20:10:36:02. Definitions.
Terms defined in SDCL 49-34A-1 have the same meaning when used in this chapter. In addition, terms used in this chapter mean:
(1) "Adverse system impact," a
negative effect caused by the proposed interconnection that may compromise the
safety and reliability of an electric transmission and distribution system;
(2) "Affected system," an electric
transmission and distribution system not owned or operated by the
interconnecting public utility, which may experience an adverse system impact
from the proposed interconnection;
(3) "Applicant," a person who has
submitted an application to interconnect a small generator facility to a public
utility's EDS;
(4) "Application," a request to
interconnect a small generator facility with a public utility's EDS. An
application shall follow the standard forms on file with the commission;
(5) "Area network," a type of electric
distribution system served by multiple transformers interconnected in an
electrical network circuit in order to provide high reliability of service.
This term has the same meaning as the term "secondary grid network"
as defined in IEEE 1547, section 4.1.4;
(6) "Certificate of completion," a
certificate signed by the applicant and attesting that the small generator
facility is complete, meets the requirements contained in this chapter, and has
been inspected, tested, and certified as physically ready for operation. The
certificate of completion shall follow the standard form on file with the
commission;
(7) "Commissioning," the process by
which a facility is tested to verify if it functions according to design
objectives or specifications;
(8) "Electric nameplate capacity," the
net maximum electric output capability measured in watts, kilowatts, or
megawatts of a generator facility as designated by the facility's manufacturer;
(9) "Electrical service agreement,"
the agreement between a public utility and a customer providing for electricity
and ancillary services according to provisions of a tariff;
(10) "Electric distribution system
(EDS)," the facilities and equipment used to transmit electricity to
ultimate usage points;
(11) "Fault current," electrical
current that flows through a circuit and is produced by an electrical fault,
such as to ground, double-phase to ground, three-phase to ground,
phase-to-phase, and three-phase;
(12) "FERC," the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission;
(13) "Field tested equipment,"
interconnection equipment that is identical to equipment that was approved, by
the public utility that interconnection is being requested from, for another
interconnection under a tier 4 study review and has successfully completed a
witness test within 36 months from the date of the submission of the current
application;
(14) "Good utility practice," a
practice, method, policy, or action engaged in or accepted by a significant
portion of the electric industry in a region which a reasonable utility
official would expect, in light of the facts reasonably discernable at the
time, to accomplish the desired result reliably, safely, and expeditiously;
(15) "IEEE 1547," standard 1547
published July 28, 2003, by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) entitled "Standard for Interconnecting Distributed
Resources with Electric Power Systems";
(16) "IEEE 1547.1," standard l547.1
published July 1, 2005, by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) entitled "Standard for Conformance Test Procedures for
Equipment Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power
Systems";
(17) "Interconnection agreement," an
agreement between an applicant or interconnection customer and the
interconnecting public utility that governs the connection of the small
generator facility to the public utility's EDS and the ongoing operation of the
small generator facility after it is connected to the system. An
interconnection agreement shall follow the standard form on file with the
commission;
(18) "Interconnection customer," a
person with a small generator facility that is interconnected to a public
utility in accordance with this chapter;
(19) "Interconnection equipment," a
group of components or an integrated system provided by the interconnection
customer to connect a small generator facility to a public utility's EDS,
including all interface equipment such as switchgear, protective devices,
inverters, or other interface devices. Interconnection equipment may be
installed as part of an integrated equipment package that includes a generator
or other electric source;
(20) "Interconnection facilities," the
facilities and equipment required by the electric utility to accommodate the
interconnection of a small generator facility to the public utility's EDS and
used exclusively to interconnect a specific small generator facility.
Interconnection facilities do not include system upgrades that may benefit the
public utility, other customers, other interconnection customers, or an owner
of an affected system;
(21) "Interconnection facilities
study," a study conducted by a public utility or a third-party consultant
retained by the public utility or the applicant that determines the additional
interconnection facilities and system upgrades required to interconnect the
small generator facility to the public utility's EDS, the cost of the
facilities and upgrades, and the time required to complete the interconnection;
(22) "Interconnection facilities study
agreement," a contract between the applicant and the interconnecting
public utility that provides a detailed scope and timeline for the
interconnection facilities study and a good faith, non-binding estimate of the
costs to perform the study. An interconnection facilities study agreement shall
follow the standard form on file with the commission;
(23) "Interconnection feasibility
study," a preliminary evaluation of the system impact and cost of
interconnecting the small generator facility to the public utility's EDS;
(24) "Interconnection feasibility study
agreement," a contract between the applicant and the interconnecting
public utility that provides a scope, timeline, and good faith, non-binding
estimate of the costs for the public utility to conduct an interconnection
feasibility study for the applicant. An interconnection feasibility study
agreement shall follow the standard form on file with the commission;
(25) "Interconnection request," an
applicant's submission of an application for interconnection to the EDS of a
public utility;
(26) "Interconnection service,"
service to an electric customer under which an on-site generating facility on a
customer's premises is connected to local distribution facilities;
(27) "Interconnection system impact
study," an engineering study performed by the public utility that
evaluates the impact of the proposed interconnection on the safety and
reliability of the EDS. The study focuses on the adverse system impacts
identified in the interconnection feasibility study and other potential
impacts, including those identified in the scoping meeting;
(28) "Interconnection system impact study
