Author Archives Laura Arnold

IndianaDG and OUCC File Testimony Urging IURC to Deny I&M EDG Tariff to Replace Net Metering

Posted by Laura Arnold  /   July 14, 2021  /   Posted in 2017 Indiana General Assembly, Indiana Michigan Power Company (I&M), Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), solar, Uncategorized  /   No Comments

IndianaDG and OUCC File Testimony

Urging IURC  to Deny I&M EDG Tariff to Replace Net Metering

Yesterday (7/13/2021) IndianaDG and the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) filed testimony in the Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) in the Cause No. 45506  urging that the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) deny the company's proposed Excess Distributed Generation (EDG) tariff to replace net metering.

The I&M proposed EDG tariff was filed on 3/1/2021 pursuant to SEA 309 (2017) which requires electric investor owned utilities (IOUs) in Indiana to phase-out net metering by 6/30/2022 and replace it with new rates for customer owned distributed generation such as roof-top solar.

IndianaDG filed expert testimony as follows:

  • Benjamin Inskeep, Principal Energy Policy Analyst, EQ Research LLC, Cary, NC

ben Inskeep

Benjamin Inskeep:

Ben conclusion

45506--IndianaDG Exhibit 1 Testimony--7-13-21FINAL 71 pages

45506--IndianaDG Exhibit 1 Attachments--7-13-21FINAL 156 pages

  • Jim Straeter, President and Owner of Ag Technologies, Inc., Rochester, IN and IndianaDG business member.

Jim Straeter

Jim Straeter:

Q. What would be the impact of I&M’s current EDG proposal on your company  and other Indiana solar installation companies?

A. It will be very detrimental to our business. My company alone currently employs  13 people, and we hope to hire more. We also engage many subcontract workers.  I&M’s proposal could force us to lay off workers and possibly no longer install solar energy systems in I&M’s service area. Instead of focusing on investing our  time and resources in Indiana, we and other Indiana solar companies would have to shift focus to neighboring states that treat solar installations reasonably, rather than  punishing solar participants. For example, not far from us in Michigan, new  residential DG customers receive substantially higher export credits. Ironically, the credit rate for I&M’s Michigan new customers’ exports is $0.10024/kWh, about  four times as much as I&M’s proposed compensation rate right across the state line  in Indiana. Similarly, Consumers Energy new residential customers’ credit is  $0.119655/kWh for summer on-peak, $0.080485/kWh for summer off-peak, and  $0.084785/kWh for all exports in non-summer months. If after July 1, 2022, the  Indiana regulatory framework for EDG will be like that proposed by I&M, we will  likely shift our business focus out of Indiana. We will cut our Indiana work force  and replace them with out of state workers.  Other Indiana solar installation companies will suffer the same financial harm from  EDG proposals like I&M’s and will logically shift their solar business focus,  employment opportunities, and financial stimulus to neighboring states that treat  solar customers reasonably.

Straeter reasons

Straeter recommendations

45506--IndianaDG Exhibit 2--7-13-21FINALv3 11 pages

  • John Haselden, Senior Utility Analyst, Electric Division, OUCC, Indianapolis, IN

John Haselden

John Haselden:

OUCC Haselden Reccommentation 45506

45506 OUCC Testimony of John E Haselden_07132021

Robert Glennon, attorney for IndianaDG, also points out that IndianaDG, the OUCC and others are appealing the IURC decision in the CenterPoint/Vectren EDG case.


Laura Ann Arnold, President, IndianaDG: "We urge everyone concerned about net metering, the future of the customer-owned solar industry as well as climate change to read and share this information including with your state legislators."

