail electric sales to retail customers in Minnesota are generated by eligible energy
technologies by the end of the year indicated:

(1)	2012	12 percent
(2)	2016	17 percent
(3)	2020	20 percent
(4)	2025	25 percent.

(b) An electric utility that owned a nuclear generating facility as of January 1, 2007,
must meet the requirements of this paragraph rather than paragraph (a). An electric utility
subject to this paragraph must generate or procure sufficient electricity generated by
an eligible energy technology to provide its retail customers in Minnesota or the retail
customer of a distribution utility to which the electric utility provides wholesale electric
service so that at least the following percentages of the electric utility's total retail electric
sales to retail customers in Minnesota are generated by eligible energy technologies by the
end of the year indicated:

(1)	2010	15 percent
(2)	2012	18 percent
(3)	2016	25 percent
(4)	2020	30 percent.

Of the 30 percent in 2020, at least 25 percent must be generated by wind energy conversion
systems and the remaining five percent by other eligible energy technology.

new text begin (c) By the end of the year 2012, at least 0.0125 percent of the electricity required by
paragraphs (a) and (b) to be generated by each electric utility must be generated by solar
energy. At least 60 percent of the required solar energy electric generation by each utility
must be distributed solar generated at a customer's site with customer-owned facilities.
For the purposes of this paragraph, "distributed solar" means solar electric equipment that
meets the requirements of section 216C.25 with a total peak generating capacity of 100
kilowatts or less used for generating electricity primarily for use in a residential property
or small business, as defined by section 645.445, to reduce the effective electric load
for that residence or business. An electric utility that generates less than 60 percent of
its required solar energy electric generation with customer-owned distributed solar must
demonstrate that reasonable efforts were made to achieve sufficient customer participation
in a timely manner.
new text end