agreement," a contract between the applicant and the interconnecting
public utility that provides a statement of scope, timeline, and a good faith,
non-binding estimate of the cost to conduct an interconnection system impact
study. An interconnection system impact study agreement shall follow the
standard form on file with the commission;
(29) "Lab tested equipment,"
interconnection equipment which has been tested by the original equipment
manufacturer in accordance with IEEE 1547.1 and found to be in compliance with
the appropriate codes and standards referenced therein and is labeled and
listed by an NRTL. For interconnection equipment to gain status as lab tested
equipment, its use must fall within the use or uses for which the interconnection
equipment is labeled and listed by the NRTL, and the generator or other
electric source being utilized must be compatible with the interconnection
equipment and consistent with the testing and listing specified for the type of
interconnection equipment;
(30) "Line section," the portion of a
public utility's EDS connected to an interconnection customer and bounded by
automatic sectionalizing devices or the end of the distribution line;
(31) "Minor equipment modification," a
change to the proposed small generator facility, the output capacity of the
facility, or the proposed interconnection equipment that:
(a) Does
not affect the application of the screening criteria in tiers 1, 2, or 3;
(b) In
the public utility's reasonable opinion, does not have a material impact on
safety or reliability of the public utility's EDS or an affected system; and
(c) Does
not include a change in the electric nameplate capacity of an existing small
generator facility;
(32) "Nationally recognized testing
laboratory (NRTL)," a qualified private organization that performs
independent safety testing and product certification. Each NRTL shall meet the
requirements as set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
for an NRTL program;
(33) "Parallel operation" or
"parallel," a small generator facility that is connected electrically
to an EDS and the potential exists for electricity to flow from the small
generator facility to the EDS or for the small generator facility and the EDS
to simultaneously feed the same load;
(34) "Pending completed application,"
an application for interconnection of other small generator facilities or FERC
wholesale generators that the public utility has deemed completed but has not
yet reviewed or approved pursuant to applicable procedures;
(35) "Point of interconnection," the
point where the small generator facility is electrically connected to the
public utility's EDS;
(36) "Primary line," a distribution
line with an operating voltage greater than 480 volts;
(37) "Queue position," the order of a
completed application, relative to all other pending completed applications,
that is established based upon the date and time of the interconnecting public
utility's receipt of the completed application, including application fees;
(38) "Radial distribution circuit," a
circuit configuration in which independent feeders branch out radially from a
common source of supply;
(39) "Scoping meeting," an initial
meeting between representatives of the applicant and the interconnecting public
utility that is conducted for the purpose of discussing alternative
interconnection options, to exchange information, including any EDS data and
earlier study evaluations that would be reasonably expected to impact such
interconnection options, to analyze the information, or to determine the
potentially feasible points of interconnection;
(40) "Secondary line," a service line
subsequent to the public utility's primary line that has an operating voltage
of 480 volts or less;
(41) "Shared secondary line," a
service line subsequent to the public utility's primary line that has an
operating voltage of 480 volts or less that serves more than one customer;
(42) "Small generator facility," a
facility for the production of electrical energy that has an electric nameplate
capacity of ten megawatts or less and can operate in parallel with a public
utility's EDS;
(43) "Spot network," a type of
electric EDS that uses two or more inter-tied transformers protected by network
protectors to supply an electrical network circuit. A spot network may be used
to supply power to a single customer or a small group of customers;
(44) "System upgrade," an addition or
modification to the interconnecting public utility's EDS or to an affected system
that is required to accommodate the proposed interconnection. A system upgrade
does not include interconnection facilities;
(45) "Transmission line," a line owned
by the public utility and controlled or operated by either the public utility
or a regional transmission organization and defined by using guidelines
established by either FERC, the commission, or both, which is not part of the
public utility's distribution system or any generation system;
(46) "Witness test," the on-site
visual verification of the interconnection installation and commissioning as
required in IEEE 1547, sections 5.3 and 5.4. For interconnection equipment that
does not meet the definition of lab tested equipment, the witness test may, at
the discretion of the public utility, also include a system design and
production evaluation according to IEEE 1547, sections 5.1 and 5.2, as
applicable to the specific interconnection system technology employed;
(47) "Written notice," a required
notice sent by the public utility or applicant via electronic mail, if
electronic mail addresses are provided. If a party has not provided an
electronic mail address, or has requested in writing to be notified by United
States mail, or a party elects to provide written notice by United States mail,
then written notices from the party shall be sent via first class United States
mail. A party will be considered to have fulfilled its duty to respond under
these rules on the day it sends the written notice via electronic mail or
deposits such notice in first class mail. Each party will be responsible for
informing other parties of any change in its notification address.
Source: 35 SDR
305, effective July 1, 2009; 38 SDR 116, effective January 10, 2012.
General Authority:
SDCL 49-34A-27, 49-34A-93.
Law Implemented:
SDCL 49-34A-27, 49-34A-93.
Reference: Standard 1547 for Interconnecting
Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems, published on July 28,
2003; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Copies may be obtained
from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 445 Hoes Lane,
Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854 or at http://www.ieee.org/portal/site.
Cost: $89.
Reference: Standard 1547.1 for Conformance Test
Procedures for Equipment Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric
Power Systems, published on July 1, 2005; Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers. Copies may be obtained from the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854 or at http://www.ieee.org/portal/site.
Cost: $89.