Posts Tagged ‘DOER’

Massachusetts DOER Announces Final 2020 SREC Minimum Standards

Posted September 16th, 2019 by SRECTrade.

On Friday, August 30th, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced the final 2020 SREC-I and SREC-II Compliance Obligations and Minimum Standards. This announcement follows the results of the SREC-I and SREC-II Solar Credit Clearinghouse Auctions. The final announcement differs only slightly from the preliminary announcement in July.

Solar Carve-out (SREC-I)

The DOER has determined that the Final 2020 Compliance Obligation for the SREC-I program will be 748,584 MWh and that the Minimum Standard will be 1.6116%. The 2020 Minimum Standard for load under contracts signed before June 28, 2013 will be 0.9867%. The Determination of the CY 2020 Total Compliance Obligation and Minimum Standard, published by the DOER, outlines how this Minimum Standard was calculated. Both Minimum Standards are slightly lower than their preliminary counterparts, as a result of the updated Solar PV Capacity Factor used to estimate production.

Solar Carve-out II (SREC-II)

The DOER has also calculated the Final 2020 Compliance Obligation and Minimum Standard for the SREC-II program, which are 1,023,737 MWh and 2.2040%, respectively.

In addition, the DOER calculated the 2020 SREC-II Compliance Obligation and Minimum Standard for load under contracts signed after May 8, 2016 as 1,765,527 MWh and 3.8011%, respectively. The final SREC-II baseline Compliance Obligation and Minimum Standard are slightly lower than their preliminary counterparts, primarily due to two reasons:

A reduction in the average capacity factor applied to estimated generation from 13.35% to 13.08% (using nine years of Massachusetts Production Tracking System production data)
An improvement to the SREC-II production estimation formula to account for the loss of partial MWhs left over after a reporting period, since these partial MWhs do not result in the creation of partial SREC-IIs

Tags: Compliance Obligations, Department of Energy Resources, DOER, MA, Minimum Standards
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MA SREC-II Application Deadlines and MA SMART Program Application Opens

Posted November 26th, 2018 by SRECTrade.

November 30, 2018 Update: Due to this email from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) on October 12, 2018, SRECTrade had been operating under the premise that facilities larger than 25 kW DC could submit their SQA and mechanically complete documentation “by no later than December 10, 2018”. It has been brought to our attention that the mechanically complete extension applications for facilities larger than 25 kW DC had to have submitted an SQA application by November 26, 2018.

The December 10th deadline is for the mechanically complete document to be added to the existing SQA.

SRECTrade recommends that all affected facilities submit their SMART Initial Application Period applications by 11:59pm ET tonight, November 30th.

Today, November 26th, at 12:00pm ET, the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program application portal opens to begin accepting Statement of Qualification Applications. Solar Tariff Generation Units (STGUs) can then apply during the Initial Application Period, which will last until 11:59pm ET on November 30, 2018.

All applications received between 12:00pm ET on November 26th and 11:59pm ET on November 30th will be considered to have been received at the same time for the Capacity Block placement queue. All applications received on or after 12:00am ET on December 1, 2018 will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

On October 24, 2018, CLEAResult (the SMART Program Administrator), the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), and the stakeholder electric distribution companies hosted a webinar providing a demonstration of the SMART Program application portal and instructions on how to submit an application. A recording of the webinar is available here.

Please note that today, November 26th, is a significant deadline for all projects seeking SREC-II qualification. Today is the deadline for projects larger than 25 kW DC to achieve mechanical completion and the deadline for projects smaller than or equal to 25 kW DC to receive Permission to Operate (PTO). Projects larger than 25 kW DC have until December 10, 2018 to submit their Statement of Qualification application demonstrating mechanical completion by November 26th. Projects smaller than or equal to 25 kW DC have until February 15, 2019 to submit their Statement of Qualification application. For more information regarding SREC-II qualification and application deadlines, please visit our previous blog post here.

Tags: Department of Energy Resources, DOER, MA, Massachusetts, SMART
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Massachusetts DOER Announces SMART Program Effective Date

Posted October 12th, 2018 by SRECTrade.

The December 10th deadline is for the mechanically complete document to be added to the existing SQA.

SRECTrade recommends that all affected facilities submit their SMART Initial Application Period applications by 11:59pm ET tonight, November 30th.

On Friday, October 12th, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced that the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program effective date is November 26, 2018. November 26th is now the deadline for facilities larger than 25 kW DC to become mechanically complete and for facilities smaller than or equal to 25 kW DC to receive their Permission to Operate (PTO). On November 26th, at 12:00pm ET, the SMART Statement of Qualification application portal will open to begin accepting Statement of Qualification Applications for prospective Solar Tariff Generation Units (“STGU”) seeking to qualify under SMART.

