Full Text of HB2480 103rd General Assembly
HB2480eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HB2480 Engrossed | | LRB103 30377 AMQ 56807 b |
|
| 1 | | AN ACT concerning regulation.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding | 5 | | Section 16-107.8 as follows: | 6 | | (220 ILCS 5/16-107.8 new) | 7 | | Sec. 16-107.8. Community solar low-income customer | 8 | | assistance program supply tariff. | 9 | | (a) The General Assembly finds that it is necessary to | 10 | | prioritize and expedite the delivery of community solar | 11 | | project benefits to low-income customers while also | 12 | | streamlining the process by which developers of community | 13 | | solar projects procure subscribers in low-income communities. | 14 | | (b) For purposes of this Section, "low-income customer" | 15 | | shall have the same meaning as described in Section 1-56 of the | 16 | | Illinois Power Agency Act. | 17 | | (c) Notwithstanding any law or rule to the contrary, an | 18 | | electric utility subject to the requirements of Section 1-56 | 19 | | of the Illinois Power Agency Act may file a tariff with the | 20 | | Commission that creates a new rate for the supply of electric | 21 | | power and energy to low-income customers as further described | 22 | | in this Section. | 23 | | (d) The tariff shall allow for the developer of a |
| | | HB2480 Engrossed | - 2 - | LRB103 30377 AMQ 56807 b |
|
| 1 | | community solar project that is the subject of a contract to | 2 | | sell its renewable energy credits executed pursuant to Section | 3 | | 1-56 or item (iii) of subparagraph (K) of paragraph (1) of | 4 | | subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency | 5 | | Act to also enroll the project under the tariff. Such projects | 6 | | may include those that have already executed such contracts | 7 | | and those that execute such contracts after the effective date | 8 | | of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly. For each | 9 | | project enrolled by the developer, the customers taking | 10 | | service under the rate authorized by this Section shall be | 11 | | deemed to be enrolled in the project, and each such project | 12 | | shall be deemed fully subscribed at the time of enrollment. | 13 | | Enrollment of a project shall be for the shorter of the | 14 | | remaining life of the project, the remaining length of the | 15 | | contract for renewable energy credits executed under Section | 16 | | 1-56 or item (iii) of subparagraph (K) of paragraph (1) of | 17 | | subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency | 18 | | Act, or 25 years. The developer must agree to transfer to the | 19 | | utility all rights and interest in the project's energy and | 20 | | capacity for the exclusive purpose of serving those customers | 21 | | taking service under the tariff authorized by this Section. | 22 | | Nothing in this Section shall affect the value and payments of | 23 | | the renewable energy credits sold by the developer pursuant to | 24 | | contracts executed under Section 1-56 or item (iii) of | 25 | | subparagraph (K) of paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of Section | 26 | | 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency Act nor shall such values be |
| | | HB2480 Engrossed | - 3 - | LRB103 30377 AMQ 56807 b |
|
| 1 | | different based on whether a project enrolls pursuant to this | 2 | | Section. The Illinois Power Agency shall have the authority to | 3 | | offer contract amendments and revise its long-term renewable | 4 | | resources procurement plan in order to conform to the | 5 | | requirements and tariffs established pursuant to this Section. | 6 | | (e) The tariff shall automatically apply to the following | 7 | | low-income customers: | 8 | | (1) those who are known to the utility to participate | 9 | | in, or are known to the utility within the past year to | 10 | | have participated in, another State financial assistance | 11 | | program that has the same or more stringent eligibility | 12 | | criteria as those that must be satisfied to qualify as a | 13 | | low-income customer. Such programs may include, but are | 14 | | not limited to, the programs described in Section 13 of | 15 | | the Energy Assistance Act, the Percentage of Income | 16 | | Payment Plan program described in Section 18 of the Energy | 17 | | Assistance Act, and the Arrearage Reduction Program and | 18 | | Supplemental Arrearage Reduction Program set forth in | 19 | | Section 18 of the Energy Assistance Act; | 20 | | (2) those who are the subject of an exemption from the | 21 | | assessment of deposits or late fees under 83 Ill. Adm. | 22 | | Code 280; and | 23 | | (3) those who reside in public housing whose accounts | 24 | | are separately metered. | 25 | | However, customers to whom the tariff would automatically | 26 | | apply who are served by an alternative retail energy supplier |
