Distributed Generation Contractor Licensing

April 20, 2012

Summary

 

-Employees of alternative retail electric suppliers

employees of contractors or subcontractors performing work on behalf of an ares have the requisite skills, knowledge, training, experience, and competence to provide reliable and safe electrical service

Each ARES, electric utility, contractor, subcontractor performing work on behalf of an electric utility or alternative retail electric supplier must demonstrate the competence of their respective employees to work on the distribution system

all of those must meet standards required of or by the electric utilities in illinois on january 1, 2007

the commission has an obligation to ensure that an electric utility is employing employees, contractors, subcontrators, with employees that meet the requirements of subsection a of this section when installing, constructing, operating, and maintaining generation, transmission, or distribution facilities and equipment within IL

To implement this requirement for alternative retail electric suppliers, teh commission, in determining that an applicant meets teh standards for certification as an alternative retail electric supplier, shall require the applicant to demonstrate that the applicant is licensed to do business and bonded and that the employees of the applicant that will be installing, operating, and maintaining generation, transmission, or distribution facilities within this State, or any entity with which the applicant has contracted to perform those functions within the state, have the requisite knowledge etc.

-Within 18 months of the act, the commission must adopt rules, including emergency rules, establishing certification requirements ensuring that entities installing distributed generation facilities are in compliance with the requirements of section 16-128

for purposes of this section, entities that are exempt from the definition of alternative retail suppliers.

"self installer" means an individual who leases or purchases cogeneration facility for his or her own personal use and installs such a cogeneration or self-generation facility on his or own premises without the assistance of any other person

The commission is authorized to determine which entities are subject to certification, impose reasonable certification fees and penalties, adopt disciplinary procedures, investigate any and all activities subject to this section, including violations therof, adtop procedures to issue or renew, or refuse to issue or renew, certification or revoke....

no electric utility shall provide a retail customer with net metering service related to interconnection of that customer's distributed generation facility unless the customer provides the electric utility with certification that the customer installing the distributed generation facility was a self-installer or evidence that the distributed generation facility was installed by an entity certified under this section that is also in good standing with the commission. For purposes of this section, a retail customer includes that customer's employees, officers, and agents. An electric utility shall files  atariff with the commission setting forth the documentation that a retail customer must provide to an electric utility.