Rhode Island

Legislative activities

The Rhode Island state legislature has passed legislation focusing on net-metering standards in 2006 and expanded the legislation in subsequent years. (2007 H.B. 556, 2008 H.B. 7809, and 2009 S.B. 485) In 1981 the legislature looked into distributed generation technologies and created contractual methods for entering into solar easements for solar energy systems. [2, 3]

“In June 2006, the Governor Carcieri signed the Comprehensive Energy Conservation, Efficiency and Affordability Act of 2006 (HB 8025 Substitute A). The new law includes several provisions that foster demand response:

- Creates the Rhode Island Energy Efficiency and Resources Management Council—which is to advise the Office of Energy Resources about demand response among other things—and directs it to prepare by July 2009 a “reliability and efficiency procurement opportunity report” that is to address demand response.
- Directs the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission to establish by June 2008 standards for system reliability and for “energy efficiency and conservation procurement,” which shall include standards and guidelines for demand response.
- Directs each electrical distribution company to file triennially with the Commission a plan for system reliability and for “energy efficiency and conservation procurement” that addresses demand response.” [1]

Regulatory activities

As the State of Rhode Island had gone through electricity deregulation, for the most part supply has been unbundled from distribution charges from the utility. Due to this the State of Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission Division of Public Utilities and Carriers had approved distributed generation by 2008. All pricing mechanisms that would aid smart grid deployment come from third party service, as the default is a monthly flat rate for energy from the standard offer service. [4]

“In July 2006, the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission opened a proceeding to consider adoption of PURPA Standard 14 (“Time-Based Metering and Communications”) as enacted in EPACT 2005 and to investigate how the standard relates to the state’s omnibus energy act, the Comprehensive Energy Conservation, Efficiency and Affordability Act of 2006. In accordance with the law, in February 2008, the Rhode Island Distributed Generation Working Group fi led with the Rhode Island General Assembly a report reviewing various demand response programs in New England. (The Comprehensive Energy Conservation, Efficiency and Affordability Act of 2006 directed the Commissioner of Energy Resources to “facilitate a stakeholder-led study of issues and barriers pertaining to implementation of distributed generation” and to report the findings of the study to the General Assembly by February 2007.)” [1]

Distributed generators include backup generation and qualifying net metering installations which are priced according to third party contracts.

Utilities and Rate Schedules

Block Island Power Company: N/A
- Block Island Power Company Rates

National Grid
- National Grid Residential Rates
- National Grid Business Rates

Pascoag Utility District
- Pascoag Utility District 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

Rhode Island offers a corporate tax credit for solar and wind, loans for community solar, and grants for renewable energy.

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=RI

Additional Resources

State Energy Office:
- State of Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources

State Authority Dealing with Energy Regulation:
- State of Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission Division of Public Utilities and Carriers
- Docket Search: http://www.ripuc.org/eventsactions/docket.html

State of Rhode Island General Laws

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=RI

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, Rhode Island – Net Metering, 12/15/2009. URL: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=RI01R&re=1&ee=1
[3] Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, Rhode Island Solar Easements, 03/10/2010. URL: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=RI02R&re=1&ee=1
[4] National Grid, For Your Business, Service Rates. URL: https://www.nationalgridus.com/narragansett/business/rates/3_rates.asp