California PUC Rule 21 Generating Facility Interconnection Application Guide Technical Note Revision 1.3 December 15, 2004 Bill Reaugh Revision History 1.2 August 6, 2004 Bill Reaugh Original Posted Version 1.3 December 15, 2004 Bill Reaugh Updated for SB 6000 and SC 125(208) SMA America 12438 Loma Rica Rd. Grass Valley, CA 95945 530.273.4895 Copyright 2004-2005 Page 1 of 9
Table of Contents 1 Overview and Background... 3 2 Links to Utility Applications... 3 2.1 Pacific Gas and Electric... 3 2.2 San Diego Gas & Electric... 3 2.3 Sacramento Municipal Utilities District... 3 2.4 Southern California Edison... 3 3 Suggested entries for Interconnection Agreement... 3 3.1 Part 1 Introduction and Overview... 3 3.2 Part 2 Identifying the Generating Faclity s Location and Responsible Parties... 3 3.3 Part 3 Describing the Generating Faclity and Hose Customer s Electrical Facilities... 4 3.4 Part 4 Describe each of the Generators... 6 Copyright 2004-2005 Page 2 of 9
1. Overview and Background The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has developed guidelines for interconnection of distributed generation called Rule 21. These guidelines regulate the rights and responsibilities of both individuals who want to become independent generators, and utilities to which the individuals connect their systems. All residential and commercial PV installations using Sunny Boy, Sunny Central, and/or Windy Boy inverters must abide by these regulations. As a part of this process, a Generating Facility Interconnection Application must be filled out before a utility inspection can take place. The SMA America Technical Support Hotline has received many calls about these applications because they are meant to be generic and cover rotating machine generators as well as inverters. In an effort to help customers in California with these applications we are providing this document with information that can be used while filling in these interconnection agreements. 2. Links to Utility Applications 2.1 Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E): http://www.pge.com/suppliers_purchasing/new_generator/solar_wind_generators/rule_21/ 2.2 San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E): http://www.sdge.com/business/net_metering.shtml 2.3 Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) http://www.smud.org/green/solar/compv.html 2.4 Southern California Edison (SCE) http://www.sce.com/sc3/002_save_energy/002d3_sgip/default.htm 3. Suggested entries for Interconnection Agreements: 3.1 Part 1: Introduction and Overview. This is only informational there are no entries required here. 3.2 Part 2: Identifying the Generating Facility s Location and Responsible Parties: 3.2.1 A) Host Customer Facility Information: This information should be filled out as it related to the utility customer on whose building the distributed generation service will be installed. 3.2.2 B) Contact Information: This contact information should be filled out such that the utility can contact the building owner(s) and/or a responsible party in such event as it becomes necessary. Copyright 2004-2005 Page 3 of 9
3.2.3 C) Operating Date: This should be the expected turn on date for the system. 3.3 Part 3: Describing the Generating Facility and Host Customer s Electrical Facilities 3.3.1 A) Indicate how this Generating Facility will interface with the Utility s Distribution System. ANSWER: Parallel Operation as a Type-1 Facility 3.3.2 B) If the answer to Question A) was Parallel Operation, please indicate the type of agreement that is being requested with this Application. ANSWER: Net Energy Metering Agreement. The agreement will also ask for the monthly kwh production for the Generating Facility, you should answer this question by using the following formula: SunHours PeakPower ( kw ) * *30Days = Day kwh month For this equation the Peak Power should be the maximum output power of all of the inverters in the system. If there are 2 Sunny Boy 2500U s then the Peak Power would be 5kW. Or if there are 3 Sunny Boy 1800U s and 2 Sunny Boy 1100U s then the Peak Power would be 7.6kW. For the Sun Hours/Day term this is the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) Equivalent Sun Hours per Day for your area. Detailed data can be obtained from NREL at http://www.nrel.gov. The map below will give approximate information for most of the US. From this map most of Northern California gets about 5 Equivalent Sun Hours per Day. For a system in Northern California with 2 Sunny Boy 2500U s the energy production would be about 750 kwh per month. Copyright 2004-2005 Page 4 of 9
3.3.3 C) If the Answer to Question B) was Generating Facility Interconnection Agreement please indication the option that will be used to prevent energy from being exported to the utility Distribution System. ANSWER: Not Applicable 3.3.4 D) What is the maximum 3-phase fault current that will be contributed by the Generating Facility to a 3-phase fault at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC)? (If the Generating Facility is a single phase in design, please provide the contribution for a line-to-line fault.) To answer this question you would sum the maximum output current for all of the Sunny Boy, Windy Boy, and/or Sunny Central inverters in your facility. The maximum output current for each SMA product is listed in the table for question 3.4.16. Please indicate the short circuit interrupting rating of the host Customer facility s service entrance ( main ) panel: Copyright 2004-2005 Page 5 of 9
