Minnesota Forges New Rules For Easier Clean-Energy Interconnection

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) decided last week to make significant changes to its interconnection procedures in an effort to make it easier for clean-energy customers to connect to the grid.

Despite its reputation as being the Midwestern leader in community solar development, outdated interconnection rules had slowed the progress of community solar garden growth and caused frustration among solar advocates within the state.

With the help of he Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), Fresh Energy and the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC), the MPUC has adopted more straightforward rules and procedures that should speed up interconnection for clean-energy customers.

Among the new rules adoptedwere

the standardization of interconnection rules based on a 2014 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission model, making the learning curve for customers less steep;

a two-tier screen process for mid-sized process, which eliminates the need for all projects to undergo the full (and sometimes costly full study process). The fast track follows the FERC SGIP model but contain a few Minnesota specific modifications;

a simplified application and review process for small rooftop solar projects less than 20 kW.

new rules that include energy storage systems in the definition of eligible projects, creating a more clear process for energy storage customers to connect their projects to the grid.

new rules allow that allow interconnection customers to request a pre-application report from their utility, which allows customers to get a sense early in the process – before they make a large investment of time and money – whether a given project is likely to integrate into the grid at that location, without triggering major upgrades.

a new requirement that required utilities with more than 40 applications a year to publish a public interconnection queue that enables customers to track the progress of interconnection projects.

With these improvements adopted, the PUC will turn its attention to updating the technical standards document to include smart inverter settings, the requirements for energy storage, and the other deferred issues noted above.

The groups involved in shaping the new rules say there is still considerable work to be done to figure out exact processes and streamlining some of the rules, but the initial decision provides a good framework from which to start the fine-tuning.

“With this interconnection standard, Minnesota has laid the groundwork for our transition to clean energy, and will help drive the Minnesota market forward by bringing certainty and transparency,” adds Laura Hannah, senior policy associate at Fresh Energy, an independent nonprofit that provides in-depth policy analysis on energy issues across Minnesota. “The utilities will be much more prepared for increasing volumes of applications and modern technologies.”