Authenticated PDF VersionThese rules govern how the Director of the Division of Energy & Climate (Director) and the Division of Energy & Climate (Division) administer their obligations under 26 Del.C. §354(i) & (j). The statute directs when and whether the Director may institute a freeze on the implementation of the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards as provided for in 26 Del.C. §354(a).
For purposes of this regulation, the following words and phrases shall have the following meaning unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Alternative compliance payment" means a payment of a certain dollar amount per megawatt hour, which a Commission-Regulated Electric Company may submit in lieu of supplying the minimum percentage of RECs from Eligible Energy Resources required as defined and set by 26 Del.C. §§352(1) and 358(d).
“Avoided system costs” means reductions in electric generation, transmission or distribution costs.
“Commission-Regulated Electric Company" means the same as an Electric Distribution Company in 26 Del.C. §1001(12).
"Compliance year" means the calendar year beginning with June 1 and ending with May 31 of the following year, for which a Commission-Regulated Electric Company must demonstrate that it has met the requirements of the subchapter known as the “Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act”.
“Director” means the Director of the Division of Energy & Climate, who is considered the State Energy Coordinator for the purpose of these rules.
“Division” means the Division of Energy & Climate, the successor agency to the Delaware Energy Office.
“End-use customer” means a person or entity in Delaware that purchases electrical energy at retail prices from regulated electric utilities.
“Exempt sales” means the retail customer sales of a Commission-Regulated Electric Company that is not included in the total retail sales for RPS compliance.
“Externality benefits” means reductions in environmental, health and mortality costs and improvements in habitat resulting from reduced emissions.
“Freeze” means suspension of enforcement or implementation of the annual increase in the RPS as provided for under 26 Del.C. §§352(3) & 354(a).
“Green Energy Fund” means the grant program authorized under 29 Del.C. §8057.
"Integrated Resource Plan" or "IRP" means the plan filed by the Commission-Regulated Electric Company to meet the requirements of 26 Del.C. §1007(c) & (d).
“Non-exempt sales” means the retail customer sales of a Commission-Regulated Electric Company that is included in the total retail sales for RPS compliance.
“PJM” or “PJM interconnection” means the regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in the PJM region, or its successors at law.
“Price suppression effects” means reductions in energy or capacity costs due to competitive pressures from renewable resources.
“PSC” means the Delaware Public Service Commission.
“REC costs of compliance” means the total costs expended by the Commission-Regulated Electric Company to achieve the applicable RPS percentage standards for RECs during a respective compliance year.
“REC percentage requirements” and “SREC percentage requirements” mean the renewable energy portfolio requirements for each compliance year as set forth in 26 Del.C. §354(a).
“Renewable Energy Cost of Compliance” means the total costs expended by the Commission-Regulated Electric Company to achieve the applicable RPS percentage standards for all renewable energy during a respective compliance year.
“Renewable Energy Credit” or “REC” means a tradable instrument defined by 26 Del.C. §352(18) used to demonstrate compliance with the percentage requirements set forth in 26 Del.C. §354(a).
“RPS” means the renewable portfolio standard, the minimum percentage of total electricity sales delivered to Delaware end-use customers that is derived from eligible energy resources established under 26 Del.C., §354.
“Solar alternative compliance payment" means the payment of certain dollar amounts expended in lieu of supplying the minimum percentage from solar photovoltaics as defined and set by 26 Del.C. §§352(24) and 358(e).
“Solar Renewable Energy Cost of Compliance” means the total costs expended by a Commission-Regulated Electric Company to achieve the applicable RPS percentage standards for solar photovoltaic renewable energy during a respective compliance year.
“Solar Renewable Energy Credit” or “SREC” means the tradable instrument defined by 26 Del.C. §352(25) used to demonstrate compliance with the percentage requirements set forth in 26 Del.C. §354(a).
“Third party supplier” means an electricity supplier that sells power to end-use customers delivered over the distribution facilities of the Commission-Regulated Electric Company. It does not include the Commission-Regulated Electric Company, Rural Electric Cooperatives or Municipal Electric Companies.
“Total Retail Costs of Electricity” means the total costs paid by customers of the Commission-Regulated Electric Company for the supply, transmission, distribution and delivery of retail electricity to serve non-exempt customers, including those served by third party suppliers, during a respective compliance year.
3.1 These rules shall apply only to a Commission-Regulated Electric Company. These rules shall not apply to electric supply provided by either:
3.1.1 an exempted municipal electric company or a municipal utility (as set forth in 26 Del.C. §363); or
3.1.2 an exempted rural electric cooperative or a rural electric cooperative (as set forth in 26 Del.C. §363).
3.2 These rules will be applied immediately upon enactment.
4.0 Calculation of the Cost of Compliance
4.2.2 the cost of RECs and SRECs retired to satisfy the RPS requirement, plus
4.2.3 all Alternative Compliance Payments.
4.3.2 the cost of SRECs retired to satisfy the RPS requirement, plus
4.3.3 all Solar Alternative Compliance Payments for the solar photovoltaic requirement.
5.0 Determination by the Director
5.1 The Director shall review the calculations of the Division.
5.4 In making a determination, the Director shall consider:
5.4.1 the overall energy market conditions;
5.4.2 the avoided cost benefits from the RPS;
5.4.3 the externality benefits due to the RPS; and
5.4.4 the economic impacts of the deployment of renewable energy in Delaware.
6.4.1 provide prior notice of the lifting of the freeze to the PSC; and
6.4.2 publish notice of the lifting of the freeze in the next appropriate issue of the Delaware Register of Regulations.
7.1.1 the Renewable Energy Cost of Compliance for that compliance year;
7.1.2 the Solar Renewable Energy Cost of Compliance costs for that compliance year; and
7.1.3 the Total Retail Costs of Electricity for that compliance year.
