Distributed Generation Interconnection End of Year Interconnection Utility
Distributed Generation Interconnection End of Year Interconnection Utility Concerns
Distributed Generation Interconnection NATIONAL GRID 3 -YEAR INTERCONNECTIONS BY MONTH National Grid 2
Distributed Generation Interconnection NATIONAL GRID FORECASTED 2021 INTERCONNECTIONS BY MONTH (PROJECTS WITH 100% PAYMENT) Sum of Total Generator k. WAC 142 122 MW 94 79 55 65 50 28 16 Jan Feb Mar Apr May 1 23 24 10 4 National Grid 78 This is current report of interconnection dates as of 2/3/21. It is anticipated that many of these dates will slip to later in the year or 2022. Jun Jul 36 6 No of Projects Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 20 23 18 15 28 3
Distributed Generation Interconnection END OF YEAR INTERCONNECTION UTILITY CONCERNS Ø For the past several years, projects looking for calendar year interconnection slide into the end of December. This leads to several issues, including weather conflicts, resourcing concerns, and pressure on utilities to compress standard timelines and work outside processes. National Grid 4
Distributed Generation Interconnection END OF YEAR INTERCONNECTION UTILITY CONCERNS Ø A root cause of many of the projects that push to the end of the calendar year is missing milestones earlier in the process, such as access road construction, adequate submittals to the utility before and after site visits, or failing field audits. Ø Another root cause is incentives and financing linked to end of calendar year construction, putting pressure on developers to interconnect and utilities to accommodate. National Grid 5
Distributed Generation Interconnection END OF YEAR INTERCONNECTION UTILITY CONCERNS Ø Uncooperative Weather- in 2019, National Grid crews worked storm duty the last two days of the year, and the Company was unable to break off crews for switching, energizing, etc. December 2020 also had weather impacts requiring engineering, customer, and operations resources. Ø Utilities allocate resources to accommodate projects that may only interconnect under “best case scenario”. Ø Rushed projects lead to multiple site visits for the Field Verification and Witness Test. Ø Subcontracting creates scenarios where developers assure construction milestones are met, but when utility goes on site visit, field folks are not aware of the commitments being made for the project. Ø Utility processes require information 2 weeks in advance of witness test to build EMS for tagging purposes and setting up the database for RTUs, etc. Ø Utilities balancing other capital work, including other customer work for new load customers, and reliability/resiliency work for existing customers. National Grid 6
Distributed Generation Interconnection PTO REQUIREMENTS AND TIMELINE Ø To Schedule a Field Verification: 1. Stamped and accepted final construction package, PE Certified Letter, and AHJ Inspection (20 BD prior to the field audit) Ø To Schedule a Witness Test: (Schedule within 10 BD after Final Taps are made) 1. Accepted Field Verification/ Engineering Inspection 2. Accepted Sequence of Operations (SOO), Energization Plan (EP), Testing and Commissioning Plan (TCP), Maintenance Plan Ø For Permission to Operate to be Issued: 1. Completed Witness Test along with any necessary self-certifications 2. As left settings for relays National Grid 7
Distributed Generation Interconnection PROPOSAL Ø To meet the timelines in the previous slide, all projects seeking 2021 interconnection must meet the requirements to schedule a field audit (final construction package, PE Certified Letter, and AHJ Inspection) no later than the first half of November Ø To guarantee resource availability, developers should plan their interconnections earlier, to avoid the December peak National Grid 8
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