SB 642 - This act provides that a retail electric supplier shall offer net metering to customers who generate their own electricity pursuant to tariffs approved by the Public Service Commission or by the governing body of an electrical cooperative or a municipally owned electric utility at rates identical to rates if such customers did not generate electricity. The act repeals the provision stating that such retail electric supplier shall not charge such customer-generator any additional fee, as described in the act, that would not be charged if the customer was not an eligible customer-generator.
In the alternative, the rates may be reasonably calculated to recover the portion of the electric supplier's fixed and demand costs that are not eliminated by the customer's operation of an electric energy generation unit.
The act further provides that a retail electric supplier shall disclose annually the availability of the net metering program to its customers or members.
If the customer-generator's facility needs additional equipment, such customer-generator shall reimburse the retail electric supplier for the cost of such equipment including, but not limited to, necessary electric distribution system upgrades.
All qualified electric energy generation units utilizing battery backup shall be installed to operate completely isolated from the retail electric supplier's system including, but not limited to, all neutral connections and grounding points, during times of backup operation. Unless allowed under the net-metering charge requirements, no supplier shall impose fees or other requirements not authorized by the current law.
A retail-electric supplier may require the customer-generator system to have adequate surge protection that would allow emergency response personnel to manually and instantly disconnect the unit from electric distribution system.
A customer-generator application for interconnection of a qualified electric energy generation unit meeting the net metering requirements shall be accompanied by the plan for the customer-generator's electrical generating system, unless mutually agreed to.
Currently, a customer-generator must submit to a retail electric supplier a certification of proper installation from a professional electrician or engineer. Under the act, if such professional electrician or engineer is not licensed, the retail electric supplier may require a bond or other form of surety to ensure the safe installation and operation of the qualified electric energy generation unit.
All net metering systems operating under the current Missouri law shall comply with the applicable federal law.
This act is identical to HB 709 (2023) and HB 991 (2023).
JULIA SHEVELEVA