News Stories
Sponsored by Earth Etch. Regulatory insight and compliance solutions for today’s energy markets.
Order Implements Renewable Access For Low Income Electric Customers
NYPSC issued an order implementing the renewable energy access and community help program to benefit low- income end-use electricity customers within disadvantaged communities.
In this order, (1) for smaller projects of 5 megawatts or less the utilities must aggregate value of distributed energy resource value stack credits that are pooled together and distribute monthly benefits during all 12 months of the year, based on the value stack credits earned during the 12-month period ending 9/30 of the previous year, beginning 1/1/26; (2) for large-scale projects greater than 5 megawatts NYPA must utilize a formulaic approach in an amount proportional to each utility’s share of all current major utility Energy Affordability Policy electric and combined gas/electric customers residing within the boundaries of a disadvantaged community; (3) by 7/1 each year and beginning in 2026, utilities must file the total number of energy affordability program customers residing in a disadvantaged community, broken out by service type;(4) the utilities must apply credits on customer bills associated with the revenues received pursuant to the renewable energy access and community help program beginning 1/1/27; (5) on 3/1/25 each utility must file an annual report detailing the funds used to recover the implementation costs associated with renewable energy access and community help program implementation; (6) the utilities are permitted to defer the revenue requirement impacts of incremental costs incurred before billing starts for customer information system and billing system upgrades/modifications needed to be able to execute the renewable energy access and community help program, and the ongoing incremental costs to track various elements of the utility’s billing system; (7) within 60 days utilities must file an implementation plan which outlines the full implementation of the renewable energy access and community help program; (8) the utilities should aggregate the bill credits from the renewable energy access and community help program and state wide solar for all together and display them on one line of the electric customer’s delivery charges indicated as “S-SFA/REACH” credits;(9) the utilities must file tariff amendments effectuating a renewable energy access and community help program, on not less than 30 days’ notice to become effective on 1/1/25 on a temporary basis; (10) NYPA will only receive the NY- SUN base incentives, the Brownfield/Landfill adder and the prevailing wage adder, but not the community adder or inclusive community solar adder; and (11) by 3/1/26 and annually the utilities must file a accounting for the total number of renewable energy access and community help program beneficiaries enrolled, the total value of bill credits provided to program beneficiaries, the capacity and generation in operation.
Next Actions:
The utilities must file an implementation plan which outlines the full implementation of the renewable energy access and community help program by December 15, 2024.
Each utility must file an annual report detailing the funds used to recover the implementation costs associated with renewable energy access and community help program implementation by March 1, 2025.
The utilities must file tariff amendments effectuating a renewable energy access and community help program to become effective on January 1, 2025 on a temporary basis.
The utilities must file a accounting for the total number of renewable energy access and community help program beneficiaries enrolled, the total value of bill credits provided to program beneficiaries, the capacity and generation in operation by March 1, 2026.
The utilities must file the total number of energy affordability program customers residing in a disadvantaged community, broken out by service type by July 1 of each year and beginning in 2026.
The utilities must apply credits on customer bills associated with the revenues received pursuant to the renewable energy access and community help program beginning January 1, 2027.
As background, Proceeding for the petition of New York Power Authority to establish the Renewable Energy Access and Community Help (REACH) program.
A 2023 state law gave NYPA “enhanced authority to: (1) build renewable energy generating projects to help the State of New York meet its climate change energy targets; (2) provide or maintain an adequate and reliable supply of electric power and energy in the State, and (3) establish and support REACH by contributing funding for bill credits for low- income or moderate-income end-use electricity consumers in disadvantaged communities from the operation of new renewable energy generating projects.”
NYPA proposes that the electric utilities automatically enroll all EAP customers in REACH, even if such customers are already participating in a Community Choice Aggregation or have been automatically enrolled in a Solar for All program. NYPA also proposes “that REACH credits be made to the delivery charges of electric customer bills to ensure alignment with Solar for All and with the text of the REACH Enactment, which provides that such credits be made to electric delivery charges.34 Because the credits are to be made to electric delivery charges, the pool of affected jurisdictional load serving entities includes IOUs but excludes energy service companies and community choice aggregation administrators.”
Order (10/16/2024)
24-E-0084 (Opened 01/31/2024)
Petition of New York Power Authority to Establish the Renewable Energy Access and Community Help Program.