Facilities larger than 25 kW DC will have until December 10, 2018 to submit their documentation demonstrating mechanical completion. Once granted, mechanically complete extensions are indefinite; facilities should simply submit their Permission to Operate (PTO) documents once received to complete their statement of qualification application. As a reminder, facilities can demonstrate mechanical completion by submitting one of the following documents:

Certificate of Completion
Proof that a wiring inspection has been scheduled by a date shortly after November 26, 2018
Affidavit signed by engineer of record stating that project is “mechanically complete”
Other documentation deemed satisfactory by DOER

Facilities smaller than or equal to 25 kW DC will have until February 15, 2019 to submit an application demonstrating authorization to interconnect. In other words, the PTO must be dated on or before November 26, 2018, but the DOER application can be submitted up through February 15, 2019.

Please note that SRECTrade typically asks for complete applications to be received five (5) business days in advance in order to guarantee submission by the DOER deadline.

Tags: DOER, Effective Date, MA, Massachusetts, SMART, SREC II
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Massachusetts DOER Announces Final 2019 SREC Minimum Standards

Posted August 31st, 2018 by SRECTrade.

Update: On Wednesday, September 5th, the MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER) made some small corrections to the previously announced final 2019 Solar Carve-out (SREC-I) and Solar Carve-out II (SREC-II) Compliance Obligations and Minimum Standards. The corrections were made to also include a small number of SRECs that the DOER approved to be transferred into the SREC-I and SREC-II auction accounts between the DOER’s preliminary minimum standard announcement in July and its final minimum standard announcement in August. The original post has been edited to reflect the corrections.

On Thursday, August 30th, the DOER announced the final 2019 SREC-I and SREC-II Compliance Obligations and Minimum Standards. This announcement follows the results of the SREC-I and SREC-II Solar Credit Clearinghouse Auctions. The final announcement differs only slightly from the preliminary announcement in July.

Solar Carve-out (SREC-I)

The DOER has determined that the 2019 Compliance Obligation for the SREC-I program will be 797,674 MWh and that the Minimum Standard will be 1.7446%. The 2019 Minimum Standard for load under contracts signed before June 28, 2013 will be 1.0967%. The Determination of the CY 2019 Total Compliance Obligation and Minimum Standard, published by the DOER, outlines how this Minimum Standard was calculated.

Solar Carve-out II (SREC-II)

The DOER has also calculated the 2019 Compliance Obligation and Minimum Standard for the SREC-II program, which are 1,060,524 MWh and 2.3195%, respectively.

In addition, the DOER calculated the 2019 SREC-II Compliance Obligation and Minimum Standard for load under contracts signed after May 8, 2016 as 1,789,567 MWh and 3.9139%, respectively. The final SREC-II baseline Compliance Obligation and Minimum Standard are slightly lower than their preliminary counterparts, primarily due to two reasons:

A reduction in the average capacity factor applied to estimated generation from 13.64% to 13.35% (using eight years of Massachusetts Production Tracking System production data)
An improvement to the SREC-II production estimation formula to account for the loss of partial MWhs left over after a reporting period, since these partial MWhs do not result in the creation of partial SREC-IIs

The adjustment to the SREC-II production estimation formula decreased the projected number of SREC-IIs to be generated by over 36,000 MWh.

Tags: Compliance Obligation, Department of Energy Resources, DOER, MA, Massachusetts, minimum standard
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DOER Files Proposed Final APS Regulations

Posted December 19th, 2017 by SRECTrade.

On December 15th, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed its proposed final version of the 225 CMR 16.00 Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (APS) regulation with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office. The official regulation is slated for publication in the State Registrar on December 29, 2017.

The filed version matches the version filed with the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy on November 15, 2017. The final unofficial version of the regulation, as filed with the Secretary, is available here.

In addition to the regulations, the DOER provided the following final Guidelines, which will be effective on December 29, 2017:

Guideline on Metering and Calculations – Part 1 (Formulas for Small and Intermediate Generation Units)
Guideline on Metering and Calculations – Part 2 (Metering for Intermediate and Large Generation Units)
Guideline on Metering and Calculations for Fuel Cell Generation Units
Guideline on Biomass, Biogas, and Biofuels for Renewable Thermal Generation Units
Guideline on Multipliers for Renewable Thermal Generation Units
Massachusetts Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Biomass Reporting Procedures
Guideline on Reduction of Greenhouse Gases for Eligible Renewable Thermal Generation Units Using Eligible Woody Biomass

These guidelines are available on the DOER’s website here.