The Short Circuit Interrupt Rating of the Customer Facility s service entrance will vary depending on the size, make, and model of the service entrance s main breaker. Typical ratings are in ka (kilo-amps) and a breaker rated at 100kA will stop a short circuit that is drawing less than 100,000 Amps of current. You should check the breaker manufacturer s documentation for the rating of the service entrance s main breaker. 3.3.5 E) Please indicate the mode of operation of this Generating Facility. For this question you will want to answer Net Energy Metering. Also if the system being installed is larger than 10kW, you will need to use additional forms for these larger systems. Those forms will have to be obtained from your local utility. 3.3.6 F) Please indicate if Qualifying Facility Status will be obtained from FERC for this Generating Facility. ANSWER: No, unless you have received notification from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that your installation qualifies for this distinction. 3.4 Part 4: Describe each of the Generators. If the installation will contain more than two types of SMA inverters it is highly recommended that you use one copy of Part 4 for each type of inverter in the system. 3.4.1 #) Please indicate the quantity of each type of inverter being installed. ANSWER: Include the number and type of each inverter used in the system. 3.4.2 A) Generator/Inverter Manufacturer (Name): ANSWER: SMA or SMA America Copyright 2004-2005 Page 6 of 9
3.4.3 B) Generator/ (Name/Number) SB 700U SWR 2500U (208V) SB 700U SBD * SWR 2500U SBD (208V) * SB 1100U SWR 2500U (240V) SB 1100U SBD * SWR 2500U SBD (240V) * SWR 1800U SB 6000U SWR 1800U SBD * SC 125U * Please note that the SBD designation refers to inverters that have had the LCD display card installed in the unit for metering. 3.4.4 C) Generator/Inverter Software Version (Number) Current Software Version BFR SRR SB 700U & SB 700U SBD 2.31 2.25 SB 1100U & SB 1100U SBD 2.31 2.25 SWR 1800U & SWR 1800U SBD 8.90 8.92 SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (208V) 8.90 8.92 SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (240V) 8.90 8.92 SB 6000U 2.56 2.54 SC 125U 3.17 Additional Software Versions BFR SRR SB 700U & SB 700U SBD None None SB 1100U & SB 1100U SBD None None 8.66 8.66 SWR 1800U & SWR 1800U SBD 8.65 8.65 8.64 8.64 8.32 8.30 8.66 8.66 SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (208V) 8.65 8.65 8.64 8.64 8.32 8.30 8.66 8.66 SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (240V) 8.65 8.65 8.64 8.64 8.32 8.30 SB 6000U None SC 125U None Copyright 2004-2005 Page 7 of 9
3.4.5 D) Is the Generator Certified by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) according to Rule 21? ANSWER: Yes. All SMA products are qualified, tested, and listed by an NRTL before being made available for sale. 3.4.6 E) Generator Design ANSWER: Inverter 3.4.7 F) Gross Nameplate Rating (kva) ANSWER: Not Applicable 3.4.8 G) & H) Gross Nameplate Rating (kw) & Net Nameplate Rating (kw) Gross & Net Nameplate Rating SB 700U & SB 700U SBD 0.7 kw SB 1100U & SB 1100U SBD 1.1 kw SWR 1800U & SWR 1800U SBD 1.8 kw SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (208V) 2.1 kw SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (240V) 2.5 kw SB 6000U (208V) 5.2 kw SB 6000U (240V or 277V) 6.0 kw SC 125U 125 kw 3.4.9 I) Operating Voltage SB 700U & SB 700U SBD SB 1100U & SB 1100U SBD SWR 1800U & SWR 1800U SBD SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (208V) SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (240V) SB 6000U (208V) SB 6000U (240V) SB 6000U (277V) SC 125U (208V) SC 125U (480V) Operating Voltage (V) 120 Vac Single Phase 240 Vac Split-Phase 120 Vac Single Phase 208 Vac 3-Phase 240 Vac Split-Phase 208 Vac 3-Phase 240 Vac Split-Phase 277 Vac Single Phase (in 480 3-Phase) 208 Vac 3-Phase, 120 Vac Phase-N 480 Vac 3-Phase, 277 Vac Phase-N 3.4.10 J) Power Factor Rating ANSWER: 100%, or 1, or Unity 3.4.11 K) PF Adjustment Range ANSWER: Not Applicable Copyright 2004-2005 Page 8 of 9
3.4.12 L) Wiring Configuration For Sunny Boy and Windy Boy Inverters: ANSWER: Single Phase For Sunny Central Inverter: ANSWER: 3-Phase 3.4.13 M) 3-Phase Winding Configuration For Sunny Boy and Windy Boy Inverters: ANSWER: Not Applicable For Sunny Central Inverters: ANSWER: 4-Wire WYE Transformer 3.4.14 N) Neutral Grounding System Used Sunny Boy and Windy Boy Inverters: ANSWER: Not Applicable Sunny Central Inverter: ANSWER: 4-Wire WYE is ungrounded. 3.4.15 O) & P) Reactance and Resistance ANSWER: Not Applicable for both questions. 3.4.16 Q) Short Circuit Current Produced by Generator Maximum Output Current SB 700U & SB 700U SBD (150/200/250) 4.3 / 5.7 / 6.6 Amps SB 1100U & SB 1100U SBD 4.6 Amps SWR 1800U & SWR 1800U SBD 15.0 Amps SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (208V) 12.0 Amps SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (240V) 12.0 Amps SB 6000U (208V and 240V) 25.0 Amps SB 6000U (277V) 21.7 Amps SC 125U (208V) 400 Amps SC 125U (480V) 180 Amps 3.4.17 R) In-Rush Current ANSWER: Not Applicable 3.4.18 S) Prime Mover Prime Mover Type SB 700U & SB 700U SBD Photovoltaic Panels (9) SB 1100U & SB 1100U SBD Photovoltaic Panels (9) SWR 1800U & SWR 1800U SBD Photovoltaic Panels (9) SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (208V) Photovoltaic Panels (9) SWR 2500U & SWR 2500U SBD (240V) Photovoltaic Panels (9) SWR 1800U & SWR 2500U Windy Boy Wind Turbine (14) SB 6000U Photovoltaic Panels (9) SC 125U Photovoltaic Panels (9) Copyright 2004-2005 Page 9 of 9