 

 

21st Century Energy Task Force Members

Posted by Laura Arnold  /   June 16, 2021  /   Posted in 2021 Indiana General Assembly, solar  /   No Comments

21st Century Energy Task Force Members

Rep. Ed Soliday, Co-Chair

Rep. Chris Jeter

Rep. Ethan Manning

Rep. Sharon Negele

Rep. Ryan Hatfield

Rep. Matt Pierce

Sen. Eric Koch, Co-Chair

Sen. Scott Baldwin

Sen. Stacy Donato

Sen. Jean Leising

Sen. David Niezgodski

Sen. Shelli Yoder


 

Key:

Red = Republican

Blue = Democrat

 

Duke Energy Indiana Proposes EDG Rate of $0.028981 per kWh using instantaneous nettingto replace net metering

Posted by Laura Arnold  /   May 28, 2021  /   Posted in 2017 Indiana General Assembly, Uncategorized  /   No Comments

DEI logo

Duke Energy Indiana (DEI) files testimony in EDG case to replace net metering

Today (5/27/2021), Duke Energy Indiana (DEI) filed its testimony in the Excess Distributed Generation (EDG) tariff case in Cause No. 45508. Indiana Distributed Energy Alliance (IndianaDG) is an Intervenor is this proceeding before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC).

Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) Cause No. 45508 - 

Document Description: Verified Testimony of Roger A. Flick II
Please click on the following link to retrieve the document: Document

Document Description: Workpaper 1 (RAF)
Please click on the following link to retrieve the document: Document

Here is a short excerpt from their direct testimony by Roger A. Flick, II.

DEI EDG rate testimony

IndianaDG Joins Appeal of CenterPoint EDG Order to Replace Net Metering;

Posted by Laura Arnold  /   May 10, 2021  /   Posted in 2017 Indiana General Assembly, Indiana Michigan Electric Power (I&M), Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), solar, Uncategorized  /   No Comments

IURC

For immediate release

Contact: Laura Ann Arnold (317) 502-5123 or Laura.Arnold@IndianaDG.net

IndianaDG Joins Appeal of CenterPoint EDG Order to Replace Net Metering; IndianaDG Says Order is an Over Reach of IURC’s Authority

Last week the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), the watchdog agency that represents Hoosier ratepayers, filed an appeal of an order last month that would authorize CenterPoint (formerly Vectren) to reduce the credit received by future solar owners and change the period for earning credits so that more customer-owned solar is credited at the new lower rate, which will have a chilling effect on new solar installations if it is allowed to stand.

Today (5/10/2021) Indiana Distributed Energy Alliance (IndianaDG) filed a Notice of Appearance as Appellant and Joinder on Notice of Appeal.

Other parties joining the OUCC in this action include Solarize Indiana, Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana (CAC), Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), Vote Solar and Solar United Neighbors (SUN).

“IndianaDG believes the Commission erred in approving the CenterPoint EDG tariff using instantaneous netting,” Said Laura Ann Arnold, President of Indiana Distributed Energy Alliance (IndianaDG). “We are hopeful that the Indiana Court of Appeals will agree with our reading of SEA 309 enacted by state legislators in 2017.”

“In the meantime, initiating this appeal of the CenterPoint EDG order will send a strong message to the other electric utilities”, continued Arnold “that we will fight this over reach of the Commission’s authority to approve something not sanctioned by state lawmakers”.

The IURC issued its order 4/7/2021 approving CenterPoint’s proposed Excess Distributed Generation (EDG) tariff to replace net metering pursuant to SEA 309 enacted in 2017 by the Indiana General Assembly. On 5/3/2021 CenterPoint filed their proposed EDG tariff with the IURC staff pursuant to the IURC order. The new EDG is awaiting final approval and will replace net metering for CenterPoint’s electric customers who install solar systems. Previously customer owned solar projects received a kWh for kWh credit on their electric bills for any net excess above their own consumption. The new EDG tariff will implement a less favorable system called “instantaneous netting” rather the current “monthly netting”. Plus the new tariff will credit customers for electricity they put back into the grid at 2.7 cents/kWh as opposed to the nearly 15 cents/kWh retail rate paid by most residential customers.