The DOER expects to release its new online APS Statement of Qualification Application for Renewable Thermal and Fuel Cell Generation Units by mid-January. SRECTrade will provide more information to interested stakeholders as it is made available by the DOER. Please visit our blog for continued updates.

The DOER’s announcement can be viewed here.

Tags: Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, DOER, MA APS, MA DOER, Massachusetts
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DOER Announces SMART Program Administrator & 100 MW RFP // SREC-II Deadline on March 31, 2018

Posted November 14th, 2017 by SRECTrade.

On November 13, 2017 the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced that CLEAResult, Inc. will be the Solar Program Administrator for Massachusetts’s SMART Program.

The Distribution Companies have developed a request for proposals (RFP) for approximately 100 MW of solar projects in their respective utility service territories. The Distribution Companies will be hosting a bidder’s conference on Friday, November 17, 2017 at 1:00 PM EST to provide additional information and answer questions. Written comments on the RFP will be accepted through November 20, 2017 at 12:00 PM EST and should be submitted to ma.smart@clearesult.com. Bidders can submit an application on CLEAResult’s application website from November 27, 2017 – December 5, 2017 at 5:00 PM EST. Results will be announced by the DOER by January 11, 2018. These results will establish the Block 1 Base Compensation Rates under the SMART Program.

The full announcement by the DOER can be found here.

As a reminder, systems must be mechanically complete or commercially operational by March 31, 2018 in order to participate in SREC-II under the current SREC Factors. Factors will be further reduced after this date but will remain at 0.8 for systems less than or equal to 25 kW.

Tags: DOER, MA, SMART, SREC II
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Final SMART Program Regulation Promulgated

Posted August 25th, 2017 by SRECTrade.

On Friday, August 25th, 225 CMR 20.00 Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program was promulgated in the State Register. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) posted the final version filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office to their website. The DOER announced that the final, promulgated version will be made available as soon as possible.

Following the promulgation of this regulation, the DOER anticipates that the electric distribution companies will jointly file a model tariff at the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), which will initiate a fully adjudicated proceeding at the DPU.

For more information on the final version of the SMART Program regulation, please visit our previous blog post on the topic here.

Tags: DOER, MA, Massachusetts, SMART
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MA DOER Files Proposed Final Version of SMART Program Regulation

Posted August 11th, 2017 by SRECTrade.

On Friday, August 11th, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced that it has filed its proposed final version of the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program regulation 225 CMR 20.00 with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office. The DOER anticipates the final version will be published in the State Register on August 25, 2017, “with minimal to no changes”. The final but unofficial version of the regulation can be found on the DOER’s “Development of the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program” website here.

100 MW Procurement

Following comments regarding the initial 100 MW Procurement, which will be used to establish Base Compensation Rates for all participating SMART Solar Tariff Generation Units, the following changes were made to program design:

Each Distribution Company will issue one procurement for all projects sized 1 – 5 MW
All facilities in the procurement will be subject to a Ceiling Price of $0.17/kWh ($170.00/MWh)
Procurement results will establish unique Base Compensation Rates for the first Capacity Block of each individual Distribution Company, rather than establishing a single statewide Base Compensation Rate
The Base Compensation Rate for the first Capacity Block will equal the mean bid price received in each Distribution Company’s service territory

Compensation Rate Adder Caps and Rate of Decline

In its regulation filed on June 5, 2017, the DOER implemented an adder cap of 320 MW for each individual Compensation Rate Adder in an effort to “place boundaries around overall program costs”. In response to comments regarding these adder caps, the following changes were made:

Adder caps are eliminated
Each Compensation Rate Adder will decline by 4% for every capacity tranche established, and the Adder will not decline as Capacity Blocks are filled. The first capacity tranche for each Adder will equal 80 MW, with future segment sizes established by the DOER as they are filled

Project Segmentation

Following comments regarding the rules set forth by the DOER around parcel limits and project segmentation, the following modifications were made:

Added Canopy Solar Tariff Generation Units to allowable exceptions to rules, allowing canopies to be sited on same parcel as a Building Mounted Solar Tariff Generation Unit
Allow Solar Tariff Generation Units to be sited on adjacent parcels if owners can demonstrate to the DOER’s satisfaction that they are unaffiliated parties
Allow Solar Tariff Generation Units to span multiple parcels if located behind a single interconnection point, single meter, with a nameplate capacity of 5 MW or less
Added language to exempt projects from project segmentation rules if the applicant can demonstrate that necessary qualification documents were obtained by June 5, 2017
Added language that allows the DOER to exempt projects from project segmentation rules for good cause on a case by case basis

These project segmentation rules were initially established to prevent Solar Tariff Generation Units from manipulating program rules for their own financial benefit.

