{"id":170,"date":"2013-01-25T12:15:47","date_gmt":"2013-01-25T17:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/ga-sb-51-the-the-georgia-cogeneration-and-distributed-generation-act.html"},"modified":"2013-01-25T12:15:47","modified_gmt":"2013-01-25T17:15:47","slug":"ga-sb-51-the-the-georgia-cogeneration-and-distributed-generation-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/ga-sb-51-the-the-georgia-cogeneration-and-distributed-generation-act.html","title":{"rendered":"GA SB 51, The Georgia Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\n<\/a>\n\nGeorgia Senator Buddy Carter<\/a> has introduced a Senate bill for the current\nsession of the legislature,\n\nSB 51,\n“The Georgia Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act of 2001”.<\/a>\nIt attempts to fix\nGeorgia’s special solar financing problem,<\/a>\nthe antique 1973 Territorial Electric Service Act.\n<\/p>\n

\nWhy 2001?\nApparently Buddy Carter has been introducing it every year since then.\nLast year\n\nGeorgia Power’s disinformation campaign<\/a>\nnuked it when it was\n\nSB 401.<\/a>\nHas the legislature gotten tired of Georgia Power and its parent the Southern\nCompany being \nway late and overbudget on those new nukes?<\/a>\nDoes the legislature want Georgia citizens to get the savings and job\nbenefits of\n\nthe fastest growing energy source in the country?<\/a>\nWill \nGaSU help<\/a> with SB 51, or only with GaSU’s attempt to become a solar\nmonopoly utility?\nYou can contact your legislators and tell them what you think.\nEvery one of them who\n\nvoted for Georgia Power’s stealth-tax rate hike for that nuke boondoggle<\/a>\nshould vote for SB 51 to start getting Georgia on a clean path to jobs\nand energy independence.\n<\/p>\n

\nThis bill is not perfect:\nit counts\n\n“generator fueled by biomass”<\/a>\nas\n\n\nrenewable energy in addition to solar and wind (and fuel cell,\nmunicipal solid waste, landfill gas, and hydropower).\nHowever, it strikes utility monopolies on both\n‘Customer generator’<\/a>\nand\n‘Distributed generation facility’<\/a>.\nIt gets rid of the current ridiculous restriction of\n\n“Has a peak generating capacity of not more than 10kw for a residential application\nand 100kw for a commercial application”<\/a>.\nThe typography seems inaccurate, but it appears to strike completely\nIs located on the customer’s premises<\/a>:\nif so, that’s a big win.\nIf trees shade your house or business, you can put your solar panels\nsome place else and still qualify as a customer generator.\nHowever, it leaves in\nIs intended primarily to offset part or all of the customer generator’s\nrequirements for electricity,<\/a>\nso you can’t set up like GaSU wants to without a further modification.\n<\/p>\n

\nSB 51\nchanges<\/a> “the commercially reasonable” to “a commercially\nreasonable” rate for utility chartes to the customer for metering services,\nand forbids charging for<\/a>:\n<\/p>\n

\nany standby, capacity, interconnection, or other fee or\ncharge, other than a monthly service charge, unless agreed to by the customer generator\nor approved by the commission, in the case of an electric utility, or the appropriate\ngoverning body, in the case of any other electric service provider or electric supplier;\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nWell, that’s a barn door for exceptions, but at least it’s an improvement.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe\n\nfull text of the current version of SB 51<\/a>\nis appended below in web-readable form.\n<\/p>\n

\n-jsq\n<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n
13<\/td>\nLC 36 2234<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nSenate Bill 51\n
\nBy: Senator Carter of the 1st\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED\n
\nAN ACT<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n1 To amend Article 1 of Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,\n
\n2 relating to generation and distribution of electricity generally, so as to change certain\n
\n3 provisions relating to “The Georgia Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act of 2001”;\n
\n4 to provide for declaration of policy; to provide for definitions; to provide for the financing\n
\n5 of distributed generation through leases, power purchase agreements, and other financing\n
\n6 mechanisms; to change certain provisions relating to rates and fees of electric service\n
\n7 providers; to change certain provisions relating to the purchase of energy from customer\n
\n8 generators; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.\n
\n9\n

\nBE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:\n<\/h2>\n
\n10\n

\nSECTION 1.\n<\/h3>\n11 Article 1 of Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to\n
\n12 generation and distribution of electricity generally, is amended by revising Code\n
\n13 Section 46-3-51, relating to legislative findings and declaration of policy, as follows:\n
\n14 “46-3-51.\n
\n15 (a) The legislature finds that it is in the public interest to:\n
\n16 (1) Encourage private investment in renewable energy resources;\n
\n17 (2) Stimulate the economic growth of Georgia; and\n
\n18 (3) Enhance the continued diversification of the energy resources used in Georgia.\n
\n19 (b) The General Assembly further finds and declares that a program to provide distributed\n
\n20 generation for eligible cogenerators is a way to encourage private investment in renewable\n
\n21 energy resources, stimulate in-state economic growth, enhance the continued\n
\n22 diversification of this state’s energy resource mix, and reduce interconnection and\n
\n23 administrative costs. It is the intent of the General Assembly that investment in, and\n
\n24 implementation of, distributed generation and cogeneration shall be governed by this part.”\n
\n25\n

