HomeMy Public PortalAbout026-2018 - RP&L Interconnection - StrickenCOMMON COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF RICHMOND, INDIANA
ORDINANCE NO.26-2018
A SPECIAL ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING INTERCONNECTION
STANDARDS FOR RICHMOND POWER AND LIGHT
WHEREAS, The City of Richmond, Indiana ("City"), owns and operates its own electric utility
under the supervision and control of the Richmond Power and Light Board under
IC 8-1.5-3-4; and
WHEREAS, On November 16, 2010, the Common Council ("Common Council") of the City
previously passed Special Ordinance No. 54-2010 in connection with the net energy
metering for the Richmond Power and Light Company ("RP&L") to provide for
the arrangement of equipment for the production of electricity from the solar, wind,
biomass, geothermal, or hydroelectric facilities owned by RP&L customers and to
provide for the development of a net metering program to encourage users to
become more energy efficient; and
WHEREAS, The safety of utility workers and the general public requires inspection and testing
of equipment arranged for the production of electricity from solar, wind, biomass,
geothermal, or hydroelectric facilities ("renewable generation facilities") that are
owned and operated by residential, commercial or industrial customers of the utility
and connected to the utility's electrical grid; and
WHEREAS, The Council, under recommendation of the Richmond Power and Light Board has
determined that it is necessary to establish standards for the interconnection of such
renewable generation facilities to the utility's grid; and
WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of the City to repeal Ordinance No. 54-2010 in order that
the said interconnection standards recommended by the RP&L Board may be
established and implemented in connection with the utility's electrical grid as
further outlined in this Ordinance and as said standards and/or RP&L technical
interconnection requirements may be further outlined in Ordinance No. 27-2018.
NOW THEREFORE. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The findings and determinations set forth in the preambles to this Ordinance
are hereby made findings and determinations of the Council.
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SECTION 2. A customer desiring to interconnect renewable generation facilities with the
utility's grid shall complete an interconnection application and submit the application to the utility
for review. After receipt of the application, the utility shall conduct such further inspection of the
renewable generation facilities as the utility deems necessary and approve or deny the application.
If the application is denied, the utility shall provide a written response to the customer explaining
why the application was denied. The utility is hereby authorized to charge a reasonable application
fee to offset costs involved with reviewing the application, inspecting the renewable generation
facilities, and otherwise ensuring compliance with this Ordinance.
SECTION 3. If the interconnection application is approved, then the customer agrees that
no changes shall be made to the configuration of the renewable generation facilities, as that
configuration is described in the application, and no relay or other control or protection settings
specified in the application shall be set, reset, adjusted or tampered with, except to the extent
necessary to verify that the renewable generation facilities comply with the utility's approved
settings.
SECTION 4. In addition to such other requirements as the utility deems necessary, any
renewable generation facility allowed to interconnect to the utility's grid must comply with: (a)
the National Electrical Code and the National Electrical Safety Code, as each may be revised from
time to time; (b) the utility's rules and regulations and the utility's General Terms and Conditions
for Electric Service, each as contained in the utility's Electric Tariff and each as may be revised
from time to time; and (c) all other applicable local, state, and federal codes and laws, as the same
may be in effect from time to time.
SECTION 5. For any approved renewable generation facilities interconnected to the
utility's grid, the customer shall install, operate, and maintain, at the customer's sole cost and
expense, the renewable generation facilities in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers' applicable Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with
Electric Power Systems, as it may be amended from time to time. The customer shall be
responsible for protecting, at the customer's sole cost and expense, the renewable generation
facilities from any condition or disturbance on the utility's electric system, including, but not
limited to, voltage sags or swells, system faults, outages, loss of a single phase of supply,
equipment failures, and lightning or switching surges.
