Guidelines for California脗聬s Solar Electric Incentive Programs
ION
GUIDELINES FOR CALIFORNIAS SOLAR
ELECTRIC INCENTIVE PROGRAMS
PURSUANT TO SENATE BILL 1
GUIDELINES
DECEMBER 2007
CEC-300-2007-012-CMF
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Governor
CALIFORNIA
ENERGY
COMMISSION
John L. Geesman
Presiding Commissioner,
Renewables Committee
Jackalyne Pfannenstiel
Chairman and Associate
Member, Renewables Committee
Melissa Jones
Executive Director
Bill Blackburn
Claudia Orlando
Supervisors
Mark Hutchison
Manager
RENEWABLE ENERGY
PROGRAM
Bill Pennington
Manager
BUILDINGS AND APPLIANCES
Valerie Hall
Deputy Director
EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE
ENERGY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ........................................................................................................................... v
CHAPTER 1: Introduction ............................................................................................... 1
Background ................................................................................................................. 2
Schedule...................................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 2: Minimum Program Requirements.............................................................. 5
Solar Energy System Definition ................................................................................... 5
Declining Incentives..................................................................................................... 5
Incentive Level for Publicly Owned Utilities ................................................................. 6
System Location and Grid Interconnection .................................................................. 6
Solar Energy System Components.............................................................................. 6
Performance Meter ...................................................................................................... 7
System Sized to Offset On-Site Electricity Load.......................................................... 7
System Warranty ......................................................................................................... 7
Installation ................................................................................................................... 7
Energy Efficiency ......................................................................................................... 8
CHAPTER 3: Solar Energy System Component Standards............................................ 9
Photovoltaic Modules................................................................................................... 9
Inverters..................................................................................................................... 10
Meters........................................................................................................................ 11
CHAPTER 4. Solar Energy System Design and Installation Standards and Incentives 12
Performance-Based Incentives.................................................................................. 12
Expected Performance-Based Incentives.................................................................. 13
Hourly Photovoltaic Production Calculation ........................................................... 14
Reference System and Location ............................................................................ 15
Incentive calculation............................................................................................... 16
Shading ..................................................................................................................... 16
Peak Load ................................................................................................................. 17
Field Verification ........................................................................................................ 17
Installation ................................................................................................................. 17
Performance Monitoring and Maintenance ................................................................ 18
CHAPTER 5: Energy Efficiency .................................................................................... 19
Newly Constructed Buildings ..................................................................................... 19
Residential Buildings.............................................................................................. 19
Commercial Buildings ............................................................................................ 20
Existing Buildings....................................................................................................... 22
Energy Audit, Information and Disclosure .............................................................. 22
Information to be provided to the building owner/manager/ratepayer: ................... 22
Disclosures to be provided by the building owner/manager/ratepayer: .................. 23
iii
Existing Commercial Buildings Benchmarking, Retro-Commissioning and Efficiency
Improvements............................................................................................................ 23
Benchmarking ........................................................................................................ 23
Retro-Commissioning............................................................................................. 24
Commitment Agreement ........................................................................................ 24
Energy Efficiency Exceptions for Existing Commercial Buildings........................... 25
Existing Residential Buildings.................................................................................... 25
Energy Audit Exception for Existing Residential Buildings ..................................... 25
Alternative Portfolio Energy Savings.......................................................................... 26
CHAPTER 6: Reporting Requirements ......................................................................... 27
Reporting Requirements for 2008.............................................................................. 27
Reporting Requirements Beginning in 2009 .............................................................. 28
APPENDIX 1: Criteria for Testing, Certification and Listing of Eligible Components..... 30
Photovoltaic Modules................................................................................................. 30
Inverters..................................................................................................................... 33
Meters........................................................................................................................ 35
APPENDIX 2: Field Verification and Diagnostic Testing of Photovoltaic Systems ........ 36
Background ............................................................................................................... 36
Responsibilities.......................................................................................................... 37
Field Verification and Diagnostic Testing Process..................................................... 37
Relationship to Other Codes, Standards and Verification.......................................... 38
Field Verification Visual Inspection ............................................................................ 39
Photovoltaic Modules ............................................................................................. 39
Inverters ................................................................................................................. 39
System Performance Meters.................................................................................. 39
Tilt and Azimuth ..................................................................................................... 39
Shading Verification................................................................................................... 43
Minimal Shading Criterion ...................................................................................... 43
Accounting for Actual Shading ............................................................................... 44
Measuring Heights and Distances or Altitude Angles............................................. 46
Mature Tree Height ................................................................................................ 48
Verification of System Performance........................................................................... 50
Measuring Solar Irradiance .................................................................................... 52
Measuring Ambient Air Temperature ..................................................................... 52
Observing Output AC Power at the Inverter........................................................... 52
Multiple Orientation Arrays..................................................................................... 52
APPENDIX 3: Senate Bill 1 (Murray, Statutes of 2006)................................................. 54
iv
Abstract
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programs爄n燙alifornia.
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