Electric utilities; community solar pilot programs. (SB1393)

Introduced By

Sen. Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach) with support from co-patron Sen. Jeremy McPike (D-Dale City)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Electric utilities; community solar pilot programs. Requires Dominion Virginia Power and Appalachian Power to conduct a community solar pilot program for retail customers. A pilot program will authorize the participating utility to sell electric power to subscribing customers under a voluntary companion rate schedule, and the utility will generate or purchase the electric power from eligible generation facilities selected for inclusion in the pilot program. An eligible generation facility is an electrical generation facility that (i) exclusively uses energy derived from sunlight; (ii) is placed in service on or after July 1, 2017; (iii) is not constructed by an investor-owned utility but is acquired by an investor-owned utility through an asset purchase agreement or is subject to a power purchase agreement under which the utility purchases the facility's output from a third party; and (iv) has a generating capacity not exceeding two megawatts, subject to an exception. Pilot programs will have a three-year duration unless renewed or made permanent. The measure requires an investor-owned utility to select eligible generating facilities for dedication to its pilot program through a request for proposal (RFP) process. The minimum generating capacity of the eligible generating facilities in Appalachian Power's pilot program shall not be less than four MW and in Dominion's pilot program shall not be less than 25 MW. The maximum generating capacity of the eligible generating facilities in Appalachian Power's pilot program shall not be more than 10 MW and in Dominion's pilot program shall not be more than 40 MW. The measure establishes a procedure through which an investor-owned utility may increase the generating capacity of facilities in its pilot program above the amount most recently approved by the State Corporation Commission. The measure authorizes an investor-owned utility to recover pilot program costs that are not recovered through the voluntary companion rate schedule through the utility's annual fuel factor proceeding or rate adjustment clause proceeding. A subscribing customer's usage above the amount subscribed for the voluntary companion rate schedule shall be billed under the customer's applicable standard rate. The measure authorizes a utility consumer services cooperative to conduct a pilot program and gives the cooperative flexibility in designing its program and voluntary companion rate schedule. The measure declares that the participation of retail customers in a pilot program is in the public interest and that the voluntary companion rate schedules approved are necessary in order to acquire information which is in furtherance of the public interest. The measure requires the Commission to approve the recovery of pilot program costs that it deems to be reasonable and prudent, the pilot program design, the voluntary companion rate schedule, and the portfolio of participating generating facilities. Commission review or approval is not required for individual participating generating facilities, agreements, sites, or RFPs. The measure provides that an approved voluntary companion rate schedule shall not be considered a tariff for electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy. Finally, an enactment clause directs investor-owned utilities, prior to submitting a proposal for a pilot program, to examine, in cooperation with representatives of relevant governmental, nonprofit, and for-profit entities, options to facilitate the subscribing by low-income customers to the utility's pilot program. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Passed

History

DateAction
01/11/2017Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17102602D
01/11/2017Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
01/18/2017Assigned C&L sub: Renewable Energy
01/20/2017Impact statement from SCC (SB1393)
01/30/2017Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (14-Y 0-N 1-A) (see vote tally)
01/30/2017Committee substitute printed 17104340D-S1
01/31/2017Incorporates SB1208 (Wexton)
02/01/2017Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/02/2017Impact statement from SCC (SB1393S1)
02/02/2017Read second time
02/02/2017Reading of substitute waived
02/02/2017Committee substitute agreed to 17104340D-S1
02/02/2017Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB1393S1
02/03/2017Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N 1-A) (see vote tally)
02/08/2017Placed on Calendar
02/08/2017Read first time
02/08/2017Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
02/16/2017Reported from Commerce and Labor with amendment (21-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/20/2017Read second time
02/21/2017Read third time
02/21/2017Committee amendment agreed to
02/21/2017Engrossed by House as amended
02/21/2017Passed House with amendment (91-Y 2-N 2-A)
02/21/2017VOTE: PASSAGE (91-Y 2-N 2-A) (see vote tally)
02/22/2017House amendment agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N 1-A) (see vote tally)
03/07/2017Enrolled
03/07/2017Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1393ER)
03/07/2017Signed by Speaker
03/09/2017Impact statement from SCC (SB1393ER)
03/10/2017Signed by President
03/13/2017Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on 3/13/17
03/13/2017G Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 27, 2017
03/16/2017G Approved by Governor-Chapter 580 (effective 7/1/17)
03/16/2017G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0580)

Video

This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 2 clips in all, totaling 3 minutes.

