220 CMR, § 18.02
The terms set forth in 220 CMR 18.02 shall be defined as follows, unless the context otherwise requires.
Administrator. The qualified entity selected by the Department to facilitate the System of Assurance.
Agricultural Net Metering Facility. A Renewable Energy Generating Facility that is operated as part of an agricultural business and is not participating in the Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Program, generates electricity, does not have a generation capacity of more than two megawatts, is located on land owned or controlled by the agricultural business, and is used to provide energy to metered accounts of the business. Agriculture has the same meaning as provided in M.G.L. c. 128, § 1A; provided that, when necessary, the Commissioner of the Department of Agricultural Resources shall determine if a business is an agricultural business and whether the facility is operated as part of that business.
Anaerobic Digestion Net Metering Facility. A facility that:
Billing Period. The period of time set forth in a Distribution Company's terms and conditions for which a Distribution Company bills a Customer for its electricity consumed or estimated to have been consumed.
Cap Allocation. An assurance from the Administrator that a Host Customer will receive Net Metering services upon a Host Customer's receipt from a Distribution Company of notice of authorization to interconnect.
Cap Exempt Facility. A Nameplate Cap Exempt Facility or a Cap Exempt Facility Serving Onsite Load.
Cap Exempt Facility Serving On-site Load. A Class I Net Metering Facility with a nameplate capacity greater than 25 kilowatts, Class II Net Metering Facility, or Class III Net Metering Facility with an executed interconnection service agreement with a Distribution Company dated on or after January 1, 2021, provided that it is an eligible Renewable Energy Generating Facility pursuant to M.G.L. c. 164, § 138 and serves On-site Load, and provided further that it is not a Net Metering Facility of a Municipality or Other Governmental Entity.
Class I Net Metering Facility. A plant or equipment that is used to produce, manufacture, or otherwise generate electricity, that has a nameplate capacity of 60 kilowatts or less, and that is not a Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Facility participating in the Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Program; provided, however, that a Class I Net Metering Facility of a Municipality or Other Governmental Entity may have a nameplate capacity of less than or equal to 60 kilowatts per unit. Each Municipality or Other Governmental Entity may have an aggregate nameplate capacity of not more than ten megawatts.
Class II Net Metering Facility. An Agricultural Net Metering Facility, Anaerobic Digestion Net Metering Facility, Solar Net Metering Facility, or Wind Net Metering Facility with a nameplate capacity of more than 60 kilowatts but less than or equal to one megawatt; provided, however, that a Class II Net Metering Facility of a Municipality or Other Governmental Entity may have a nameplate capacity of more than 60 kilowatts but less than or equal to one megawatt per unit. Each Municipality or Other Governmental Entity may have an aggregate nameplate capacity of not more than ten megawatts.
Class III Net Metering Facility. An Agricultural Net Metering Facility, Anaerobic Digestion Net Metering Facility, Solar Net Metering Facility, or Wind Net Metering Facility with a nameplate capacity of more than one megawatt but less than or equal to two megawatts; provided, however, that a Class III Net Metering Facility of a Municipality or Other Governmental Entity may have a nameplate capacity of more than one megawatt but less than or equal to two megawatts per unit. Each Municipality or Other Governmental Entity may have an aggregate nameplate capacity of not more than ten megawatts.
Customer. Any person, partnership, corporation, or any other entity, whether public or private, who obtains distribution service at a customer delivery point and who is a customer of record of the Distribution Company for its own electricity consumption.
Department. Department of Public Utilities.
Distribution Company. A company engaging in the distribution of electricity or owning, operating or controlling distribution facilities; provided, however, that a Distribution Company shall not include any entity which owns or operates plant or equipment used to produce electricity, except for facilities provided in M.G.L. c. 164, § 1A(f), steam and chilled water, or an affiliate engaged solely in the provision of such electricity, steam and chilled water, where the electricity produced by such entity or its affiliate is primarily for the benefit of hospitals and nonprofit educational institutions, and where such plant or equipment was in operation before January 1, 1986.
Governmental Cooperative. A cooperative, organized pursuant to M.G.L. c. 164, § 136, whose members or shareholders are all Municipalities or Other Governmental Entities.
