Posts Tagged ‘MA’

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:

  1. 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)
  2. 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.

Massachusetts DOER Announces Revised 2018 and Preliminary 2019 SREC Minimum Standards

Posted July 10th, 2018 by SRECTrade.

On July 10, 2018, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced both preliminary 2019 SREC I and SREC II Minimum Standards and a revised version of the original 2018 SREC II Minimum Standard calculation. The 2018 SREC II Minimum Standards were reduced from 2.7802% to 2.6823% for load executed under contract between April 25, 2014 and May 8, 2016 and from 4.1661% to 4.0683% for contracts executed after May 8, 2016.

The DOER estimates a 2019 SREC I Minimum Standard of 1.1189% for load executed under contract prior to June 28, 2013 and, if the auction clears in the first or second round, 1.7809% for load executed under contract on or after June 28, 2013.

The DOER estimates a 2019 SREC II Minimum Standard of 2.3680% for load executed under contract between April 25, 2014 and May 8, 2016, and 3.9697% for load executed under contract on or after May 8, 2016. This also only applies if the auction clears the first or second round.

Details regarding this announcement can be found here. SRECTrade will be assessing the implications of this adjustment and informing our constituents accordingly.

Massachusetts SREC-II Application Timeline

Posted June 27th, 2018 by SRECTrade.

While the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program Effective Date is still to be announced by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), the application timelines for SREC-II have been set.

As a reminder, the SMART Program Effective Date will be the deadline for facilities smaller than or equal to 25 kW DC to be interconnected and facilities larger than 25 kW DC to be mechanically complete. This means that documentation must be dated on or before the Effective Date, but applications can be submitted for some time after.

Facilities larger than 25 kW DC will have two weeks after the SMART Program Effective Date 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 they are received to complete their statement of qualification application.

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

For more information please reference the DOER’s Current Status of the Solar Carve Out II Program page.

Massachusetts Alternative Portfolio Standard (APS) Webinar

Posted March 1st, 2018 by SRECTrade.

SRECTrade, Inc. is pleased to announce that our online application for the Massachusetts Alternative Portfolio Standard (APS) program is now open. We will be hosting a webinar covering the APS program and the SRECTrade on-boarding process on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 2:00pm EST.

This program provides Alternative Energy Credits (AECs) to renewable thermal energy facilities including solar thermal, heat pump, biomass, and biogas technologies. All facilities interconnected after January 1, 2015 are eligible.

To register for the webinar, please click HERE.

For more information on the passage of the APS legislation, please visit our previous blog posts on the topic, “DOER Files Proposed Final APS Regulations” and “DOER Files APS Regulations with Legislature“.

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.

Proposed Amendments to 310 CMR 7.75: Clean Energy Standard

Posted November 9th, 2017 by SRECTrade.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) have proposed amendments to 310 CMR 7.75: Clean Energy Standard. The amendments are intended to achieve greater consistency among all Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) clean energy programs and policies.

The amendments, a background document, and a notice with information about attending a November 27, 2017 public hearing in Boston at 10:00am and submitting written comments, are available on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s website here. Additional information about 310 CMR 7.75, including relevant stakeholder comments, is also available on their website.

The MassDEP published 310 CMR 7.75: Clean Energy Standard as a final regulation to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions. For more information on the promulgation of the MA Global Warming Solutions Act regulations, please visit our recent blog post on the topic here.

DOER Files APS Regulations with Legislature

Posted October 16th, 2017 by SRECTrade.

On October 13, 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed an amended draft regulation with the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. Pursuant to Chapter 251 of the Acts of 2014 and Chapter 188 of the Acts of 2016, the draft regulations add renewable thermal, fuel cells, and waste-to-energy thermal to the Massachusetts Alternative Portfolio Standard (APS). The filing follows two rounds of public hearing and comment periods occurring in the summers of 2016 and 2017. The draft regulation and accompanying guidelines are available on the DOER’s website here.

In response to stakeholder comments, the DOER made several revisions in the filed regulations. A brief summary of these changes is provided here, but the full redlined version is available for review here.

  • Woody Biomass: revised definitions and requirements, including fuel specification and performance requirements
  • Liquid Biofuels: reorganized quarterly caps to be distributed during each year and aligned requirements for Eligible Liquid Biofuels with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
  • Compost Heat Exchange Systems: added compost heat exchange systems as an eligible Renewable Thermal Generation Unit
  • Fuel Cells: revised efficiency threshold and modified eligibility for behind-the-meter, electric only, fuels cells to those interconnected to the Massachusetts electric grid
  • Multipliers for Non-Emitting Technologies: added multiplier for compost heat recovery systems and revised multipliers for intermediate and large, partial air source heat pump systems
  • Combination of Funding Provision: removed the combination of funding provisions and increased the maximum combination of funding percentage from DOER or any other state agency to 80%

In addition to the foregoing, the DOER made several technical edits and clarifications to reconcile language inconsistencies in the regulation and Guidelines. The DOER’s announcement of the filing is available here.

SRECTrade will continue to monitor the progress of the APS regulations and will provide updates as they are made available.

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.

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.

MA Global Warming Solutions Act Regulations Promulgated

Posted August 11th, 2017 by SRECTrade.

On Friday, August 11th, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) published six final regulations to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions in the Massachusetts Register. These regulations follow the Supreme Judicial Court’s May 17, 2016 ruling in Kain v. DEP and Governor Baker’s September 16, 2016 Executive Order No. 569 (“Establishing an Integrated Climate Change Strategy for the Commonwealth”) to help ensure compliance with the 2020 statewide emissions limit established by the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA).

The six regulations and amendments include:

  • 310 CMR 7.72: Reducing Sulfur Hexafluoride Emissions from Gas-Insulated Switchgear (amended)
  • 310 CMR 7.73: Reducing Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Distribution Mains and Services (new)
  • 310 CMR 7.74: Reducing CO2 Emissions from Electricity Generating Facilities (new)
  • 310 CMR 7.75: Clean Energy Standard (new)
  • 310 CMR 60.05: Global Warming Solutions Act Requirements for Transportation (amended)
  • 310 CMR 60.06: CO2 Emission Limits for State Fleet Passenger Vehicles (new)

For more information on these regulations, including Fact Sheets, please visit the MassDEP website on the topic.