Sec. 20.50.09.14. Record Retention and Reporting Requirements

A. A utility shall retain records of the following for a minimum of 7 years:

(1) The total number nameplate capacity and total fees charged for the interconnection requests received, approved, and denied under Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 reviews;

(2) The number of evaluations of interconnections requests approved and denied using any alternate process under Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 reviews;

(3) The fuel type, if appropriate, total number, and nameplate capacity of small generator facilities approved in each of the following categories:

(a) Net metering;

(b) Emergency standby capable of operating in parallel;

(c) Behind the meter load offset;

(d) Combined heat and power;

(e) Energy storage devices; and

(f) Other;

(4) The number of interconnection requests that were not processed within the deadlines established for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 reviews in this chapter;

(5) The number of scoping meetings held, the number of feasibility studies, impact studies, and facility studies performed, and the fees charged for these studies;

(6) The justifications for the actions taken to deny interconnection requests;

(7) The number of interconnection requests that were not processed within the deadlines established for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 reviews in this chapter due to a PJM Interconnection, LLC market process study; and

(8) Any special operating requirements required in interconnection agreements, which are permitted only for generating facilities with a nameplate capacity greater than 2 MW, that are not part of the utility's standard operating procedures applicable to small generator facilities.

B. A utility shall retain records of interconnection studies it performs to determine the feasibility, system impacts, and facilities required by the interconnection of any small generator facility for a minimum of 7 years.

C. A utility shall file not later than April 1 of each year a report entitled “Annual Small Generator Interconnection Report” to the Commission containing the following information for the preceding calendar year:

(1) The total number of and the nameplate capacity of the interconnection requests received, approved, and denied under Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 reviews;

(2) The number of evaluations of interconnections requests approved and denied using any alternate process under Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 reviews;

(3) The fuel type, or energy storage type, total number, and total nameplate capacity of small generator facilities approved in each of the following categories:

(a) Net metering;

(b) Emergency standby capable of operating in parallel;

(c) Behind the meter load offset;

(d) Combined heat and power;

(e) Energy storage devices; and

(f) Other;

(4) The number of interconnection requests that were not processed within the deadlines established for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 reviews and permission to operate notices in this chapter;

(5) The total number of interconnection requests denied and the reason for each denial;

(6) Each interconnection request for a proposed small generator facility that received a cost estimate or incurred an actual cost of at least $10,000 for interconnection facilities or distribution upgrades and was completed during the reporting year, which shall include:

(a) A list of the nameplate capacity of the proposed small generator facility;

(b) Cost variance;

(c) Variance percentage; and

(d) If required, a summary explanation on why the actual cost of facilities or upgrades was at least 10 percent greater than the cost estimate provided;

(7) The number of scoping meetings held, the number of feasibility studies, impact studies, facility studies, and combined studies performed and the total fees charged for these studies;

(8) For each interconnection request for a proposed small generator facility that failed to meet Level 2 criteria according to Regulation .10F of this chapter, a list of the queue number, reason for failure to meet Level 2 criteria, if the applicant requested additional review, whether the additional review was completed within 30 calendar days, or if the applicant decided to request interconnection under Level 4 criteria;

(9) The current utility status and future plans and schedule for implementation of hosting capacity reporting systems or improvements to existing hosting capacity reporting systems;

(10) Beginning April 1, 2021, a utility shall also report annually for the previous year:

(a) The total number of restricted circuits and the total number of closed circuits;

(b) The number of interconnection requests totaled for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 that were denied due to restricted circuits and the total number that were denied due to closed circuits;

(c) The number of interconnection requests for inadvertent export totaled for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 that were approved, denied, or suspended due to non-compliance pursuant to Regulation .06P(1)(g) of this chapter;

(d) The number of interconnection requests for net system capacity totaled for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 that were approved, denied, or suspended due to non-compliance pursuant to Regulation .06P(1)(g) of this chapter;

(e) The number of cancelled small generator facility projects that result in interconnection costs to subsequent small generator facility projects in the same interconnection queue; and

(f) The number of small generator facility projects that delay payment for a distribution system upgrade until the time a first higher small generator facility project in an interconnection queue is ready to interconnect; and

(11) Beginning April 1, 2023, a utility shall also report annually for the previous year:

(a) The number of approved interconnection requests totaled for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 that utilize default utility required inverter setting profiles; and

(b) The number of approved interconnection requests totaled for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 that utilize site-specific utility required inverter setting profiles.

D. The utility shall file a notice with the Commission describing any interconnection equipment the utility has considered field-approved for its distribution system within 90 days after granting approval for the interconnection of a small generator facility using the field-approved interconnection equipment.

E. For any small generator facility receiving an interconnection impact study, the utility shall list and explain any study for which the cost of the actual upgrade exceeded the impact study’s estimate by at least 25 percent.

F. For any small generator facility receiving an interconnection facilities study, the utility shall list and explain any study for which the cost of the actual upgrade exceeded the impact study’s estimate by at least 10 percent.

G. The utility shall send a weekly electronic confidential report to Commission Staff of all solar facilities successfully interconnected. The weekly electronic confidential report shall:

(1) Be compatible with the format requirements of PSC and MD State IT departments to facilitate the processing of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs); and

(2) Contain the name of the customer, the address, the size of the facility (kW DC) and the date of final approval (net meter set).