BILL REQ. #:  S-3568.2 

Read first time 01/11/12.   Referred to Committee on Energy, Natural Resources & Marine Waters.

     AN ACT Relating to increasing the allowable electrical generating capacity of a net metering system owned by a municipality located east of the crest of the Cascade mountains to two megawatts; and amending RCW 80.60.010.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 80.60.010 and 2007 c 323 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly ((indicates)) requires otherwise.
     (1) "Commission" means the utilities and transportation commission.
     (2) "Customer-generator" means a user of a net metering system.
     (3) "Electrical company" means a company owned by investors that meets the definition of RCW 80.04.010.
     (4) "Electric cooperative" means a cooperative or association organized under chapter 23.86 or 24.06 RCW.
     (5) "Electric utility" means any electrical company, public utility district, irrigation district, port district, electric cooperative, or municipal electric utility that is engaged in the business of distributing electricity to retail electric customers in the state.
     (6) "Irrigation district" means an irrigation district under chapter 87.03 RCW.
     (7) "Meter aggregation" means the administrative combination of readings from and billing for all meters, regardless of the rate class, on premises owned or leased by a customer-generator located within the service territory of a single electric utility.
     (8) "Municipal electric utility" means a city or town that owns or operates an electric utility authorized by chapter 35.92 RCW.
     (9) "Net metering" means measuring the difference between the electricity supplied by an electric utility and the electricity generated by a customer-generator over the applicable billing period.
     (10)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, "net metering system" means a fuel cell, a facility that produces electricity and used and useful thermal energy from a common fuel source, or a facility for the production of electrical energy that generates renewable energy, and that:
     (((a))) (i) Has an electrical generating capacity of not more than one hundred kilowatts;
     (((b))) (ii) Is located on the customer-generator's premises;
     (((c))) (iii) Operates in parallel with the electric utility's transmission and distribution facilities; and
     (((d))) (iv) Is intended primarily to offset part or all of the customer-generator's requirements for electricity.
     (b) In addition to meeting the conditions of (a)(ii) through (iv) of this subsection, "net metering system" also means a facility that generates electricity using water and that:
     (i) Has an electrical generating capacity of not more than two megawatts;
     (ii) Is owned and operated by a municipality east of the crest of the Cascade mountains with a population between thirty-one thousand and thirty-two thousand based on the census 2010 summary file number one prepared by the United States census bureau; and
     (iii) Is served by an investor-owned electric utility whose rates are regulated by the commission.
     (11) "Premises" means any residential property, commercial real estate, or lands, owned or leased by a customer-generator within the service area of a single electric utility.
     (12) "Port district" means a port district within which an industrial development district has been established as authorized by Title 53 RCW.
     (13) "Public utility district" means a district authorized by chapter 54.04 RCW.
     (14) "Renewable energy" means energy generated by a facility that uses water, wind, solar energy, or biogas from animal waste as a fuel.