Formal legal briefs to be filed later will outline the parties’ disagreement with CenterPoint and the IURC order. The primary disagreement centers on whether the proposal submitted by Vectren and approved by the Commission follows the language prescribed by state lawmakers in 2017. CenterPoint is the first electric utility to submit an EDG tariff for approval by the Commission. The remaining four electric utilities—NIPSCO, Duke Energy Indiana (DEI), I&M/AEP and AES Indiana (formerly IPL)—submitted their requests on 3/1/2021. Before the Commission issued the order approving “instantaneous netting”, NIPSCO had requested an EDG tariff using monthly netting. Following the Commission order in CenterPoint, however, NIPSCO vacated that testimony and plans to file new testimony requesting to implement instantaneous netting similar to CenterPoint. DEI is scheduled to file its testimony with their proposed methodology for their EDG tariff 5/27/2021.


 

View IURC order HERE:

45378 IURC Order in Vectren EDG ord_45378_040721

New EDG Tariff Petitions filed 3/1/2021:

NIPSCO_Verified Petition_03012021

45508 DEI-Verified Petition-Distributed Generation 030121

45504 IPL Verified Petition

Indiana Michigan Power Company_Verified Petition_03012021-c

 

I&M All-Source Informational RFP; Due 5/21/2021

Posted by Laura Arnold  /   April 30, 2021  /   Posted in Indiana Michigan Power Company (I&M), Uncategorized  /   No Comments

AEP I&M logo

ALL-SOURCE INFORMATIONAL RFP

Indiana Michigan Power (“I&M” or the “Company”) is issuing an Informational Request for Proposal (“RFP”) notice soliciting input from the marketplace regarding All-Source resource “indicative” responses (“response”) to inform its planning towards further diversifying its generation portfolio over the coming years. I&M is beginning work on its next Indiana Integrated Resource Plan (“IRP”), a road map the Company updates every three years that is used as a planning tool to evaluate how it will meet customers’ energy needs using a diverse mix of power generation resources. The Company’s goal is an approach that balances affordability, reliability and sustainability for customers and stakeholders.

I&M is interested in assessing the current availabilities in the marketplace to provide the following:

  • Existing generation facilities that, at a minimum, meet established industry-wide reliability and performance standards;
  • Planned or in development generation facilities meeting developmental requirements for new or planned electric generation facilities;
  • Existing or planned utility scale renewable resources, either stand-alone or paired with storage to support PJM Planning Years beginning 2025/26;
  • Qualifying Facility (QF); and
  • Distributed Energy Resources (minimum 1-MW) including:
    • Stand-alone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
    • Distributed Generation
    • New Load Modifying Resources (LMR) and Demand Response (DR):
      • New LMR/DR offered by a supplier should meet LMR/DR requirements for participation in PJM as a demand-side resource, including any future changes to PJM’s requirements for LMRs/DRs
      • New LMR/DR’s are required to be from an I&M customer and within the I&M electric service territory.

Responses may be from existing generating resources or from proposed resources that support the following timing:

  • EOY 2022 for PJM Planning Year 2023/24 (no Renewables)
  • EOY 2023 for PJM Planning Year 2024/25 (no Renewables)
  • EOY 2024 for PJM Planning Year 2025/26
  • EOY 2025 for PJM Planning Year 2026/27
  • EOY 2026 for PJM Planning Year 2027/28
  • EOY 2027 for PJM Planning Year 2028/29

In connection with this RFP, I&M has retained the services of an independent third-party consultant, Siemens PTI, to manage the RFP process and work with I&M to perform the quantitative and qualitative evaluations of all responses.

All respondents will directly interface with Siemens PTI for all communications including questions, RFP clarification issues, and submittal of a response. All correspondence concerning this RFP should be sent via e-mail to imallsourcerfp.us@siemens.com.

SCHEDULE

Issue: April 23, 2021
Due Date: May 21, 2021

DOCUMENTS

RFP

Copyright 2013 IndianaDG