220 ILCS 5/16-108.8

(220 ILCS 5/16-108.8)

Sec. 16-108.8. Illinois Smart Grid test bed.

(a) Within 180 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly, each participating utility, as defined by Section 16-108.5 of this Act, shall create or otherwise designate a Smart Grid test bed, which may be located at one or more places within the utility's system, for the purposes of allowing for the testing of Smart Grid technologies. The objectives of this test bed shall be to:

(1) provide an open, unbiased opportunity for testing programs, technologies, business models, and other Smart Grid-related activities;

(2) provide on-grid locations for the testing of potentially innovative Smart Grid-related technologies and services, including but not limited to those funded by the trust or foundation established pursuant to Section 16-108.7 of this Act;

(3) facilitate testing of business models or services that help integrate Smart Grid-related technologies into the electric grid, especially those business models that may help promote new products and services for retail customers;

(4) offer opportunities to test and showcase Smart Grid technologies and services, especially those likely to support the economic development goals of the State of Illinois.

(b) The test bed shall reside in one or more locations on the participating utility's network. Such locations shall be chosen by the utility to maximize the opportunity for real-time and real-world testing of Smart Grid technologies and services taking into account the safety and security of the participating utility's grid and grid operations.

(c) The participating utility, with input from the Smart Grid Advisory Council established pursuant to Section 16-108.6 of this Act, shall, as part of its filing under subsection (b) of Section 16-108.5, include a plan for the creation, operation, and administration of the test bed. This plan shall address the following:

(1) how the utility proposes to comply with each of the objectives set forth in subsection (a) of this Section;

(2) the proposed location or locations of the test bed;

(3) the process by which the utility will receive, review, and qualify proposals to use the test bed;

(4) the criteria by which the utility proposes to qualify proposals to use the test bed, including, but not limited to, safety, reliability, security, customer data security, privacy, and economic development considerations;

(5) the engineering and operations support that the utility will provide to test bed users, including provision of customer data; and

(6) the estimated costs to establish, administer and promote the availability of the test bed.

(d) The test bed should be open to all qualified entities wishing to test programs, technologies, business models, and other Smart Grid-related activities, provided that the utility retains control of its grid and operations and may reject any programs, technologies, business models, and other Smart Grid-related activities that threaten the reliability, safety, security, or operations of its network, or that would threaten the security of customer-identifiable data in the judgment of the utility. The number of technologies and entities participating in the test bed at any time may be limited by the utility based on its determination of its ability to maintain a secure, safe, and reliable grid.

(e) At a minimum, the test bed shall have the ability to receive live signals from PJM Interconnection LLC or other applicable regional transmission organization, the ability to test new applications in a utility scale environment (to include ramp rate regulations for distributed wind and solar resources), critical peak price response, and market-based power dispatch.

(f) At the end of the fourth year of operation the test bed shall be subject to an independent evaluation to determine if the test bed is meeting the objectives of this Section or is likely to meet the objectives in the future. The evaluation shall include the performance of the utility as test bed operator. Subject to the findings, the utility and the trust or foundation established pursuant to Section 16-108.7 of this Act may choose to continue operating the test bed.

(g) The utility shall be entitled to recover all prudently incurred and reasonable costs associated with evaluation of proposals, engineering, construction, operation, and administration of the test bed through the performance-based formula rate tariff established pursuant to Section 16-108.5 of this Act.

(h) The utility is authorized to charge fees to users of the test bed that shall recover the costs associated with the incremental costs to the utility associated with administration of the test bed, provided, however, that any such fees collected by the utility shall be used to offset the costs to be recovered pursuant to subsection (g) of this Section.

(i) On a quarterly basis, the utility shall provide the trust or foundation established pursuant to Section 16-108.7 of this Act with a report summarizing test bed activities, customers, discoveries, and other information as shall be mutually deemed relevant.

(j) To the extent practicable, the utility and trust or foundation established pursuant to Section 16-108.7 of this Act shall jointly pursue resources that enhance the capabilities and capacity of the test bed.

(k) If Section 16-108.5 of this Act becomes inoperative with respect to one or more participating utilities as set forth in subsection (g) or (h) of that Section, then Sections 16-108.5, 16-108.6, 16-108.7, and 16-108.8 of this Act shall become inoperative as to each affected utility and its service area on the same date as Section 16-108.5 become inoperative.

(Source: P.A. 97-616, eff. 10-26-11.)