Terms defined in the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act
of 1978 (PURPA), 16 U.S.C.
2601 et seq., shall have the same meaning for
purposes of these rules as they have under PURPA, unless further defined in
this chapter.
"Adverse system impact" means a negative
effect that compromises the safety or reliability of the electric distribution
system or materially affects the quality of electric service provided by the
utility to other customers.
"AEP facility" means an AEP facility, as
defined in 199-Chapter 15, used by an interconnection customer to generate
electricity that operates in parallel with the electric distribution system. An
AEP facility typically includes an electric generator and the interconnection
equipment required to interconnect safely with the electric distribution system
or local electric power system.
"Affected system" means an electric system
not owned or operated by the utility reviewing the interconnection request that
could suffer an adverse system impact from the proposed interconnection.
"Applicant" means a person (or entity) who
has submitted an interconnection request to interconnect a distributed
generation facility to a utility's electric distribution system.
"Area network" means a type of electric
distribution system served by multiple transformers interconnected in an
electrical network circuit, generally used in large, densely populated
metropolitan areas.
"Business day" means Monday through Friday,
excluding state and federal holidays.
"Calendar day" means any day, including
Saturdays, Sundays, and state and federal holidays.
"Certificate of completion" means the
Certificate of Completion form that contains information about the
interconnection equipment to be used, its installation, and local
inspections.
"Commission" means the Iowa utilities
commission.
"Commissioning test" means a test applied to
a distributed generation facility by the applicant after construction is
completed to verify that the facility does not create adverse system impacts
and performs to the submitted specifications. At a minimum, the scope of the
commissioning tests performed shall include the commissioning test specified in
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) Standard 1547,
Section 11 "Test and Verification Requirements."
"Disconnection device" means a lockable
visual disconnect or other disconnection device capable of isolating,
disconnecting, and de-energizing the residual voltage in a distributed
generation facility.
"Distributed generation facility" means a
qualifying facility, an AEP facility, or an energy storage facility.
"Distribution upgrade" means a required
addition or modification to the electric distribution system to accommodate the
interconnection of the distributed generation facility. Distribution upgrades
do not include interconnection facilities.
"Electric distribution system" means the
facilities and equipment owned and operated by the utility and used to transmit
electricity to ultimate usage points such as homes and industries from
interchanges with higher voltage transmission networks that transport bulk
power over longer distances. The voltage levels at which electric distribution
systems operate differ among areas but generally operate at less than 100
kilovolts of electricity. "Electric distribution system" has the same meaning
as the term "Area EPS," as defined in Section
3.1 of IEEE Standard
1547.
"Electric meter" means a device used by an
electric utility that measures and registers the integral of an electrical
quantity with respect to time.
"Fault current" is the electrical current
that flows through a circuit during an electrical fault condition. A fault
condition occurs when one or more electrical conductors contact ground or each
other. Types of faults include phase to ground, double-phase to ground,
three-phase to ground, phase-to-phase, and three-phase. Often, a fault current
is several times larger in magnitude than the current that normally flows
through a circuit.
"IEEE Standard 1547" is the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., 3 Park Avenue, New York, NY
10016-5997, Standard 1547 (2018) "Standard for Interconnection and
Interoperability of Distributed Energy Resources and Associated Electric Power
System Interfaces."
"IEEE Standard 1547.1" is the IEEE Standard
1547.1 (2005) "Conformance Test Procedures for Equipment Interconnecting
Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems."
"Interconnection customer" means a person or
entity that interconnects a distributed generation facility to an electric
distribution system.
"Interconnection equipment" means a group of
components or an integrated system owned and operated by the interconnection
customer that connects an electric generator with a local electric power
system, as that term is defined in Section
3.1 of IEEE Standard 1547, or
with the electric distribution system. Interconnection equipment is all
interface equipment including switchgear, protective devices, inverters, or
other interface devices. Interconnection equipment may be installed as part of
an integrated equipment package that includes a generator or other electric
source.