| | | HB2480 Engrossed | - 4 - | LRB103 30377 AMQ 56807 b |
|
| 1 | | shall not be automatically enrolled. The utility shall | 2 | | periodically notify such customers of the availability of the | 3 | | rate authorized by this Section. | 4 | | The utility shall prioritize enrollment of the customers | 5 | | described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of this subsection | 6 | | based on the average median income of the zip code applicable | 7 | | to the customer's premises at which it receives electric | 8 | | service and ranked in order of priority so that the lowest | 9 | | average median income zip code receives the highest ranking | 10 | | and the highest average median income receives the lowest | 11 | | ranking. Within a given zip code, customers shall be selected | 12 | | by random lottery. | 13 | | Other low-income customers may also elect to take service | 14 | | under the rate authorized by this Section by submitting the | 15 | | eligibility form to be published by the utility. Customers | 16 | | taking service under the tariff may elect to discontinue | 17 | | taking service at any time. | 18 | | Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the | 19 | | utility shall not begin to automatically enroll customers | 20 | | until such time that the total number of projects enrolled in | 21 | | the program pursuant to subsection (d) is projected to achieve | 22 | | bill savings of 20% for participating customers in one or more | 23 | | zip codes taking into account the utility's applicable default | 24 | | supply rate or rates. At the time the utility files its | 25 | | proposed tariff pursuant to this Section, the utility shall | 26 | | include its calculation demonstrating that this minimum |
| | | HB2480 Engrossed | - 5 - | LRB103 30377 AMQ 56807 b |
|
| 1 | | savings value has been achieved. The order in which qualifying | 2 | | customers within a zip code will be enrolled shall be | 3 | | determined by lottery conducted by the utility. As additional | 4 | | projects enroll in the program, qualifying customers in | 5 | | additional zip codes shall be enrolled in the same manner. | 6 | | A utility shall periodically, but at least every 24 | 7 | | months, verify that customers taking service under the tariff | 8 | | authorized by this Section continue to be eligible to take | 9 | | service under such tariff. Such verification may take the form | 10 | | of a certification by the customer. | 11 | | (f) The capacity and energy from the enrolled projects | 12 | | will be used to serve the customers taking service under the | 13 | | rate authorized by this Section. If the energy generated by | 14 | | the projects is not sufficient to fully meet customers' usage, | 15 | | then the utility shall procure power and energy in the | 16 | | applicable day-ahead market. Costs associated with such | 17 | | procurement will be charged to the customers through the | 18 | | tariff without markup. | 19 | | Actual costs and revenues shall be reconciled annually, | 20 | | and the utility shall submit an informational filing to the | 21 | | Commission detailing the computation of each such | 22 | | reconciliation. | 23 | | (g) If an electric utility elects to file the tariff | 24 | | authorized by this Section outside of a rate design filing, | 25 | | the Commission shall enter its order approving, or approving | 26 | | with modification, the tariff no later than 120 days after the |
| | | HB2480 Engrossed | - 6 - | LRB103 30377 AMQ 56807 b |
|
| 1 | | date of the utility's filing. | 2 | | (h) Electric utilities that have a tariff in effect | 3 | | pursuant to this Section, community solar projects enrolled in | 4 | | the program, and the customers taking service thereunder, | 5 | | shall be exempt from all application, contract, and disclosure | 6 | | requirements that may otherwise apply under the Illinois Power | 7 | | Agency Act or rules adopted pursuant thereto. Every other | 8 | | year, each such electric utility shall provide educational | 9 | | materials to those customers taking service under the tariff, | 10 | | including educational materials prepared by the Agency to | 11 | | educate customers about community solar projects.
| 12 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 13 | | becoming law.
|
|