Land Use and Performance Standards

The DOER has also set forth rules to ensure that land use is considered when siting projects through the differentiation of incentive levels based on project location. In response to comments regarding these rules, the following changes were made:

Removed certain special provisions for Agricultural Solar Tariff Generation Units from the regulation; instead, these provisions are detailed in a separate Guideline
Added definition and special provisions for Floating Solar Tariff Generation Units, with an associated $0.03/kWh Compensation Rate Adder
Added language to exempt projects from being subjected to Greenfield Subcontractors if the applicant can demonstrate that necessary qualification documents were obtained by June 5, 2017
Classified all land that had been previously categorized as Category 1 Land Use, regardless of zoning
Clarified aspects of the performance standards requirements

Other

In response to other comments received by stakeholders, the DOER also instituted the following changes:

Modified definitions of Community Shared Solar Tariff Generation Unit, Low Income Community Shared Solar Tariff Generation Unit, and Low Income Property Solar Tariff Generation Unit to clarify that Units will qualify as such if taking advantage of the alternative on-bill credit
Established a 35% per Capacity Block limit on the quantity of facilities with a nameplate capacity of less than or equal to 25 kW
Added language prohibiting capacity expansions, with specific exceptions
Provided further clarity regarding customer disclosure forms and added requirements regarding forms to special provisions for Community Shared Solar Tariff Generation Units and Low Income Community Shared Solar Tariff Generation Units
Modified timing of initial competitive procurement
Modified formula for calculating the incentive payments for Behind-the-Meter Solar Tariff Generation Units to be the sum of the three-year average of Basic Service Charges, in addition to current Distribution, Transmission, and Transition charges
Other technical updates and clarifying modifications

The DOER will notify stakeholders when the regulations have been published in the State Register in final official form.

Tags: DOER, MA, SMART
Posted in Massachusetts, SREC Markets | Comments Off on MA DOER Files Proposed Final Version of SMART Program Regulation

Massachusetts Solar Credit Clearinghouse Auction Announcement – Summer 2017

Posted June 21st, 2017 by SRECTrade.

On June 16th, the DOER formally announced that they would conduct Solar Credit Clearinghouse Auctions (SCCA) for both the SREC-I and SREC-II programs.

EnerNOC Inc. posted the Auction Notice and Qualification Application for this year’s SCCA to the Auction Announcement Website. The SCCA is a market mechanism that allows for any leftover SREC supply from the previous compliance year to be sold to buyers. In years of oversupply, the DOER will consider the total volume of SRECs submitted to the SCCA, as well as the success of the auction in clearing those volumes, in their decision to increase the RPS demand for future compliance years. Since there will be a SCCA for compliance year 2016, we know that the 2018 obligation will be adjusted higher.

Price

This year’s fixed price for buyers is set at $300 for both SREC-I and SREC-II. After the DOER administration fee, sellers will receive a net amount of $285 per SREC. Beginning next year, the SREC II SCCA price will begin to decrease while the SREC I price will remain at $300.

Volume

The volumes of certificates available for purchase through each auction are as follows:
MA16 SREC I: 14,405 certificates
MA16 SREC II: 234,057 certificates

Tiers

The auction will consist of two tiers:

The first tier (Tier I) includes all natural compliance buyers. Up to 50% of the total auction volume will be reserved for Tier I bidders. If demand exceeds the 50% benchmark, awards will be made on a pro-rata basis. If there is insufficient demand from Tier I bidders, the remaining SRECs will be made available to Tier II bidders.

The second tier (Tier II) of bidders include all other entities, including Tier I entities with unfulfilled bids from Tier I. After Tier I awards have been given, the remaining SRECs will be allocated to Tier II bidders on a pro-rata basis.

Key Dates & Bidder Webinar Registration

Wednesday, June 21, 2017 – Bidder webinar to review auction process and the Qualification Application
- To register for the webinar please follow this link
Wednesday June 28, 2017 – Bidder Qualification Application due
Monday, July 24, 2017 – First auction takes place

We will keep you posted with any new updates ahead of the auction, and the results of the auction as soon as they are made publicly available. Feel free to reach out to your coverage on the SRECTrade brokerage desk to discuss any questions you may have about the upcoming auction.