"Interconnection facilities" means
facilities and equipment required by the utility to accommodate the
interconnection of a distributed generation facility. Collectively,
interconnection facilities include all facilities and equipment between the
distributed generation facility's interconnection equipment and the point of
interconnection, including any modifications, additions, or upgrades necessary
to physically and electrically interconnect the distributed generation facility
to the electric distribution system. Interconnection facilities are sole-use
facilities and do not include distribution upgrades.
"Interconnection request" means an
applicant's request, in a form approved by the commission, for interconnection
of a new distributed generation facility or to change the capacity or other
operating characteristics of an existing distributed generation facility
already interconnected with the electric distribution system.
"Interconnection study" is any study
described in rule 199-45.11 (476).
"Lab-certified" means a designation that the
interconnection equipment meets the requirements set forth in rule
199-45.6 (476).
"Line section" is that portion of an
electric distribution system connected to an interconnection customer's site,
bounded by automatic sectionalizing devices or the end of the distribution
line, or both.
"Local electric power system" means
facilities that deliver electric power to a load that is contained entirely
within a single premises or group of premises. "Local electric power system"
has the same meaning as that term as defined in Section
3.1 of IEEE Standard
1547.
"Nameplate capacity" is the maximum rated
output of a generator, prime mover, or other electric power production
equipment under specific conditions designated by the manufacturer and usually
indicated on a nameplate physically attached to the power production
equipment.
"Nationally recognized testing laboratory"
or "NRTL" means a qualified private organization that meets
the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA)
regulations. See 29 CFR
1910.7 as amended through February 22, 2017.
NRTLs perform independent safety testing and product certification. Each NRTL
shall meet the requirements as set forth by OSHA in its NRTL program.
"Parallel operation" or
"parallel" means a distributed generation facility that is
connected electrically to the electric distribution system for longer than 100
milliseconds continuously.
"Point of interconnection" has the same
meaning as the term "point of common coupling" as defined in Section
3.1 of IEEE Standard
1547.
"Primary line" means an electric
distribution system line operating at greater than 600 volts.
"Qualifying facility" means a cogeneration
facility or a small power production facility that is a qualifying facility
under 18 CFR Part 292, Subpart B, used by an interconnection customer to
generate electricity that operates in parallel with the electric distribution
system. A qualifying facility typically includes an electric generator and the
interconnection equipment required to interconnect safely with the electric
distribution system or local electric power system.
"Radial distribution circuit" means a
circuit configuration in which independent feeders branch out radially from a
common source of supply.
"Review order position" means, for each
distribution circuit or line section, the order of a completed interconnection
request relative to all other pending completed interconnection requests on
that distribution circuit or line section. The review order position is
established by the date that the utility receives the completed interconnection
request.
"Scoping meeting" means a meeting between
representatives of the applicant and utility conducted for the purpose of
discussing interconnection issues and exchanging relevant information.
"Secondary line" means an electric
distribution system line, or service line, operating at 600 volts or
less.
"Shared transformer" means a transformer
that supplies secondary voltage to more than one customer.
"Spot network" means a type of electric
distribution system that uses two or more inter-tied transformers to supply an
electrical network circuit. A spot network is generally used to supply power to
a single customer or a small group of customers. "Spot network" has the same
meaning as the term "spot network" as defined in Section 9 "DER on distribution
secondary grid/area/street (grid) networks and spot networks" of IEEE Standard
1547.
"UL Standard 1741" means the standard titled
"Inverters, Converters, Controllers, and Interconnection System Equipment for
Use with Distributed Energy Resources," January 28, 2010, edition, Underwriters
Laboratories Inc., 333 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, IL 60062-2096.
"Utility" means an electric utility that is
subject to rate regulation by the Iowa utilities commission.
"Witness test" for lab-certified equipment
means a verification either by an on-site observation or review of documents
that the interconnection installation evaluation and the commissioning test
required by IEEE Standard 1547, Section 11 have been adequately performed. For
interconnection equipment that has not been lab-certified, the witness test
shall also include verification of the on-site design tests and production
tests required by IEEE Standard 1547, Section 11. All verified tests are to be
performed in accordance with the test procedures specified by IEEE Standard
1547.1.
