This email serves as notice that pursuant to its authority under 225 CMR 14.00 and 225 CMR 20.00, DOER has coordinated with the electric distribution companies to establish
November 26, 2018 as the transition date from the SREC II Program to the SMART Program.
This date has been selected to ensure that the distribution companies have sufficient time to comply with all requirements of the Department of Public Utilities DPU-17-140-A order on the model SMART tariff and to ensure an orderly transition between the programs. Specifically, this will give the distribution companies the necessary time to be ready to expeditiously install production meters following the transition date so that they may begin issuing payments to the first customers to enroll under the SMART tariffs.
SMART Application Portal and Queue
As of 12:00 PM ET on November 26, 2018, the SMART Statement of Qualification application portal managed by CLEAResult, the Solar Program Administrator, will open to begin accepting Statement of Qualification Applications for prospective Solar Tariff Generation Units (“STGU”) seeking to qualify under SMART. This will mark the start of the Initial Application Period, as described Section 3(a) of DOER’s
Statement of Qualification Reservation Period Guideline.
The initial application period will last until 11:59 PM ET on November 30, 2018. All applications received between 12:00 PM ET November 26, 2018 and 11:59 PM ET November 30, 2018 will be considered to have been received at the same time for the purposes of establishing a queue to process applications for placement into Capacity Blocks. All applications received on or after 12:00 AM ET December 1, 2018 will be reviewed on a first come, first served, basis.
SMART Webinar
On October 24, 2018, CLEAResult, DOER, and the electric distribution companies will host a webinar from 3:00 PM ET – 5:00 PM ET that will provide a demonstration of the application portal and a walkthrough of the steps involved in submitting an application. This webinar will be recorded and posted to
www.masmartsolar.com. Click here to register for the webinar and participate in real-time.
SREC II Transition Process
Facilities that intend to qualify under SREC II must meet the following deadlines and requirements:
Facilities 25 kW DC and Less
A facility sized 25 kW DC or less must have received its permission to operate or authorization to interconnect on or before November 26, 2018 in order to qualify for SREC II. Applicants will have until February 15, 2019 to submit an SREC II application for facilities that meet this and all other program eligibility criteria.
Facilities Larger than 25 kW DC
A facility larger than 25 kW DC must demonstrate that it was mechanically complete on or before November 26, 2018 in order to qualify for SREC II. Documentation that a facility was mechanically complete by this date must be submitted to DOER by no later than December 10, 2018, and may include one of the following:
1. A completed Certificate of Completion signed by the local wiring inspector;
2. Documentation that a wiring inspection has been scheduled for a date shortly after November 26, 2018;
3. A signed affidavit from the engineer of record that the facility is mechanically complete and is only awaiting the authorization to interconnect from the local utility company; or
4. Other documentation satisfactory to DOER.
Tariff Information
Pursuant to 225 CMR 20.05 (2), a STGU that receives a Statement of Qualification under the SMART Program will be eligible to receive payments upon the effective date of the SMART Tariffs as approved by the DPU. In the 17-140-A Order (“17-140-A”), the DPU established the process by which the Electric Distribution Companies (“Distribution Companies” or “Company” individually) will finalize Company-specific SMART Tariffs. The Distribution Companies will be filing a joint model “SMART Provision”, which is the SMART tariff, not later than October 15, 2018. Following DPU review, the DPU will render its decision on the model SMART Provision and direct each Company to file company-specific SMART Provisions, which are further subject to review and approval by the DPU. Consistent with 17-140-A, the Distribution Companies will not begin to issue incentive payments or apply Alternative On Bill Credits until the DPU approves company-specific SMART Provisions. However, if the DPU approval of the company-specific SMART Provisions has not yet occurred prior to November 26, 2018, Statement of Qualification Applications for facilities seeking eligibility under SMART may still be submitted for review and approval by the Solar Program Administrator and DOER, as described above.
All stakeholder questions on the transition process or the SMART application process should be directed to DOER.SMART@mass.gov or MA.SMART@clearesult.com. All questions related to SREC II eligibility should be directed to DOER.SREC@mass.gov.
Regards,
Michael Judge
Director, Renewable and Alternative Energy Development
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