SECTION 6. The customer shall operate any interconnected renewable generation facilities
in such a manner as not to cause undue fluctuations in voltage, intermittent load characteristics or
otherwise interfere with the operation of the utility's electric system. At all times when the
renewable generation facilities are being operated in parallel with the utility's electric system, the
customer shall operate the renewable generation facilities in a manner that no disturbance will be
produced to the service rendered by the utility to any of its other customers or to any electric system
interconnected with the utility's electric system. The customer's control equipment for the
renewable generation facilities shall immediately, completely, and automatically disconnect and
isolate the renewable generation facilities from the utility's electric system in the event of a fault
on the utility's electric system, a fault on the customer's renewable generation facilities, or loss of
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a source or sources on the utility's electric system. The automatic disconnecting device included
in such control equipment shall not be capable of reclosing until after service is restored on the
utility's electric system. Additionally, if the fault is with the customer's renewable generation
facilities, such automatic disconnecting device shall not be reclosed until after the fault is isolated
from the customer's renewable generation facilities.
SECTION 7. Upon reasonable advance notice to the customer, the utility shall have access
to any interconnected renewable generation facilities to perform on -site inspections to verify that
the installation and operation of the renewable generation facilities comply with the requirements
of this Ordinance and to verify the proper installation and continuing safe operation of the
renewable generation facilities. The utility shall also have at all times immediate access to breakers
or any other equipment that will isolate the renewable generation facilities from the utility's
electric system. The utility shall not be responsible for any costs the customer may incur as a result
of such inspection(s). The utility shall have the right and authority to isolate approved
interconnected renewable generation facilities at the utility's sole discretion if the utility believes
that: (a) continued interconnection and parallel operation of the renewable generation facilities
with the utility's electric system creates or contributes (or will create or contribute) to a system
emergency on either the utility's or the customer's electric facilities; (b) the renewable generation
facilities are not in compliance with the requirements of this Ordinance; or (c) the renewable
generation facilities interfere with the operation of the utility's electric system. In non -emergency
situations, the utility shall give the customer reasonable notice prior to isolating the renewable
generation facilities.
SECTION 8. Customer shall procure and keep in force during all periods of parallel
operation of the renewable generation facilities with the utility's electric system, homeowners,
commercial, or other insurance to protect the interests of the utility as a named insured, with
insurance carriers acceptable to the utility, and in amounts not less than those reasonably
determined by the utility to be necessary taking into consideration the nameplate capacity,
configuration and type of the renewable generation facilities. The customer shall indemnify and
hold harmless the utility, the City or Richmond Indiana, its employees, representatives, agents and
subcontractors from and against all claims, liability, damages and expenses, including attorney's
fees, based on any injury to any person, including the loss of life, or damage to any property,
including the loss of use thereof, arising out of, resulting from, or connected with, or that may be
alleged to have arisen out of, resulted from, or connected with, an act or omission by the customer,
its employees, agents, representatives, successors or assigns in the construction, ownership,
operation or maintenance of the customer's renewable generation facilities. If the utility is required
to bring an action to enforce its rights under this Section 8 of the Ordinance, either as a separate
action or in connection with another action, and said rights are upheld, the customer shall
reimburse the utility for all expenses, including attorney's fees, incurred in connection with such
action.
SECTION 9. It shall be unlawful for any person or entity to connect or maintain the
connection of a renewable generating facility to the utility's grid without obtaining the utility's
approval of an interconnection application. Any person or entity found to be in violation of this
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section shall be fined not less than $500, nor more than $2,500 for each such violation, plus costs.
In addition to the foregoing fines and at the utility's sole discretion, property where a renewable
generating facility is unlawfully connected to the utility's grid may be disconnected from the
utility's grid until an interconnection application is approved. Every day that a violation of this
section occurs shall constitute a separate offense.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ALSO ORDAINED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, that this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after
its passage and adoption by the Common Council of the City of Richmond, Indiana.
Passed and adopted by the Common Council of the City of Richmond, Indiana, this day
of 2018.
(Jamie Lopeman)
ATTEST: , City Clerk
(Karen Chasteen, IAMC, MMC)
President
PRESENTED to the Mayor of the City of Richmond, Indiana, this day of
, 2018, at 9:00 a.m.
City Clerk
(Karen Chasteen, IAMC, MMC)
APPROVED by me, David M. Snow, Mayor of the City of Richmond, Indiana this day of
, 2018, at 9:05 a.m.
Mayor
(David M. Snow)
ATTEST , City Clerk
(Karen Chasteen, IAMC, MMC)
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