Section 467.20  Definitions and Incorporations by Reference

Terms defined in Section 16-102 of the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5] shall have the same meaning for purposes of this Part as they have under Section 16-102 of the Act, unless further defined in this Part. The following words and terms, when used in this Part, have the following meanings unless the context indicates otherwise:

"Act" means the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5].

"Adverse system impact" means a negative effect that compromises the safety or reliability of the electric distribution or transmission systems or materially affects the quality of electric service provided by the electric distribution company (EDC) to other customers.

"Affected system" means an electric system, other than the EDC's distribution system with which the distributed energy resources facility is to be directly connected, that could suffer an adverse system impact from the proposed interconnection.

"Applicant" means a person (or entity) who has submitted an interconnection request to interconnect a distributed energy resources facility to an EDC's electric distribution system.

"Business day" means Monday through Friday, excluding State and federal holidays.

"Calendar day" means any day, including Saturdays, Sundays and State and federal holidays.

"Certificate of completion" means a certificate, in a form approved by the Commission, that contains information about the interconnection equipment to be used, its installation and local inspections (see Appendix A).

"Commissioning test" means tests applied to a distributed energy resources facility by the applicant after construction is completed to verify that the facility does not create adverse system impacts and performs to the submitted specifications.

"Contingent upgrades" means proposed interconnection facilities or distribution system upgrades, identified during interconnection studies for an applicant’s interconnection request, that are the responsibility of an interconnection request earlier in the queue than the subject application for interconnection. The identified contingent upgrades are required in order for the applicant’s proposed interconnection request to receive permission to operate and, if delayed or not built by the earlier-queued interconnection request, could cause a need for restudies of the interconnection request and may become the responsibility of the applicant’s interconnection request.

"Distributed energy resources facility" or "DER facility" means the equipment used by an interconnection customer to generate or store electricity that operates in parallel with the electric distribution system. A DER facility may include, but is not limited to, an electric generator or energy storage system, a prime mover, and the interconnection equipment required to safely interconnect with the electric distribution system or local electric power system.

"Electric distribution company" or "EDC" means any electric utility subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission.

"Electric distribution system" means the facilities and equipment owned and operated by the EDC and used to transmit electricity to ultimate usage points such as homes and industries from interchanges with higher voltage transmission networks that transport bulk power over longer distances. The voltage levels at which electric distribution systems operate differ among areas, but generally operate at less than 100 kilovolts of electricity. "Electric distribution system" has the same meaning as the term "Area EPS", as defined in Section 3.1.6.1 of IEEE Standard 1547. "Electric distribution system" excludes facilities under the operational control of the RTO.

"IEEE Standard 1547" is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., 3 Park Avenue, New York NY 10016-5997, Standard 1547 (2003) "Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems". This incorporation does not include any later amendments or editions.

"IEEE Standard 1547.1" is the IEEE Standard 1547.1 (2005) "Conformance Test Procedures for Equipment Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems". This incorporation does not include any later amendments or editions.

"Interconnection customer" means a person or entity that has a DER facility interconnected, or that seeks to interconnect, to an electric distribution system.

"Interconnection equipment" means a group of components or an integrated system owned and operated by the interconnection customer that connects an electric generator with a local electric power system, as that term is defined in Section 3.1.6.2 of IEEE Standard 1547, or with the electric distribution system. Interconnection equipment is all interface equipment, including switchgear, protective devices, inverters or other interface devices. Interconnection equipment may be installed as part of an integrated equipment package that includes a generator or other electric source.

"Interconnection facilities" means facilities and equipment required by the EDC to accommodate the interconnection of a DER facility. Collectively, interconnection facilities include all facilities and equipment between the DER facility's interconnection equipment and the point of interconnection, including any modifications or additions necessary to physically and electrically interconnect the DER facility to the electric distribution system. Interconnection facilities are sole use facilities and do not include system upgrades.

"Interconnection request" means an applicant's request, in a form approved by the Commission, for interconnection of a new DER facility or to change the capacity or other operating characteristics of an existing DER facility already interconnected with the electric distribution system.

"Interconnection study" is any study described in Section 467.70.

"Local electric power system" means facilities that deliver electric power to a load that is contained entirely within a single premises or group of premises. Local electric power system has the same meaning as in Section 3.1.6.2 of IEEE Standard 1547.

"Nameplate capacity" is the maximum rated output in kVA of a generator, prime mover, energy storage system, or other electric power production equipment under specific conditions designated by the manufacturer and usually indicated on a nameplate physically attached to the power production equipment.

"Parallel operation" or "parallel" means a DER facility that is connected electrically to the electric distribution system for longer than 100 milliseconds.

"Point of interconnection" or "POI" means the point where the DER facility is electrically connected to the electric distribution system. Point of interconnection has the same meaning as the term "point of common coupling" defined in Section 3.1.13 of IEEE Standard 1547.

"Queue position" means the order an EDC receives a completed interconnection request relative to that specific EDC's other interconnection requests. It is established by the date that the EDC receives the completed interconnection request.

"Scoping meeting" means a meeting between representatives of the applicant and EDC conducted for the purpose of discussing interconnection issues and exchanging relevant information.

"Standard agreement for interconnection of DER facilities with a capacity more than 10 MVA" means a standard interconnection agreement applicable to interconnection requests for large DER facilities (see Appendix C).

"Witness test" means a verification by the EDC, either by on-site observation or review of documents, that the interconnection installation evaluation required by the applicable technical standards has been performed.

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 9788, effective May 26, 2022)