For inverter based systems above 50 kW up to 300 kW, applicants may follow the expedited application process outlined in this section provided that the inverter based system has been certified and tested in accordance with the most recent revision of UL 1741, including supplement B (“UL 1741 SB”) , with settings as specified in the utility’s technical requirements document , and the utility has approved the project accordingly.
The utility has ten (10) Business Days upon receipt of the original application submittal to determine if the application is complete, project is eligible for the expedited process, and whether it is approved for interconnection if eligible for expedited process. The utility shall notify the applicant in writing of its findings upon review of the application. If the utility determines that the inverter based system is not eligible for the expedited application process, the applicant can:
1) Proceed with the remaining steps of Section I.C of the SIR (Systems above 50 kW up to 5 MW); or
2) request a review by DPS Staff.
For non-inverter based system 50 kW or less, the applicant should be aware that additional information and review time may be required by the utility (refer to Step 3). The applicant must include the items required in Step 5 of the Application Process Steps for Systems above 50 kW up to 5 MW in its original application. This exception should not be considered the rule but used by the utility only in justified situations. Utilities are encouraged to use the expedited process whenever possible. The utility has ten (10) Business Days upon receipt of the original application submittal to determine if the application is complete, project is eligible for expedited process, and whether it is approved for interconnection if eligible for expedited process. The utility shall notify the applicant in writing of its findings upon review of the application. If the utility determines that the non-inverter based system is not eligible for the expedited application process, the applicant can:
1) Proceed with the remaining steps of Section I.C of the SIR (Systems above 50 kW up to 5 MW); or
2) Request a review by DPS Staff.
that are proposed to be installed in underground secondary network areas, the applicant should be aware that additional information and review time may be required by the utility (refer to Step 3). In some cases, interconnection may not be allowed or approved. DG systems interconnected to underground secondary network systems can cause unique design issues and overall reliability problems for the utilities. For this reason, additional review and analysis may be needed on a case by case basis.
The utility has ten (10) Business Days upon receipt of the original application submittal to determine if the application is complete, project is eligible for the expedited process, and whether it is approved for interconnection if eligible for expedited process. The utility shall notify the applicant in writing of its findings upon review of the application. If the utility determines that the DG system cannot be interconnected, the applicant can request a review by DPS Staff.
Communication could range from a general inquiry to a completed application.
Technical staff from the utility may discuss the scope of the interconnection with the potential applicant (either by phone or in person) and provide a copy of the SIR document and any utility specific technical specifications that may apply. A utility representative shall be designated to serve as the single point of contact for the applicant in coordinating the potential applicant’s project with the utility.
The potential applicant submits an application package in the name of the customer1 to the utility. No application fee is required of the applicant for systems 50 kW or less. A complete application package will consist of all items detailed in Appendix F. Electronic submission of all documents via the Interconnection Online Application Portal (“IOAP”) is required. The utility has ten (10) Business Days upon receipt of the original application submittal to determine if the application is complete, meets the SIR technical requirements in Section II, and/or approved for interconnection if all other requirements are met. The utility shall notify the applicant by email, fax, or other form of written communication. If the application is deemed not complete by the utility, the utility shall provide a detailed explanation of the deficiencies identified and a list of the additional information required from the applicant.
1 Per the Community Distributed Generation Program Order (issued July 17, 2015, in Case 15-E-0082), the project sponsor shall submit the interconnection application to the electric utility for approval. The sponsor may be any single entity, including the generation facility developer, an energy service company (ESCO), a municipal entity such as a town or village, a business or not-for-profit corporation, a limited liability company, a partnership, or other form of business or civic association.
Once it has received the required information, the utility shall notify the applicant of the acceptance or rejection of the application within ten (10) Business days. If the applicant fails to submit the additional information to the utility within thirty (30) Business Days following the date of the utility’s written notification, the application shall be removed from the queue and no further action on the part of the utility is required.
The utility’s notification of acceptance to the applicant shall include an executed New York State Standardized Interconnection Contract and the applicant may proceed with the proposed installation. The utility shall also indicate in its response to the applicant whether or not it plans to witness the testing and verification process in person.
An application will be placed in each utility’s interconnection inventory once it is accepted as complete. If the final acceptance as set out in Step 6 below is not completed within twelve (12) months as a result of applicant inactivity, the utility has the right to notify the applicant by U.S. first class mail with delivery receipt confirmation or via email that the applicant’s project will be removed from the utility’s interconnection inventory if the applicant does not respond within thirty (30) Business Days of the issue of such notification and provide a project status update and/or justification as to why the project should remain in the utility’s interconnection inventory for an additional period of time.
With respect to an applicant proposing to install a system rated 25 kW or less, that is to be net- metered, if the utility determines that it is necessary to install a dedicated transformer(s) or other equipment to protect the safety and adequacy of electric service provided to other customers, the applicant shall be informed of its responsibility for the actual costs for installing the dedicated transformer(s) and other safety equipment. Appendix E sets forth the responsibility each applicant shall have with respect to the actual cost of the dedicated transformer(s) and other safety equipment.
The applicant will install the DG system according to the utility accepted design and the equipment manufacturer’s requirements. If there are substantive design variations from the originally accepted system diagram, a revised system diagram (and other drawings for non- inverter based systems) shall be submitted by the applicant for the utility’s review and acceptance. All inverter based systems will be allowed to interconnect to the utility system for a period not to exceed two hours, for the sole purpose of ensuring proper operation of the installed equipment.
For net metered systems as defined in Section II.A.6, Metering, any modifications related to metering configurations to allow for net energy metering for residential, farm service and non-residential wind electric generating systems shall be completed by the utility within ten (10) Business Days of either notification to the utility that the installation has been completed and inspected, or a request for a verification test, whichever comes first. If the utility requires inspection of the new metering configuration installation, such inspection shall be completed within the ten (10) Business Days allotted for the new meter installation.
Verification testing will be performed by the applicant in accordance with the writtenverification test procedure specified in Appendix F. If the utility requested to witness the testing and verification process in person as required in Step 3, the applicant shall provide a written letter of notification to the utility that the system installation is completed, including any applicable inspections and authorization. After receipt of notification, the verification testing will be performed within ten (10) Business Days, at a mutually agreeable time. If the utility has opted not to witness the test, the applicant will send the utility within five (5) Business Days of completion of such tests a written notification certifying that the system has been installed and tested in compliance with the SIR, the utility-accepted design and the equipment manufacturer’s instructions. The applicant’s facility will be allowed to commence parallel operation upon satisfactory completion of the tests in Step 5. The applicant must have complied with, and must continue to comply with, all contractual and technical requirements.
Within five (5) Business Days of receiving the written notification of successful test completion from Step 5, the utility will issue to the applicant a formal letter of acceptance for interconnection.
Within five (5) Business Days of the completion of the on-site verification, the utility will issue to the applicant either a formal letter of acceptance for interconnection or a detailed explanation of the deficiencies in the system.