Host Customer. A Customer with a Class I Net Metering Facility, Class II Net Metering Facility, Class III Net Metering Facility, or Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Facility participating in the Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Program that generates electricity on the Customer's side of the meter.
ISO-NE. ISO New England Inc., the independent system operator for New England, or its successor, authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to operate the New England bulk power system and administer New England's organized wholesale electricity market pursuant to the ISO-NE Open Access Transmission Tariff and operation agreements with transmission owners.
Locational Marginal Price (LMP). The price of electric energy set by ISO-NE at each load zone, external interface with neighboring regions, and the hub that reflects:
Market Net Metering Credit. A Net Metering Credit provided by a Distribution Company for the net excess electricity generated and fed back to the Distribution Company by a New Solar Net Metering Facility and other Solar Net Metering Facilities that are not Cap Exempt Facilities after 25 years from the date that each Solar Net Metering Facility was first authorized to interconnect to the electric distribution system as provided by M.G.L. c. 164, § 139(k).
Municipality. A city or town.
Nameplate Cap Exempt Facility. A Class I Net Metering Facility that is an eligible Renewable Energy Generating Facility pursuant to M.G.L. c. 164, § 138 and has a nameplate capacity rating equal to or less than 25 kilowatts.
Neighborhood. A geographic area within a Municipality, subject to the right of the Department to grant exceptions pursuant to 220 CMR 18.09(7), that:
Neighborhood Net Metering Facility. A Class I Net Metering Facility, Class II Net Metering Facility, or Class III Net Metering Facility that:
Net Metering. The process of measuring the difference between electricity delivered by a Distribution Company and electricity generated by a Class I Net Metering Facility, Class II Net Metering Facility, Class III Net Metering Facility, or Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Facility participating in the Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Program and fed back to the Distribution Company.
Net Metering Credit. Any credit, including a Market Net Metering Credit and a Neighborhood Net Metering Credit as defined in M.G.L. c. 164, § 138, provided by a Distribution Company for the net excess electricity generated and fed back to the Distribution Company by a Class I Net Metering Facility, Class II Net Metering Facility, Class III Net Metering Facility, Neighborhood Net Metering Facility, or Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Facility participating in the Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Program.
Net Metering Facility of a Municipality or Other Governmental Entity. A Class I Net Metering Facility, Class II Net Metering Facility, or Class III Net Metering Facility:
New Solar Net Metering Facility.
On-site Load. Any new or existing electric load located at the site of a Net Metering facility, other than parasitic load that may result from the installation and operation of the Net Metering facility, and that is wired to be served by a portion of the electrical energy output from the Net Metering facility before the balance of such output passes through the Net Metering facility's metered interconnection onto the electric grid. An energy storage system, as defined in M.G.L. c. 164, § 1, does not constitute On-site Load.
Other Governmental Entity. A department or agency of the Federal government or of the Commonwealth, and any other entity as approved by the Department.
Renewable Energy. Energy generated from any source that qualifies as a Class I or Class II Renewable Energy generating source under M.G.L. c. 25A, § 11F; provided, however, that after conducting administrative proceedings, the Department of Energy Resources, in consultation with the Department of Agricultural Resources, may add technologies or technology categories.
Renewable Energy Generating Facility. A facility that generates energy from any source that qualifies as a Class I or Class II Renewable Energy generating source under M.G.L. c. 25A, § 11F; provided, however, that after conducting administrative proceedings, the Department of Energy Resources, in consultation with the Department of Agricultural Resources, may add technologies or technology categories.
Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Facility. A facility for the production of electrical energy that uses water to generate electricity, with a nameplate capacity of two megawatts or less, and is interconnected to a Distribution Company.
Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Program. A distinct technology-specific Net Metering program wherein each Small Hydroelectric Net Metering Facility that seeks to net meter while the program is open participates in a separate cap and generates a Net Metering Credit pursuant to M.G.L. c. 164, § 139A.
Solar Net Metering Facility. A facility for the production of electrical energy that uses sunlight to generate electricity and is interconnected to a Distribution Company.
System of Assurance. The Massachusetts System of Assurance of Net Metering Eligibility, as established by the Department pursuant to M.G.L. c. 164, § 139(g).
Wind Net Metering Facility. A facility for the production of electrical energy that uses wind to generate electricity and is interconnected to a Distribution Company.
220 CMR, § 18.02