Standby services are applicable to Great River Energy’s all-requirements distribution members (AR member) with a retail member-consumer who has an eligible on-site distributed generation (DG) system.
In accordance with the Minnesota Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) order of Sept. 28, 2004 in Docket E999/CI-01-1023 pursuant to Minn. Statute 216B.1611 subdivision 3, Great River Energy (GRE) is required to supply, and the AR member is required to take, standby service under GRE’s Standby Service rate rider if the member-consumer’s DG system meets all of the following criteria:
- Is an operable, permanently installed or mobile generation system that supplies all or a portion of the member-consumer’s electrical load requirements;
- Is connected in parallel to the AR member’s distribution system and normally operates in an extended parallel configuration;
- Does not exceed 10,000 kilowatts (kW) of nameplate capacity interconnected at a point of common coupling to the AR member’s distribution system; and
- Is not used to participate in GRE’s Interruptible Commercial and Industrial Loads program, or any other demand-side management program.
GRE shall have no obligation to provide standby service for any member-consumer with a DG system that does not meet the above criteria except for member-consumers who are exempt from standby services.
Standby service
Standby service provides backup capacity and energy to an AR member when an eligible member-consumer’s DG system is unavailable to supply the member-consumer’s load requirements.
Firm standby service:
GRE will provide the AR member with standby capacity and energy at any time in all months with no notice.
Non-firm standby service:
GRE has no obligation to provide the AR member with any amount of standby capacity and energy. However, GRE will provide the AR member with standby capacity and energy if:
- The AR member requests use of standby service for a specific period of time from GRE prior to its actual use.
- An AR member’s standby usage request to GRE is limited to individual 24-hour periods during the months of June, July or August.
- GRE, in its sole discretion, approves the AR member’s use of standby service prior to its actual use.
- GRE has no obligation to approve the AR member’s request as submitted and retains the right to disapprove specific time periods of any request.
- GRE will make a good faith effort, but will have no obligation, to respond to requests made less than 24 hours prior to the start of the actual use.
GRE will not provide an AR member with both firm and non-firm standby service for the same member-consumer during an annual contract period.
Requirements
- The AR member must execute an ESA with a member-consumer that specifies:
- Nameplate rating of the DG system in kW
- Term of electric service agreement
- Initial term must be one year
- Successive terms must be for one-year periods
- Standby service requirements
- Type:
- Firm or
- Non-firm
- Type:
- Standby services provided on an annual basis only.
GRE will provide AR members with standby service for any eligible member-consumer. Standby service charges are calculated on a member-consumer specific basis and may not be combined or aggregated among different member-consumers.
Charges for service
GRE charges the AR member reservation fees and usage charges for standby service. The rates charged by each member distribution cooperative may vary. Contact your local distribution cooperative for applicable reservation fees and usage charges.
Reservation fees
GRE shall charge the AR member a monthly reservation fee equal to the fee specified in the table below multiplied by the member-consumer’s DG system production during the GRE monthly billing peak for either firm or non-firm standby service.
For the year 2021, Firm Standby Service Reservation Fees for Transmission & Ancillary Services are waived for eligible member-consumers with a DG system nameplate rating of less than 1MW.
Usage Charges
Contact your local distribution cooperative for usage charges.