Clean Energy Act mandates
Increase and extended the RPS requirement to 100% by 2032, with the solar energy requirement rising to 5.5% by 2032 and increasing to 10% by 2041 (CEDC Act of 2018, Section 101(b)(1)).
Working to meet the mandates
The Commission has several cases working to expand renewable energy generation in and around the District. The Commission approved a pilot project for Pepco, as the default service provider, to procure renewable energy through long-term power purchase agreements (PPA) for electricity generated by solar or wind power facilities located within the PJM Interconnection region with a target quantity of 5% of the Standard Offer Service load.
The Commission is also working to make it easier to build renewable energy systems in the District through improvements to distribution system interconnection processes. These improvements include creating an online portal for RPS applications that improve efficiency in the certification of renewable energy systems.
The Commission also increased the generation threshold for renewable energy facilities participating in net energy metering (NEM) to go beyond 100% of the customer’s historical usage and customer payment for excess generation. A renewable energy system participating in NEM can increase the generation threshold by 20% annually, starting in 2020, until the generation threshold reaches 200% in 2024.
The Commission is improving the Community Renewable Energy Facility (CREF) interconnection process and investigating the implementation of smart inverters.
The Commission also ensures electricity suppliers are compliant with the RPS standard.
Relevant cases
FC1017,
RM40-2020-01/FC1050,
FC1130,
RM9-2020-03,
RM29-2019-01
Status
Pepco issued a renewable energy procurement for the 5% PPA on October 15, 2020. An Independent Evaluator oversaw the process to assure a fair bidding process. Pepco received proposals in 2021 and continues to engage potential counterparties. Pepco is expected to submit an executed agreement to the Commission for action upon completion of its negotiations. The Commission will continue monitoring Pepco’s efforts on this matter.
The Commission issued a final rulemaking which included enhancements to foster CREF expansion, including an annual $500,000 for CREF system upgrades or funds allocated to cover up to $25,000 per project of Pepco investment needed to cover distribution system upgrade costs (up to 50% of the total upgrade costs per project).
The Commission conducted two workshops in 2020 on IEEE 1547-2018 regarding DER/smart inverter implementation. The Commission also revised its rules eliminating the requirement that CREFs be directly connected to the electric company’s distribution system. This change will facilitate the virtual CREF model for CREF interconnection and therefore help to advance the District’s energy and climate goals.
In its
2021 Biennial Report on Fuel Mix, the Commission reported that roughly 12% of the total energy sold in the District was generated from renewable energy sources.