Kansas

Legislative activities

While the Kansas Legislature has not yet approved any laws specific with smart grid they have allowed for solar easement provision that allow parties to voluntarily enter into solar easement contracts. In 2009 it also established net metering for customers of investor-owned utilities in Kansas. (HB 2369) [2, 3]

Regulatory activities

Kansas Corporation Commission worked with residential and business demand side management as early as 1991 and thermal storage as early as 1992 and dealt with real-time pricing in 1999 Time-of-Use rates by 2000 for business customers and 2007 for residential customers. Prior to 2010 interruptible accounts were available to business customers as an alternative method of load management. [4, 5]

“In August 2007, the Kansas Corporation Commission decided not to adopt PURPA Standard 14 (“Time-Based Metering and Communications”) as enacted in EPACT 2005. The Commission said that it should not mandate smart metering as that would be a “one size fits all” approach and could, as a result, disadvantage some utilities. Instead, the Commission encouraged voluntary pilot programs as the best vehicle for deploying smarting metering and TOU rates. Nonetheless, according to the August 2007 Order, “The Commission strongly encourages the development and implementation of pilot programs introducing smart metering and time-based rates, and time-based technology.”” [1]

Demand side management consists of load control of air conditioning systems that can receive the companies signal to cycle off during periods of peak usage.

Thermal storage is determined on a case by case basis by the company.

The real-time pricing is based on the company’s marginal cost-based prices and provided to the customer eight hours in advance of the day the power flows.

Time-of-use or time of day rates break the cost for electricity into periods on a seasonal basis and sections within on-peak and off-peak for pricing.

Load management includes interruptible service schedules which offer a reduced cost for a company’s ability to shed load for up to 4 hours a from June through August.

Utilities and Rate Schedules

Empire District Electric Company
- Empire District Electric Company Rates

Kansas City Power & Light
- Kansas City Power & Light Rates

Midwest Energy, Inc.
- Midwest Energy, Inc. Rates

See the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) for information on consumer-owned Cooperatives: http://www.nreca.org/members/MemberDirectory/Pages/default.aspx

State-Level Incentives

Kansas has a renewable energy property tax exemption. Kansas City Power & Light also has an energy optimizer program to install a free Honeywell programmable thermostat capable of receiving signals to reduce air conditioning loads during high demand periods.

More information can be found in the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE): http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=KS

Additional Resources

State Energy Office:
- Kansas Corporation Commission State Energy Office

State Authority Dealing with Energy Regulation:
- Kansas Corporation Commission
- Docket Search: http://www.kcc.state.ks.us/docket/docket.htm

Kansas Statutes

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE): http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=KS

References

[1] Demand Response and Smart Metering Policy Actions Since the Energy Policy Act of 2005: A Summary for State Officials, Prepared by the U.S. Demand Response Coordinating Committee for The National Council on Electricity Policy, Fall 2008. URL: http://www.oe.energy.gov/DocumentsandMedia/NCEP_Demand_Response_1208.pdf
[2] Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, Kansas – Net metering, 05/11/2010. URL: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=KS08R&re=1&ee=1
[3] Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, Kansas Solar Easements, 12/14/2009. URL: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=KS01R&re=1&ee=1
[4] Midwest Energy, Inc., Electric Terms, Conditions and Rates filed with the Kansas Corporation Commission. URL: http://www.mwenergy.com/elecrate.aspx
[5] KCP&L, Kansas Rates Schedules. URL: http://www.kcpl.com/about/ksRateSched.html