Transcript

This is a transcript of the video clips in which this bill is discussed.

WE HAVE IN MORE DENSELY POPULATED PARTS OF VIRGINIA. SENATOR FROM HANOVER. MR. PRESIDENT, I WOULD TELL THE GENTLEMAN I THINK THE WAY THAT THE LANGUAGE CURRENTLY IS, IT DOES ADDRESS HIS CONCERNS. THE FOCUS OF THE LEGISLATION IS MORE ON THE PLACING THE SMALL CELL DEVICES ON EXISTING STRUCTURES. THE LANGUAGE IN THE BILL THAT DEALS WITH NEW STRUCTURES REALLY IS ABOUT TIME FRAMES FOR WHEN THOSE APPLICATIONS HAVE TO BE REVIEWED. I DON'T THINK WE DO A LOT TO CHANGE WHAT THAT PROCESS IS OR THAT DETERMINATION IS, BUT IT'S JUST TIME FRAMES OF WHEN THAT HAS TO BE REVIEWED. AND I WOULD TELL THE GENTLEMAN, EVEN THOUGH THE BILL DOES NOT HAVE ANY SPECIFIC PROVISION REQUIRING COMPANIES TO TAKE DATA ACCESS TO INDIVIDUAL PLACES OF THE COMMONWEALTH, WHAT THIS DOES DO IS OVERALL CHANGE THE STRUCTURE OF HOW WE'RE DOING THE SYSTEM AND MAKES IT MORE COST EFFECTIVE FOR THAT INFORMATION TO GO OUT FARTHER. SO I'LL TELL THE GENTLEMAN, IN MANY OF THE AREAS THAT I REPRESENT, WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO 4 G TECHNOLOGY, WHICH WE DO HERE AT THE CAPITOL AND IN MANY OF THE METROPOLITAN AREAS OF THE COMMONWEALTH. EVEN IF YOU'RE IN SOME OF THOSE AREAS, YOU MIGHT HAVE A DIFFICULTY GETTING ACCESS TO IT, AS THE VOLUME INCREASES ON A GIVEN DAY OR NUMBER OF USERS ON IT. SO I DO THINK THIS IS GOING TO ALLOW THAT TYPE OF ACCESS TO GET OUT TO THE RURAL AREAS FASTER, TO HELP MY CONSTITUENTS, AND CERTAINLY AS REAGAN TRAVELS WITH ME TO THE NORTHERN NECK, AND MR. PRESIDENT, YOU USED TO REPRESENT OVER ON THE MIDDLE PENINSULA, ACCESS FOR HER TO GET THOSE NETFLIX SHOWS A LITTLE FART -- FASTER THAN SHE WAS ABLE TO NOW, AND SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE BUFFERRERRING, WHICH REALLY ANNOYS HER. THE SENATOR FROM FAIRFAX CITY, SENATOR PETERSON.
TO AMEND AND REENACT A SECTION OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA RELATING TO ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS ACT, EXEMPTION FOR CHARITABLE GAMING BOARD, REPORTED FROM THE COMMITTEE ON GENERAL LAWS.

Del. Bill Howell (R-Fredericksburg): THE GENTLEMAN FROM MIDDLESEX, MR. HODGES.

Del. Keith Hodges (R-Urbanna): THANK YOU MR. SPEAKER. SENATE BILL 1509 IS IDENTICAL TO MY HOUSE BILL 2177 THAT PASSED THIS BODY 91-6T. AMENDS THE STATUTES FOR GAME APPROVALS WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS ACT RELATING TO HOW THE OFFICE OF CHARITABLE GAMING AND ITS REGULATORY BODY WILL DEAL WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF GAMES UNDER ITS PURVIEW. I HOPE IT WILL BE THE