\nSECTION 2.\n<\/h3>\n26 Said article is further amended by revising paragraphs (4) and (5) of Code Section 46-3-52,\n
\n27 relating to definitions, as follows:\n
\n<\/a>\n28\n“(4) ‘Customer generator’ means\nthe owner and operator of a distributed generation<\/span>\n
\n29 facility<\/span> a customer who utilizes the electrical energy from a distributed generation<\/span>\n
\n30 facility, whether the customer finances the distributed generation facility by purchase,<\/span>\n
\n31 lease, loan, or other form of financing, including a power purchase agreement.<\/span>\n
\n<\/a>\n32\n(5) ‘Distributed generation facility’ means a facility owned and operated by a customer<\/span>\n
\n33 of the electric service provider<\/span> provided by or for a customer generator<\/span> for the production\n
\n34 of electrical energy that:\n
\n<\/a>\n35 (A) Uses a solar Photovoltaic<\/span> photovoltaic<\/span> system,; fuel cell,; generator fueled by<\/span>\n
\n36 biomass, municipal solid waste, landfill gas, or hydropower<\/span>; or wind turbine;\n
\n<\/a>\n37 (B) Has a peak generating capacity of not more than 10kw for a residential application<\/span>\n
\n38 and 100kw for a commercial application;<\/span>\n
\n<\/a>\n39 (C)<\/span> Is located on the customer’s premises;\n
\n40 (D)<\/span>(C) Operates in parallel with the electric service provider’s distribution facilities;\n
\n41 (E)<\/span>(D) Is connected<\/span> Connected<\/span>\nto the electric service provider’s distribution system on\n
\n42 either side of the electric service provider’s meter; and\n
\n<\/a>\n43 (F)<\/span>(E)\n
\n44 Is intended primarily to offset part or all of the customer generator’s\nrequirements for electricity.”\n
\n45\n

\nSECTION 3.\n<\/h3>\n46 Said article is further amended by revising Code Section 46-3-54, relating to electric service\n
\n47 providers and rates and fees of electric service providers, as follows:\n
\n48 “46-3-54.\n
\n49 (a)<\/span> An electric service provider:\n
\n50 (1) Shall make either bidirectional metering or single directional metering available to\n
\n51 customer generators depending on how the distributed generation facility is connected\n
\n52 to the distribution system of the electric service provider;\n
\n53 (2) Shall enter into a written agreement with the customer generator to charge the\n
\n<\/a>\n54\ncustomer generator the<\/span> a commercially reasonable<\/span> rate established by the commission,\n
\n55\nor the appropriate governing body, in the case of any other electric service provider or\n
\n56 electric supplier, for metering services;\n
\n57\n<\/a>\n\n(3) In setting the fees for metering service, the commission, or the appropriate governing<\/span>\n
\n58 body, in the case of any other electric service provider or electric supplier, will include<\/span>\n
\n59 the direct costs associated with interconnecting or administering metering services or<\/span>\n
\n60 distributed generation facilities and will not allocate these costs among the utility’s entire<\/span>\n
\n61 ustomer base; and<\/span>\n
\n<\/a>\n62 (4)<\/span>(3) In establishing such a fee for metering services,\n\nthe electric service provider\n<\/span>\nshall\n
\n63 not charge the customer generator any standby, capacity, interconnection, or other fee or\n
\n64 charge, other than a monthly service charge, unless agreed to by the customer generator\n
\n65 or approved by the commission, in the case of an electric utility, or the appropriate\n
\n66 governing body, in the case of any other electric service provider or electric supplier;\n
\n67\n\n(4) Shall not charge a customer generator any monthly fee or standby charge or require\n<\/span>\n
\n68\n\nany equipment, insurance, or any other requirement unless the fee, charge, or requirement\n<\/span>\n
\n69\n\nshall apply to other similarly situated customers who are not customer generators; and\n<\/span>\n
\n70\n\n(5) In all cases, shall reasonably conform any and all charges or fees imposed on a\n<\/span>\n
\n71\n\ncustomer generator to the actual cost of providing the service for which the charges or\n<\/span>\n
\n72\n\nfees are imposed.\n<\/span>\n
\n73\n\n(b) In setting the fees for metering service, the commission, or the appropriate governing\n<\/span>\n
\n74\n\nbody, in the case of any other electric service provider or electric supplier, shall include the\n<\/span>\n
\n75\n\ndirect costs associated with interconnecting or administering metering services or\n<\/span>\n
\n76\n\ndistributed generation facilities and shall not allocate these costs among the utility’s entire\n<\/span>\n
\n77\n\ncustomer base.”\n<\/span>\n
\n78\n
\n79\n

SECTION 4.<\/h3>\nAll\nlaws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Georgia Senator Buddy Carter has introduced a Senate bill for the current session of the legislature, SB 51, “The Georgia Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act of 2001”. It attempts to fix Georgia’s special solar financing problem, the antique 1973 Territorial Electric Service Act. Why 2001? Apparently Buddy Carter has been introducing it every year since […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[97,120,14,8,18,2,20,104,21,22,23,24,53,3,36],"tags":[8736,8738,582,585,586,8704,584,8701,8708,8699,8702,8710,12,7,583,8737,8711,107,8712,384,8713,8714,108,8725,8700,6,8716],"class_list":["post-170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-biomass","category-economy","category-georgia","category-georgia-power","category-government","category-law","category-nuclear","category-planning","category-politics","category-renewable-energy","category-solar","category-sustainability","category-transparency","category-wind","tag-activism","tag-biomass","tag-buddy-carter","tag-cogeneration","tag-distributed-generation","tag-economy","tag-fees","tag-georgia","tag-georgia-power","tag-government","tag-lake","tag-law","tag-lowndes-area-knowledge-exchange","tag-lowndes-county","tag-meters","tag-nuclear","tag-planning","tag-plant-vogtle","tag-politics","tag-rates","tag-renewable-energy","tag-solar","tag-southern-company","tag-sustainability","tag-transparency","tag-valdosta","tag-wind"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p585fK-2K","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}