Disclaimer. This document, data, and/or any of its components (collectively, the “Materials”) are for informational purposes only. The Materials are not intended as investment, tax, legal, or financial advice, or as an offer or solicitation for the purpose or sale of any financial instrument. SRECTrade, Inc. does not warranty or guarantee the market data or other information included herein, as to its completeness, accuracy, or fitness for a particular purpose, express or implied, and such market data and information are subject to change without notice. Past performance should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of future performance, and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made regarding future performance. Any comments or statements made herein do not necessarily reflect those of SRECTrade, Inc. SRECTrade, Inc. may have issued, and may in the future issue, other communications, data, or reports that are inconsistent with, and reach different conclusions from, the information presented herein.

Copyright. This document is protected by copyright laws and contains material proprietary to SRECTrade, Inc. This document, data, and/or any of its components (collectively, the “Materials”) may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, transmitted, displayed, broadcasted or otherwise disseminated or exploited in any manner without the express prior written permission of SRECTrade, Inc. The receipt or possession of the Materials does not convey any rights to reproduce, disclose, or distribute its contents, or to manufacture, use, or sell anything that it may describe, in whole or in part. If consent to use the Materials is granted, reference and sourcing must be attributed to the Materials and to SRECTrade, Inc. If you have questions about the use or reproduction of the Materials, please contact SRECTrade, Inc.

Tags: DOER, Massachusetts, SCCA
Posted in Massachusetts, SREC Markets | Comments Off on Massachusetts Solar Credit Clearinghouse Auction Announcement – Summer 2017

Massachusetts SREC-II Update – January 2017

Posted January 23rd, 2017 by SRECTrade.

Over the last month the market received both a new list of SREC-II qualified projects as well as more precise information on Q3 SREC generation. As such, we have updated our capacity models to reflect the new information.

Please find our updated capacity presentation here.

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) recently published their periodic update on registered SREC-II capacity on December 12, 2016, and Q3 2016 SRECs were issued on January 15th, 2017. These data points provide more precise information around the current build rates and the exact amount of SRECs currently available for sale, but the data simply confirms the widely known fact that MA16 SREC-II is indeed heavily oversupplied.

Given an oversupply from 2015 of 66,372 SRECs, plus the 441,890 SRECs issued in Q1, Q2 and Q3 of 2016 (Q3 generation was 190,526), we are left with a total of 508,262 SRECs already created. That alone leaved the market 49% over the exempt-load obligation for 2016. Using the trailing twelve month average for new capacity added per month, we add another 143,887 SRECs as an estimate of Q4 production to bring us to a grand total of 652,149 SRECs created in 2016. This represents a 312,069 SREC oversupply, or approximately 92% of the 2016 compliance obligation.

ma16-srec-ii-sd

We expect the DOER to publish an updated qualified project list in the near future. Additionally, we expect more information in the coming weeks on the status of the SREC-II extension program. As either of those updates come available we will be sure to pass on all relevant information. As always, feel free to reach out to your SRECTrade sales coverage for any questions or comments.

Disclaimer. This document, data, and/or any of its components (collectively, the “Materials”) are for informational purposes only. The Materials are not intended as investment, tax, legal, or financial advice, or as an offer or solicitation for the purpose or sale of any financial instrument. SRECTrade, Inc. does not warranty or guarantee the market data or other information included herein, as to its completeness, accuracy, or fitness for a particular purpose, express or implied, and such market data and information are subject to change without notice. Past performance should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of future performance, and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made regarding future performance. Any comments or statements made herein do not necessarily reflect those of SRECTrade, Inc. SRECTrade, Inc. may have issued, and may in the future issue, other communications, data, or reports that are inconsistent with, and reach different conclusions from, the information presented herein.

Copyright. This document is protected by copyright laws and contains material proprietary to SRECTrade, Inc. This document, data, and/or any of its components (collectively, the “Materials”) may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, transmitted, displayed, broadcasted or otherwise disseminated or exploited in any manner without the express prior written permission of SRECTrade, Inc. The receipt or possession of the Materials does not convey any rights to reproduce, disclose, or distribute its contents, or to manufacture, use, or sell anything that it may describe, in whole or in part. If consent to use the Materials is granted, reference and sourcing must be attributed to the Materials and to SRECTrade, Inc. If you have questions about the use or reproduction of the Materials, please contact SRECTrade, Inc.

Tags: Capacity Update, DOER, Massachusetts
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